Top 6 Fixes for Can’t Get Mail Error on iPhone and iPad

Do you get a ‘Unable to Retrieve Mail’ error when you open an email in the Mail app on your iPhone or iPad? If your answer is yes, you should read this guide to the end. We have detailed six (6) different ways to fix the problem. Check them out and seamlessly return to receiving emails.

The mail application displays this error message when it cannot successfully initiate a connection with the email provider’s server. And the reason behind this can vary. This could be due to poor internet connection, incorrect email configurations or some device-specific glitches. Before moving on to the solutions below, you should try force-stopping the Mail app and restart your iPhone/iPad. If the error message still appears afterward, see the troubleshooting instructions in the next paragraphs.

1. Troubleshoot Internet Connection Issues

When this error pops up on the screen of your iPhone or iPad, your first call port should check if your device is connected to the internet. If you are using cellular data, disable it and turn it back on. Do the same if you are connected to a Wi-Fi network. Enabling airplane mode and turning it off again after a few seconds can also help refresh your device’s internet connection. If the error persists, you should check that your internet source (Wi-Fi router) is turned on and is transmitting data correctly.

Try using other apps and check if they can access the internet. If the only affected app is Mail, check if your device has access to its mobile data. Go to Settings > Mail and make sure Mobile Data is turned on.

We also recommend that you read some detailed guides we have prepared to fix internet and connection related issues on your iPhone and iPad.

• Top 8 Ways to Fix Cellular Data Not Working on iPhone
• How To Fix iPhone Connected To Wi-Fi But Internet Not Working Issue
• A Complete Guide to Fix iPhone Not Connecting to Wi-Fi

2. Change Device Forward Settings

Your device’s push configurations can also affect how the Mail app receives new emails. On devices running iOS 11 or later, the mail app is configured to automatically receive new messages from Apple’s email server. If your iPhone or iPad is not set up to receive new updates, you may automatically encounter this “Unable to Receive Mail” error. Follow the steps below to check your device’s push notification settings.

Stage 1: Launch the iOS Settings menu and select ‘Passwords & Accounts’.

Step 2: Next, select ‘Get New Data’.

Stage 3: First, turn on push. Finally, check that Fetch is set to Automatic.

This will ensure that new data/updates are delivered to your iPhone from the Mail app server as soon as possible.

Note: Your iPhone/iPad will only fetch new data for Mail and other apps only when charging or connected to Wi-Fi.

3. Disable Low Power Mode

iOS Low Power Mode can help improve your device’s battery life, but it comes at a cost. First, enabling Low Power Mode will pause your device’s push settings (in #2 above) and consequently delay how often the Mail app fetches new emails. Close the Mail app, disable Low Power Mode and check if the mail app is now working properly.

If the battery icon in the Status Bar or Control Center of your device is yellow, it means Low Power Mode is enabled. Tap the yellow battery icon in Control Center to disable Low Power Mode.

Alternatively, go to Settings > Battery and turn Low Power Mode off.

Now restart the Mail app and check if your emails appear in your inbox.

4. Relink Account to Mail App

This requires removing the affected third-party email account from the Mail app and adding the account again. Let’s show you how.

Stage 1: Launch the Settings menu and select ‘Passwords & Accounts’.

Step 2: Select the email account under the Accounts section.

Stage 3: Turn the mail option off, wait a second and turn it back on.

Now, restart the Mail app and check if the ‘Unable to Receive Mail’ error still occurs. If available, proceed to Step 4 below to delete the account from your device.

Step 4: Tap Delete Account and select “Delete from My iPhone” at the confirmation prompt.

Step 5: On the ‘Passwords & Accounts’ page, select Add Account to re-add the account.

You will then be asked to choose an email provider and enter your account information.

5. Reset Network Settings

Resetting your device’s network settings can help as the error is most often due to network related issues. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. In this guide, you can learn more about what resetting network settings does to your iPhone/iPad.

6. Check for Service Interruption

If the Mail app continues to show this error after trying all the solutions above, you should confirm if everything is OK with your email service providers. Check if they are experiencing server downtime or outages. You can check the status of the iCloud mail service on the Apple System Status page. You can use reliable website analytics tools like DownDetector to check for service disruptions and outages for Gmail, Yahoo, and other third-party email providers.

Get Your Emails

You are also likely to encounter this error if there is a problem with your email account credentials. If you have recently changed your email ID or password on another device, we recommend that you disconnect the account with the new account credentials and re-add it to the Mail app (see method #4 above). Updating your device’s iOS can also help; this will simultaneously update the Mail app and fix any software or bug related glitch that is responsible for this error.

Next: Want to compose an email on your iPhone or iPad but the Mail app is nowhere to be found? Read the article linked below to know how to get it back quickly.