My Sent Email Folder is empty and I think some emails have disappeared from my Inbox

[themisfit101]

About six weeks ago I noticed that my Sent Folder had emptied. I should have raised this at the time but didn't get around to it. Then yesterday evening I went to check an email that I had only just sent to find that the Sent Folder had emptied again. I am also concerned that some emails have disappeared from my Inbox but this is harder to verify as its is much more random. I have checked my Trash Folder and there is no sign of the lost emails in there.

This is obviously concerning and whilst I can live without the Sent messages being reinstated (although I would prefer it) I want to stop them being deleted in future. I am also worried that important messages might be deleted from my Inbox. 

Can someone help me?

[gg30340]

Which device is this happening on and how are you accessing your email. Is it via a web browser or an email client/app?

Do you access your email on any other devices such as a phone, tablet, PC or laptop?

If you do, have you emptied the sent folder on any of them or deleted/moved any of your emails from the inbox on those devices?

[themisfit101]

I generally access email on my laptop via web browser (Google Chrome) but I also access email on my android phone via app. I was using my phone to send the email yesterday evening when the Sent Folder emptying problem recurred.

I have never emptied the Sent Folder (or any other folder for that matter) and just rely on regular deletion of individual emails (usually from laptop but sometimes from phone) and the Trash Folder automatically emptying.

[gg30340]

Check your phones settings particularly if the phone's email app has had a recent update. There may be a setting that needs to be ticked to keep/send a copy of the sent email to the sent folder after it has been sent.

As regards the deleted emails from your inbox. If your phone is set up as an IMAP account, if you delete an email from your inbox on the phone it will replicate on your webmail and vice versa.

[themisfit101]

The most recent update on the phone app (Yahoo Mail) was on 14th May 2020. I can't find any settings that need to be ticked to keep/send a copy of the sent email to the sent folder after it has been sent. Usually they automatically save to the sent folder after sending whether from my phone or laptop. As explained, they aren't disappearing from the sent folder individually but periodically en masse.

As far as the disappearing emails from my inbox, I don't know how to check if the phone is set up as an IMAP account but regardless, I am not talking about emails that I have deleted but emails that are disappearing at random without any input from me.

[gg30340]

See link about the Yahoo app and correct server settingd

https://www.bt.com/help/email/updating-your-bt-email-settings

[themisfit101]

Sorry but this has all got me terribly confused and I'm not particularly techno savvy. I've always accessed my email through bt.com and before that through bt yahoo before the service was migrated to bt.com. I don't use the email program on my laptop so I'm not sure how I should use the link to updating my settings. I've never had any problems up till now and just want to stop the deletion of my sent folder and random inbox emails.

[themisfit101]

I have now deleted the Yahoo mail app from my phone and I'm accessing my emails on that device through bt.com (the same as on my laptop). Interestingly once I've logged in it still refers to mail.yahoo.com?!

[gg30340]

The reason I posted the link was because you posted "recent update on the phone app (Yahoo Mail) was on 14th May "  which I took to mean that you were using the Yahoo email app on your phone. If you were, it uses the Yahoo server settings and they are and all ways have been the wrong server settings for a BT email account albeit they worked for BTYahoo email accounts. 

The Yahoo settings will stop working shortly because BT are moving all BTYahoo email accounts onto the BTMail service and this would stop your email from working via the Yahoo app. 

Obviously these settings are not relevant for your laptop if you are using a web browser to access your email on that.

The server settings on your phone were probably not causing your problem at present but you most definitely will have problems if you are still using them when BT move your email account to the new BTMail so it makes sense to change them now. It would be pointless trying to fix your current problem while you were using the wrong servers.  

If you have deleted the Yahoo email app and are now using webmail (web browser) on both your devices can you try clearing the history and cookies from your browser and try using the direct log on page to access your email to see how you get on.

BTMail 

If after a few days all appears to be working correctly and your problem with the sent folder and missing Inbox email appears to be OK, you could if you choose, set up a new email client/app on your phone. 

If however the problem persists when only using webmail it would point to a problem with your BT email account and may need the forum moderators to check your account.

[themisfit101]

Okay thanks, I'll keep an eye on things and get back with any problems.