email sending problems from iPhone 4

[Anonymous]

Starting on Friday 18 January I am having trouble with sending emails from my iPhone 4. Up until then no problem at all. I use the O2 outgoing mail server for emails. I have three accounts on the phone. Whenever I send an email, the sending bar on the screen goes right across and the mail goes to the sent box. However about 50% of the emails never reach their recipient. I have spent days doing various tests, sometime the email arrives and then the next time it doesnot arrive.

I have not altered any settings in the phone.

It would appear that the phone is sending the mail, but then they are randomly getting stuck at a server somewhere.

Are there any ongoing issues with the O2 mail server at the present time?

Is anyone else having the same problems?

[adamtemp64]

You do not always have to use the o2 smtp server.

I have it set as an alternate in settings but set to off for my isp mail and work mail only the o2 email account uses the o2 smtp server.

If your email provider is listed here http://www.o2.co.uk/ispsettings use the recomended smtp settings

[AlignedChaos]

It also depends what email service you are using.  If you are using web based email such as Outlook.com (Hotmail / Windows Live Mail), GMail, Yahoo Mail etc or ActiveSync based mail (i.e. Microsoft Exchange) then you can make your life much easier by setting these up directly in the mail app without using the O2 outgoing mail server.

What you must bear in mind with the O2 mail server is that it will only let you send when you are on the O2 network.  So if you are in a coffee shop on their Wi-Fi, O2 won't allow the email to go via smtp.o2.co.uk.

Hope that makes sense, if not, yell, I'm here all week. 😉

[Anonymous]

Hi there.

Thanks for your reply.

Just to clarify I am with NTL as my main provider. Hence I use Pop3 with NTL for incoming messages but as you are aware you cannont send on an iPhone via NTL, hence the outgoing mail server I use is O2.

It has worked fine in any location with any free wi-fi for the last 9 months, then this week end the problems started.

I have two mail accounts with O2 outgoing mail servers, both with identical settings. Today, one account works but the other does not. I also have a third mail account with Yahoo. Earlier today it would send messages, but this evening it won't!

The failures are all a bit random.

Could it be a fault with the actual phone handset?

This really is driving me crazy - the worst thing is you dont know if the mail has actually sent even though the message does end up in the Sent Item box.

HELP!

[MI5]

You can send NTL (now virginmedia) email on an iphone but you have to set up the servers manually. It's just the auto settings that don't work. I would also advise you use imap instead of POP as it is better for mobile devices.

[jonsie]

Try setting it up as an Exchange account using m.google.com as the server.

[Anonymous]

Just reading the reply from MI5, many thanks. Do I now understand that the iPhone will send email from both smtp.ntlworld.com and also smtp.virginmedia.com when using my ntl email address?

It certainly wasn't the case when I got my first iPhone about 3/4 years ago.

Thanks to everyone for their help so far.

[MI5]

No, forget any NTL references now. For incoming use "imap.virginmedia.com" and for smtp use "smtp.virginmedia.com"

[jonsie]

Some useful info here:

http://help.virginmedia.com/system/selfservice.controller?CMD=VIEW_ARTICLE&ARTICLE_ID=351843&CURRENT...

[MI5]

What that link doesn't tell you is that it will fail as it tries to load the auto os settings. When you enter your password enter it incorrectly and wait whilst the phone tries to verify your account (takes ages). It will lthen come back with an error at which point you have the option to press "save" at the top right of the screen. After saving the account back out and go into settings >General >accounts and manually edit the account you just created with the correct settings. You will probably have to tick SSL and change the ports to incoming on 993 and outgoing on 465. Also tick "require sign in" for the smtp server.