12 Effective Ways to Fix Not Getting Emails on Your iPhone!

Not receiving emails can hinder productivity if you rely on your iPhone for personal or business communication. Luckily, you can go through several easy fixes to get your mail flowing again. 

Read along to find out what to do if you’re not getting emails on your iPhone!

What to Do if You’re Not Getting Emails on iPhone?

If you’re not getting emails on your iPhone, here’s a quick guide to help you troubleshoot the issue.

1. Check Your Internet Connection

If you’re not connected to the Internet, you won’t be able to receive emails. Before trying any other troubleshooting steps, ensure your iPhone is connected to a mobile data network or Wi-Fi. 

Moreover, if connected to a VPN, some email services malfunction, so turn your VPN off.

2. Refresh the Mail App

Sometimes, manually refreshing the Mail app can cause the emails to update. 

1. Open the Mail app.
2. Swipe down on your screen until you see a spinning wheel. Release when you feel your iPhone vibrate to refresh.

3. Relaunch the Mail App

If your iPhone is not showing new emails in your inbox, restarting your Mail app can often restore the communications with the mail servers. Follow these steps:

1. Unlock your iPhone.
   • If you have an iPhone X or newer, swipe up from the bottom.
   • If you own an iPhone 8 or older, click the Home Button twice.
2. Swipe the Mail app card up.
3. Re-open the Mail app.

4. Enable iCloud Mail

If you use @icloud as your primary email account, allow iCloud Mail in your settings. Here’s how:

1. Click on your name at the top of the Settings app.
2. Tap on iCloud.
3. Tap on iCloud Mail to add an existing account or create a new one.

5. Enable a Third-Party Mail Service

But what if you’re using a third-party email provider? Follow these steps to receive emails from your preferred email service on the iOS Mail app:

1. Go to the Settings app.
2. Tap on Mail.
3. Select Accounts.
4. If you already see your third-party account on the next screen, tap it and turn the Mail switch on.

5. If you don’t see your third-party account, tap on Add Account and select your email provider. Then, log in and turn the Mail switch on.

6. Check Mail Fetch Settings

iPhones have three options for syncing new emails: Push delivers new emails to your iPhone automatically, Fetch refreshes your emails at a scheduled interval, while Manual checks for updates only when the application is in use.

While the optimal setting is Push, some applications don’t support it. In this case, select the Fetch option by following the steps below:

1. In the Settings app, go to Mail.
2. Tap on Accounts.
3. On the next screen, select Fetch New Data.
4. Toggle the Push switch on.
5. Choose Push for all your mail accounts. If Push isn’t available, select Fetch.

If you select the Fetch option, keep in mind that your iPhone will only fetch new data while your device is on power and connected to Wi-Fi. To save battery life, Apple recommends to fetch less frequently. 

7. Check Notification Settings

If you disabled your notifications for the Mail app, you will receive your emails in the background without any alert. Follow these steps to see if your Mail notifications are turned on:

1. From the Settings app, go to Mail.
2. Tap on Notifications.
3. If the Allow Notifications toggle is off, switch it on.
4. From here, you can also customize your alerts and notifications and their lockscreen appearance.

8. Reboot Your iPhone

Although there is no particular reasoning behind it, a simple restart of your iPhone can sometimes resolve a minor software issue.

Go through these steps to restart an iPhone X or newer:

1. Click and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons together. 
2. Swipe the power-off slider to the right.
3. After your iPhone turns off, hold the side button again to turn it on.

If you own an iPhone SE, 8, or older, follow these steps:

1. Click and hold the side button.
2. When the power-off slider appears, swipe right.
3. Once your iPhone shuts down, press the side button again to turn it on.

9. Update Your iPhone

Apple regularly sends out updates for its software and default system apps. The updates resolve common bugs and issues, often including iPhones not receiving emails. Here’s how you can update your iPhone:

1. Go to the Settings app.
2. From General, select Software Update.
3. If a new iOS update is available, tap Download and Install.

10. Re-Install the Mail App

Although the Mail app is a built-in iOS app, you can still delete it and re-install it. Just follow these easy steps:

1. Press and hold the Mail app on your Home Screen.
2. Tap Remove App.
3. In the pop-up menu, select Delete App.
4. Go to the App Store, look for Mail, download and install.

11. Remove Your Email Account and Add it Back

If you’re using a third-party mail provider and have changed your password, you’ll need to update your account with the new password. If you still don’t receive any emails, try deleting your account and adding it again in the Mail settings:

1. From Settings, go to Mail.
2. Select Accounts.
3. On the next screen, tap on your third-party account.
4. Tap on Delete Account and confirm.
5. Return to the Accounts menu and tap on Add Account to re-enter your account information.

12. Enable Background App Refresh

At times, your Mail app may not be updating on your iPhone because it fails to refresh its content in the background. To see if you’ve activated Background App Refresh, follow these steps:

1. From the Settings app, go to General.
2. Tap on Background App Refresh.
3. Depending on how you want the apps to update in the background, select Wi-Fi or Wi-fi & Mobile Data.

If the above-mentioned solutions fail to resolve the issue, consider seeking further assistance from the customer support of your email provider. Moreover, you can also reach out to Apple’s customer support team to get help.

Final Thoughts

Email issues on your iPhone can be frustrating, but there are several solutions that you can try to fix the issue. From checking your email settings and server status to updating your iPhone software, these solutions can help you diagnose and resolve the problem. By following these tips, you can ensure that you receive all your important emails on your iPhone without any interruptions.