Why Can’t I Send an Email on My iPhone?

Emails are among the top forms of communication, especially for businesses. EarthWeb estimates the number of emails sent every day to be about 300 billion, and there are around 4 billion email users worldwide. These statistics mean that if you are an internet user, there is a chance you regularly communicate using email.

If you depend on email for personal and business communication, your iPhone failing to send emails can quickly move from a slight inconvenience to a significant hindrance. There are several reasons your iPhone would fail to send an email, and the primary culprit is often a poor internet connection.

Read this article to the end to learn more about the reasons why you can’t send an email on your iPhone and a few solutions you can try.

Overview of iPhone Failing To Send an Email

Not being able to send emails on your iPhone can be frustrating, especially when you can’t pinpoint the issue. But, the problem is sometimes as straightforward as a poor internet connection. Other times, the problem could be an incorrect password or email ID or temporary server downtime.

Whatever the case, there are a few things you need to first assess before utilizing any of the solutions discussed in this article. These factors include the following.

• If your mail settings are backed to your iCloud or iTunes, this might interfere with the email settings if you delete or switch your email account.
• Check if your Wi-Fi connection is working.
• Ensure the email service provider is not experiencing a temporary service outage leading to the unavailability of the email service.

If your internet connection is okay and you haven’t changed your email settings, try using the solutions below to fix your email sending problem on your iPhone.

Fixing an iPhone Email Sending Problem: Step-by-Step Guide

Here are a few quick fixes for your sending email on iPhone problems.

Method #1: Restarting Your iPhone and Refreshing Your Internet Connection

Sometimes, your internet connection’s signal strength may be too low to send an email on your iPhone. If you think a poor internet connection is why you can’t send an email, contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP). 

Alternatively, wait a few minutes for the internet signal to stabilize. If your connection is fine, but you still can’t send emails on your iPhone, try refreshing your link using the following steps.

1. Go to your iPhone’s “Settings“.
2. Go to the Wi-Fi icon.
3. Tap on the icon to switch off your Wi-Fi.

While your Wi-Fi is off, soft reset your iPhone to refresh the apps and clear its cache. Here’s how to do it:

1. Press and hold your iPhone’s side and volume buttons simultaneously.
2. Release the buttons after the “Power Off” prompt appears.
3. Swipe the bar to turn the iPhone off.
4. After 1-2 minutes, press and hold the iPhone’s side button and release it after the Apple logo appears.

After restarting your iPhone, go back to Settings > “Wi-Fi” and click on the icon to switch the Wi-Fi back on. Once your iPhone re-establishes an internet connection, go back to the Mail app and try sending an email to your address. If you receive the email, then the email account is working well.

Method #2: Manage Your Outboxes

If you receive a notification saying your email didn’t go through, the email goes to your outbox. If your internet connection is working well, it could be a time-out issue. Try resending the email using the following steps.

1. In your Mail app, click on your list of mailboxes.
2. Next, click on the “Outbox” tab.
3. If you see an email in the outbox section, click on it and verify the recipient’s email address. If you don’t see an email, your iPhone failed to send your email.
4. Tap on “Send” once you’ve confirmed the recipient’s email address.
5. Navigate to the “Sent” section to see if you sent the email successfully.

Method #3: Delete and Re-Add Your Email Account

Follow the steps below to use this method.

1. Sign in to your email account and back up your emails to another storage device other than your iPhone.
2. On your iPhone, click on Settings > “Mail” > “Accounts“.
3. Long-press on the email account you want to delete.
4. Tap on “Delete Account“.

Next, re-add the email account using the steps below.

1. Go to Settings > “Passwords & Accounts“.
2. Select “Add Account“, then select your email provider from the list.
3. Add your name, email address, password, and account description in the respective boxes.
4. Click “Next” and wait for the Mail app to set up your account.
5. Select “Done” to complete the setup.
6. Sign in to your email again and attempt to resend the failed email.
7. Go to the “Sent” section to check if you’ve successfully sent an email.

Method #4: Check App Restrictions on Your iPhone

Sometimes, in-built apps like mail fail to work because of app privacy restrictions. Follow the steps below to modify Mail settings on your iPhone.

1. Go to Settings > “Screen Time“.
2. Enter your passcode to proceed.
3. Click on “Allowed Apps“.
4. Select the Mail app on the list that appears.
5. Ensure the toggle displays “On“.
6. Go back to your email and resend the email.
7. View the “Sent” section to see if you’ve successfully sent an email.

Summary

As you’ve learned, there are various reasons you can’t send an email on your iPhone. The most straightforward explanation is a poor internet connection. If your connection is fine, there might be a problem with your account or allowed app settings. You can resolve the issue by deleting your email account and then adding it back or by modifying the ‘Allowed Apps’ restrictions on your iPhone.