How to Set up and Use Email With the iPhone
Open Settings., Scroll down and tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars., Tap Add Account., Tap an email service., Enter your email address and password., Sync iPhone apps with your Mail account., Tap Save., Wait for your mail to sync., Open Mail., Review...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Open Settings.
It's a grey app with gears on it, typically found on the Home Screen. -
Step 2: Scroll down and tap Mail
It's about a third of the way down the "Settings" page. , You'll see this option near the top of the page. , The email service you tap here should correspond to your email address' provider: iCloud
- Use this for your Apple ID (e.g., "[email protected]").
Exchange
- For use with Microsoft Exchange email addresses.
Google
- For Gmail addresses.
Yahoo!
- For Yahoo addresses.
Aol.
- For AOL addresses.
Outlook.com
- For Hotmail, Live, and Outlook accounts.
Other
- If your email provider isn't listed here, use this option to manually add your email address.
You'll need to tap Add Mail Account after doing so to proceed to the next step. , While this process will visually vary based on your selected provider, you'll enter your email address and then your password in the aptly labeled fields.If you selected "Other" as your service, you will need to enter your outgoing and incoming mail servers.
You can find this information on your mail service's support page.
For "Other" accounts, you will also need to tap IMAP or POP at the top of the screen.
If your service supports it, choose IMAP for more features and better cross-device syncing.
You may need to verify your email account after entering the information by entering a code texted or emailed to you by your selected service. , Sliding the switch next to an option right to the "On" (green) position will allow synchronization between your email account and the selected app.
Depending on your chosen email service, you'll see a combination of the following options:
Mail
- Allows your added email address to load mail in the iPhone's Mail app.
Make sure this option is green.
Contacts
- Allows your email address to retrieve contacts from your iPhone's Contacts app.
Calendars
- Lets events scheduled within the Mail app for your account show up in your iPhone's Calendar.
Reminders
- Grants the Reminders app access to the Mail app so that you can schedule alerts for meetings or events planned in Mail.
Notes
- Allows you to store documents made in Notes on this specific account.
If you delete this account from the phone, notes stored on the account will be deleted as well. , It's in the top-right corner of the screen.
Doing so will add your account to the iPhone's Mail app. , Depending on how many accounts you are adding and how many messages need to load, this could take several minutes.
Once your account's mail finishes getting added to your iPhone's Mail app, you'll be ready to use the account in question. , It's a blue app with a white envelope icon on it.
If you haven't changed the Mail app's location, it will be on the dock at the bottom of the Home Screen. , If the account you're using is the only email account you've added, opening Mail will take you straight to the inbox; otherwise, you'll first have to tap Inbox beneath your account's heading (e.g., Gmail).
You can also tap the "Back" button in the top-left corner of the screen to view your email options (e.g., Inbox, Sent, and Trash). , Do so by swiping up to scroll down through the emails here.
Emails are sorted in the order in which you received them, with the most recent email being at the top of the inbox. , The open email text may appear small to you.
Enlarge it by touching the screen with two fingers and spreading them apart.
To scroll about the screen, slide your finger in the direction you want to go.
To resize a column of text to fit the screen, double-tap the text. , To do so, first tap the message and, if necessary, tap Details to see the recipients' or senders' names.
Then, tap the desired name or email address.
This will bring up a contact screen where you can either tap Create New Contact to make a contact profile for the user, or tap Add to Existing Contact to select a contact. , To reply, tap the left-facing email at the bottom of the screen on an open email, tap Reply, and type in your message.
Tap Send in the top-right corner of the screen when you're done. , This icon, located in the bottom-right corner of the screen, resembles a pencil writing on paper.
After doing so, the New Message screen will appear, and the cursor will be in the "To:" field. , Type a name or email address into the "To:" field.
If you type a person's name, the iPhone will attempt to match a contact that you have stored.
Alternatively, you can tap the blue + to browse your contact list. , Tap "Cc/Bcc/From" if you want to copy or blind copy the message to others, or change the account you send the message from.
If you have more than one email account you can tap the "From" field to change the account you want the email to be sent from. , You'll do so in the "Subject" field, which is directly below the "Cc/Bcc:" field. , You can tap Return to move from one field to another, or you can simply tap the white space below the "Subject" field. , It's in the top-right corner of the screen; most emails will send immediately. , The iPhone supports a large variety of file types, including images, videos, documents, music files, PDFs, and more.
To view an attached file, tap the attachment to open it in Quick Look.
You may need to download the attachment first by tapping the down arrow button if it appears at the end of the message in a dotted box with the document name. , Files need to be attached from the apps that open them, so this process will vary.
To attach a file:
Open the file in its app.
For example, to attach an image, open it in your Photos app.
Tap the "Share" button.
This looks like a box with an arrow coming out of it; it's usually in one of the corners of the screen.
Select Mail from the list of options. , Your file will be attached to the email.
It may take a few moments for the email to send if the file is large.
Attachments have a maximum size of 25 megabytes. , You must have a cellular data or wireless internet connection in or to send or receive email messages.
If you don't have a cellular data plan, you can log into a wireless network to send and receive emails. , To do so, open Settings, tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars like you did when setting up the account, and then tap the account you need to troubleshoot. , Make sure that you've typed the correct email address and password for your chosen account.
Most email services use case-sensitive passwords. , If you are using an "Other" email account, incorrect server settings could be preventing your from sending or receiving email messages.
Check that all the server information is entered correctly. , If your email service supports it, consider switching from a POP account to an IMAP account.
This will provide a much more stable sync environment for your emails, preventing you from losing messages on different devices.
The process of switching mail types varies depending on the service, but can usually be found on your account settings page.
Not all services support changing account types.
You may need to reenter your account information on your iPhone when changing account types. -
Step 3: Contacts
-
Step 4: Calendars.
-
Step 5: Tap Add Account.
-
Step 6: Tap an email service.
-
Step 7: Enter your email address and password.
-
Step 8: Sync iPhone apps with your Mail account.
-
Step 9: Tap Save.
-
Step 10: Wait for your mail to sync.
-
Step 11: Open Mail.
-
Step 12: Review your inbox.
-
Step 13: Browse through your emails.
-
Step 14: Pinch the screen in and out to adjust the zoom.
-
Step 15: Add an email sender or recipient to your contact list.
-
Step 16: Reply to an open email.
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Step 17: Tap the "Compose" button.
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Step 18: Add a recipient.
-
Step 19: Select copies and blind copies.
-
Step 20: Enter a subject.
-
Step 21: Type in your message.
-
Step 22: Tap Send to send the message.
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Step 23: Open an attached file.
-
Step 24: Attach a file to an email.
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Step 25: Compose and send your message.
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Step 26: Check your connection.
-
Step 27: Open your account in the Settings app.
-
Step 28: Ensure that your login details are correct.
-
Step 29: Double-check the incoming and outgoing server.
-
Step 30: Switch your email service from POP to IMAP.
Detailed Guide
It's a grey app with gears on it, typically found on the Home Screen.
It's about a third of the way down the "Settings" page. , You'll see this option near the top of the page. , The email service you tap here should correspond to your email address' provider: iCloud
- Use this for your Apple ID (e.g., "[email protected]").
Exchange
- For use with Microsoft Exchange email addresses.
Google
- For Gmail addresses.
Yahoo!
- For Yahoo addresses.
Aol.
- For AOL addresses.
Outlook.com
- For Hotmail, Live, and Outlook accounts.
Other
- If your email provider isn't listed here, use this option to manually add your email address.
You'll need to tap Add Mail Account after doing so to proceed to the next step. , While this process will visually vary based on your selected provider, you'll enter your email address and then your password in the aptly labeled fields.If you selected "Other" as your service, you will need to enter your outgoing and incoming mail servers.
You can find this information on your mail service's support page.
For "Other" accounts, you will also need to tap IMAP or POP at the top of the screen.
If your service supports it, choose IMAP for more features and better cross-device syncing.
You may need to verify your email account after entering the information by entering a code texted or emailed to you by your selected service. , Sliding the switch next to an option right to the "On" (green) position will allow synchronization between your email account and the selected app.
Depending on your chosen email service, you'll see a combination of the following options:
Mail
- Allows your added email address to load mail in the iPhone's Mail app.
Make sure this option is green.
Contacts
- Allows your email address to retrieve contacts from your iPhone's Contacts app.
Calendars
- Lets events scheduled within the Mail app for your account show up in your iPhone's Calendar.
Reminders
- Grants the Reminders app access to the Mail app so that you can schedule alerts for meetings or events planned in Mail.
Notes
- Allows you to store documents made in Notes on this specific account.
If you delete this account from the phone, notes stored on the account will be deleted as well. , It's in the top-right corner of the screen.
Doing so will add your account to the iPhone's Mail app. , Depending on how many accounts you are adding and how many messages need to load, this could take several minutes.
Once your account's mail finishes getting added to your iPhone's Mail app, you'll be ready to use the account in question. , It's a blue app with a white envelope icon on it.
If you haven't changed the Mail app's location, it will be on the dock at the bottom of the Home Screen. , If the account you're using is the only email account you've added, opening Mail will take you straight to the inbox; otherwise, you'll first have to tap Inbox beneath your account's heading (e.g., Gmail).
You can also tap the "Back" button in the top-left corner of the screen to view your email options (e.g., Inbox, Sent, and Trash). , Do so by swiping up to scroll down through the emails here.
Emails are sorted in the order in which you received them, with the most recent email being at the top of the inbox. , The open email text may appear small to you.
Enlarge it by touching the screen with two fingers and spreading them apart.
To scroll about the screen, slide your finger in the direction you want to go.
To resize a column of text to fit the screen, double-tap the text. , To do so, first tap the message and, if necessary, tap Details to see the recipients' or senders' names.
Then, tap the desired name or email address.
This will bring up a contact screen where you can either tap Create New Contact to make a contact profile for the user, or tap Add to Existing Contact to select a contact. , To reply, tap the left-facing email at the bottom of the screen on an open email, tap Reply, and type in your message.
Tap Send in the top-right corner of the screen when you're done. , This icon, located in the bottom-right corner of the screen, resembles a pencil writing on paper.
After doing so, the New Message screen will appear, and the cursor will be in the "To:" field. , Type a name or email address into the "To:" field.
If you type a person's name, the iPhone will attempt to match a contact that you have stored.
Alternatively, you can tap the blue + to browse your contact list. , Tap "Cc/Bcc/From" if you want to copy or blind copy the message to others, or change the account you send the message from.
If you have more than one email account you can tap the "From" field to change the account you want the email to be sent from. , You'll do so in the "Subject" field, which is directly below the "Cc/Bcc:" field. , You can tap Return to move from one field to another, or you can simply tap the white space below the "Subject" field. , It's in the top-right corner of the screen; most emails will send immediately. , The iPhone supports a large variety of file types, including images, videos, documents, music files, PDFs, and more.
To view an attached file, tap the attachment to open it in Quick Look.
You may need to download the attachment first by tapping the down arrow button if it appears at the end of the message in a dotted box with the document name. , Files need to be attached from the apps that open them, so this process will vary.
To attach a file:
Open the file in its app.
For example, to attach an image, open it in your Photos app.
Tap the "Share" button.
This looks like a box with an arrow coming out of it; it's usually in one of the corners of the screen.
Select Mail from the list of options. , Your file will be attached to the email.
It may take a few moments for the email to send if the file is large.
Attachments have a maximum size of 25 megabytes. , You must have a cellular data or wireless internet connection in or to send or receive email messages.
If you don't have a cellular data plan, you can log into a wireless network to send and receive emails. , To do so, open Settings, tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars like you did when setting up the account, and then tap the account you need to troubleshoot. , Make sure that you've typed the correct email address and password for your chosen account.
Most email services use case-sensitive passwords. , If you are using an "Other" email account, incorrect server settings could be preventing your from sending or receiving email messages.
Check that all the server information is entered correctly. , If your email service supports it, consider switching from a POP account to an IMAP account.
This will provide a much more stable sync environment for your emails, preventing you from losing messages on different devices.
The process of switching mail types varies depending on the service, but can usually be found on your account settings page.
Not all services support changing account types.
You may need to reenter your account information on your iPhone when changing account types.
About the Author
Charlotte Hernandez
With a background in businessservices, Charlotte Hernandez brings 1 years of hands-on experience to every article. Charlotte believes in making complex topics accessible to everyone.
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