This topic

Emails have disappeared

stoneysnapper — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 23:22:30 GMT

A couple of months ago I noticed about 7-8 months worth of emails in my inbox had disappeared. I established it unknowingly by searching for an email and I couldn't find it. It was also an odd timeframe that was missing, I had most of Septembers emails but everything from August to January was gone. However I stumbled across them all in my junk folder. Discussed with BT on Twitter and basically they blamed Apple mail clients. It's virtually impossible in Apple mail to "accidentally" move that amount of emails but selecting them So tonight whilst searching for an email from a few years ago I noticed that my search stopped in May 2022. So I scrolled to the bottom of my mail box and I have lost every email from April 2016 when I joined BT to 20th May 2022, 6 years worth of emails.

Again pretty much physically impossible for me to delete them, they aren't in junk, trash or anywhere. How an earth can this happen? My email is setup as an imap account. My sent emails seem to be all there though. I've checked webmail and all my other devices, MacBook, iPhone, iPad and as you would expect they are the same.

Advice anyone?

Re: Emails have disappeared

stoneysnapper — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 00:42:52 GMT

Update, my iPhone and iPad are only showing emails to the 20th January this year. So on those devices I have lost 6 years 8 months worth of emails.

Re: Emails have disappeared

Stuart8 — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 10:19:56 GMT

I'm in exactly the same boat. Has anyone any information on where the old email has gone?

Re: Emails have disappeared

stoneysnapper — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 13:10:04 GMT

Stuart I don't think we are the only ones this is happening to, its doing my head in how BT just blame someone else. I've put a post on the Apple forums to see what I get there. No doubt Apple will blame BT...

Re: Emails have disappeared

Stuart8 — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 14:26:50 GMT

I did wonder if this is coinciding with the move away from Yahoo. Either way, some really important mails seem to have gone AWOL. If you do hear anything from elsewhere, please do post.

Re: Emails have disappeared

stoneysnapper — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 14:34:36 GMT

I will do Stuart

Re: Emails have disappeared

Andy_N — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 14:52:13 GMT

@stoneysnapperwrote:
Update, my iPhone and iPad are only showing emails to the 20th January this year. So on those devices I have lost 6 years 8 months worth of emails.

As a matter of interest, do you have any form of backup regime? Do you have those old emails downloaded to a laptop etc?

Many people have lost emails believing that the BT servers are infallible, but over the years that hasn't been the case.

Re: Emails have disappeared

stoneysnapper — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 15:34:25 GMT

Hi Andy, I haven't run a Time Machine back up on my MacBook for some time, but thanks for the reminder. I do have one on a drive thats a couple of years old. It wouldn't get them all back if they are included in the back up but might get some.

Re: Emails have disappeared

Fergusonsfolly — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 17:00:37 GMT

Me too!! This is the third time it has happened.
All emails from 13 November 2018 to today (4 December 2023) have disappeared.
Checked all my devices and all showing the same.
Sent emails and all folders where I store emails are unaffected.
It seems that it has happened to others today as well. Last time the issue wasn't resolved. Seems strange that in my case the disappeared emails always go back to the same date 13 November 2018.

Re: Emails have disappeared

stoneysnapper — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 17:05:02 GMT

FergusonFolly are you using Apple devices?

Re: Emails have disappeared

Fergusonsfolly — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 17:23:05 GMT

Most of my computer use is via my windows desktop and windows laptop.

But yes, I have an Iphone 11 which I mainly use for viewing and sending emails.

Do you think that this may have something to do with the lost emails?

Re: Emails have disappeared

stoneysnapper — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 17:31:04 GMT

FergusonFolly, when this issue arose before BT blamed Apple Mail Clients which I found odd. Told me I shouldn't use an Apple mail client for viewing emails. I found that somewhat bizarre given there is advice on here on how to set up BT email on email clients.

https://www.bt.com/help/email/manage-email-account/manual-settings/what-are-the-settings-for-outgoing-and-incoming-bt-email-servers

Re: Emails have disappeared

gg30340 — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 17:47:12 GMT

@stoneysnapper wrote:

FergusonFolly, when this issue arose before BT blamed Apple Mail Clients which I found odd. Told me I shouldn't use an Apple mail client for viewing emails. I found that somewhat bizarre given there is advice on here on how to set up BT email on email clients.

https://www.bt.com/help/email/manage-email-account/manual-settings/what-are-the-settings-for-outgoing-and-incoming-bt-email-servers

When this has happened before and BT investigated via the moderators, as far as I can recall in virtually every instance the deletion of the emails was triggered by an Apple device.

Re: Emails have disappeared

Fergusonsfolly — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 20:58:34 GMT

I lost a whole batch of emails today.

I also wondered if a backup of emails that haven't disappeared can be made to my Windows desktop.

Is there another way of backing up historic emails?

Re: Emails have disappeared

licquorice — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 20:39:44 GMT

Simply use a mail client (app) and store them on your device to be backed up with your regular backup regime.

Re: Emails have disappeared

gg30340 — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 20:50:38 GMT

@Fergusonsfolly

There is no need to use the link that you have posted and in fact I would suggest that unless you are 100% sure that it is not or does not contain malware I would suggest that you delete the link from your post.

The best way to back up your email is to do as suggested by licquorice and that is to use an email client.

Re: Emails have disappeared

Mags999 — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 19:56:25 GMT

The same has happened to me. I have set up my mail as iMAP on my notebook on MS Outlook. I use my iPhone 12 to view E-Mail.
On 30 November 2023 I changed my BT password to access E-Mail via BT Webmail. Since then I can only see last 5 days E-Mails. Lost over 100 E-Mails with attachments. Same on iPhone and iPad. However E-Mails that I had saved previously to Archive folders are all there. I am waiting on call from BT tech people. I will post later if they are of any help. Spoke to E-Mail Help Desk and they advised to change to POP account. I don't think so!!!

Re: Emails have disappeared

stoneysnapper — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 20:37:29 GMT

That's odd they would advise that, their setup advice is to use imap. I spoke to someone this morning who is going to escalate it for me but I'm not holding out any hope.

Re: Emails have disappeared

Mags999 — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 20:59:22 GMT

Me neither