A couple of users have reported that they are unable to check their emails using the Mail app on their iPhone or iPad. In this article, I’ll explain exactly how you can troubleshoot if you see the “cannot verify server identity” error message. This a common problem. You may experience this issue when you are trying to check your mail on your iPhone or iPad. It appears that this problem affects both IMAP and POP users. IMAP and POP are two methods to access email from any device.
The error message says:
“Cannot Verify Server Identity. The identity of “info@geeksmodo.com” cannot be verified by Mail.”
Cannot verify server identity: How to fix
Please follow these instructions in order. Check the Mail app after each step to see if the issue is fixed.
As the error message states, there may be some security certificate (SSL) issues with your e-mail provider’s mail server. There is also a likelihood that your email provider might have made system changes lately and this change is triggering this issue.
1. Check with your email service provider (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, or your Exchange / IT admin) to check if there’s a service outage. In addition, check with your service provider to find out if your settings are correct.
2. Ensure that your iPhone or iPad has an active Wi-Fi or cellular data connection. It’s pretty easy to check your internet connection. Launch your web browser on your device and try to visit any website of your choice. If you are experiencing connection issues, please see the articles below to troubleshoot this problem:
3. Restart your device. Follow these steps:
- To restart iPhone X, 11, or newer and iPad with Face ID models: Press and hold the power button (side or top) and the volume up (or down) button together until you see the power off slider. Then drag the slider. Wait until your device completely turns off. Then press and hold down the power button (side or top) until the Apple logo appears.
- To restart other iPhone and iPad models: Press and hold the power (side or top) button until the power off slider appears. Then drag the slider. Wait a few seconds to make sure that your device is shut down completely. Then turn on the device by pressing and holding the power button until the Apple logo appears.
4. Make sure that your iPad or iPhone is running the latest version of iOS or iPadOS. Follow these steps to check for software updates:
- On your iPhone or iPad, head over to Settings > General > Software Update.
- If an update available, hit Download and Install and then follow the onscreen prompts.
5. Disable the “Use SSL” option. This may fix your problem if you are still experiencing cannot verify server identity error. Here is how:
- On your iPhone or iPad, tap Settings.
- Go to passwords & Accounts.
- Under the Accounts section, tap the email account which is returning cannot verify server identity error.
- Tap on Account.
- Tap on Advanced.
- Under the “Incoming Settings” section, disable Use SSL.
- Finally, navigate from Settings, and restart the Mail app and test to see if you are still experiencing cannot verify server identity on your iPhone or iPad.
6. Delete and add your account again. It’s worth noting that deleting your account may erase previously downloaded emails. You may want to log in to the email provider’s website if your email provider offers web-based service. If you find all the mails there, then your emails will be redownloaded again once you re-add the account. Doing so may fix your problem as your current settings might be incorrect and corrupted. Here is how:
- On your iPhone or iPad, launch Settings and go to Passwords & Accounts.
- Tap the email account that you are experiencing problem with (that we will delete).
- Tap on Delete Account.
Now your account is deleted, follow these steps to re-add your account. There are 2 methods to add an email account:
- Automatic.
- Manual.
What you can do is to use the automatic method first since it is easier and then check if your problem is fixed, and then delete the account and add your account again manually.
Here is how you can add automatically:
- On your iPhone or iPad, launch Settings and go to Passwords & Accounts.
- Tap on Add Account.
- Tap on your email account (iCloud, Microsoft Exchange, Google, Yahoo, AOL, Outlook, etc).
- Then follow the onscreen prompts.
And here is you can add your email account manually:
- On your iPhone or iPad, launch Settings and go to Passwords & Accounts.
- Now, tap Add Account.
- Next, tap Other.
- Next on, tap Add Mail Account.
- And follow the onscreen prompts. Be sure to type in the email account details correctly. In case you are not sure about the details, again you may need to contact your email service provider.