How to Fix Mail App Not Working on iPhone After iOS 18 Update

Learn how to fix the problem if you can’t send or receive emails after installing iOS 18 update on your iPhone
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by Stacey Butler

  • If the Mail app is not working on your iPhone after iOS 18 update, try refreshing, restarting, or reinstalling the Mail app.
  • Ensure Background App Refresh is enabled and email addresses and passwords are correct.
  • Check iOS Fetch, Mail and notification settings, and the outboxes of linked email accounts.

Some of the email problems on iOS 18 include the following:

  • Mail app not loading
  • Can’t send or receive emails
  • Delayed emails
  • Mail app not downloading emails from the server
  • iPhone not showing emails in the inbox
  • Mail app not sending email notifications

An iPhone’s inability to send or receive emails after iOS 18 update can be caused by a variety of problems — it might be a lost connection with the server, a software bug, or incorrect mail settings.

In this article, we will show you how to easily fix Mail not working after iOS 18 update on iPhone, step-by-step.

Fixing mail not working after iOS 18 update on iPhone

1. Manually refresh the Mail app

The first thing you should try when emails are not working after iOS 18 update is to manually refresh the app to see if the emails will update.

  1. Open the Mail app.
  2. Drag your finger down on the screen and release it once the spinning wheel becomes full. You will know it’s time to release your finger when you feel your iPhone vibrate as you drag the finger down.
  3. Wait for the Mail app to refresh.

2. Verify your connectivity

If restarting your phone didn’t resolve the issue, then the next step would be to make sure you have a good signal, aren’t in Airplane mode, etc.

Toggle airplane mode

Slide down from the top right corner to bring up the Control Center, then tap the Airplane Mode icon to switch off all of the connectivity features built into your iPhone. This includes WiFi, Bluetooth and Mobile Data. Then switch Airplane Mode back off. This re-enables your internet connection and helps to reset any potential issues preventing mail from working properly.

Make sure you are connected to the right wifi

Getting connected to your neighbor’s network instead of yours is a common mistake, especially if they have similar names that consist of random letters and numbers. You might be connected to a restricted network or one that simply doesn’t have the required ports open for email. Make sure you are connected to the correct network by going to Settings > “Wi-Fi”.

3. Restart Mail app

If you are still having Mail problem on your iPhone after restarting your device and checking your Internet connection, then you may need to restart the Mail app.

Like other system apps, the Mail app could also end up crashing or not working after iOS 18 update, especially if it’s left open or running in the background during the update installation process. In this case, you will need to force close the mail app to give it a fresh start. Swipe up from the bottom to the middle of the screen to reveal the App Switcher, then swipe up on the Mail app to close it.
Then launch it once more via your Home Screen, Siri or Spotlight. This sometimes helps to get the Mail app back up and running if it somehow froze or quit working properly.

4. Check Mail Fetch settings

By default, Fetch New Data settings are based on what’s provided by your email service. If Push isn’t available as a setting, your account will default to Fetch. These settings will affect how your device receives emails. To adjust these settings:
Go to Settings > Apps > Mail, then tap Mail Accounts.
Tap Fetch New Data.
Make sure Push is turned on then scroll down and choose a setting – such as Automatically or Manually – or choose a schedule for how often the Mail app will fetch data.

5. Check Notification Settings

Make sure your Notification settings are correct for the Mail app. Here’s how:

  1. Start the Settings app, then tap on Apps.
  2. Tap Mail, then tap on Notifications.
  3. Turn on Allow Notifications.
  4. Adjust your Alerts, Sounds and Badges.

6. Check for iOS update

If you find email not working after iOS 18 update, check to ensure you are running the latest iOS version on your iPhone.

Go to settings > General > software update.

7. Restart your iPhone

Your iPhone might have experience a temporary glitch that affects the Mail app, so the next thing you need to do is to restart your device.

To restart your iPhone, go to settings > General > shut down.

Once your device is back up and running, open up the mail app to see if it’s working as expected. If it doesn’t, move onto the next solution.

8. Check your outbox

If you’re not getting emails after iOS 18 update, you might not be able to send them either.

After you troubleshoot your email settings, check your Outbox, which stores unsent messages, to ensure that everything has been sent properly.

To do this:

  1. Launch the Mail app.
  2. Your email accounts will be listed under separate headings – the account’s name will be the heading. Find the Outbox folder of the email account you want and tap it to select it.
  3. If you’re able to open your Outbox and see your unsent email, tap it to ensure that the recipient’s email address is correct.
  4. Tap Send to try sending again.

If all else fails, contact your email provider or system administrator for additional troubleshooting assistance.

9. Check that your email address and password are entered correctly

One of the most common problems with email is that your password is incorrect — if you changed your password on another device, you’ll need to change it on your iPhone, too.

When the Mail application prompts you to re-enter your password, ensure that you’ve entered it correctly.

10. Remove and Re-Add the Email Account

This is a little tongue in cheek, but often when you’re experiencing problem receiving emails on your iPhone, removing the account from your iPhone and setting it back up again will resolve a lot of problems. The beauty of email account is that everything is stored in the cloud — your mail, your documents, your movies, videos, and more. All of those will come back, once you reset up your account. It is a nuclear option of sorts, but it’s also the easiest way to wipe everything and bring it all back. It’s nuclear, but simple. To do so:

  1. go to Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts
  2. Select your account
  3. Tap on Delete Account
  4. Tap on Delete from my iPhone. Then, re-add the same account using the option in settings app.

Email not working on iPhone after iOS 18 update: Fixed!

If mail app stopped working on your iPhone after iOS 18 update, the above methods should fix the issue.

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Author: Stacey Butler

Stacey is a senior staff writer at GeeksModo and has been writing about Apple for nearly a decade. She covers all things Apple for GeeksModo, including iPhones, iPads and Mac. Based in Honolulu, Hawaii, Stacey is often found hiking precarious landscapes or tinkering with a camera.

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