Email sending but not receiving on iPad

[HelpingMum]

My Mum has been using btinternet email on her iPad, using the Apple email client for some time.  It's stopped receiving but sends OK.  The error messages are normally that the username/password is incorrect but it's not, as we can log in to webmail OK, plus she can get the messages with a Thunderbird email client on the Windows PC.  The server settings appear to be correct, from what I can see.  I'm loathed to try changing the password, as that doesn't appear to be the problem, the problem appears to lie with the authentication at the incoming message server.  I've trawled the interweb and have found people with similar, but not identical problems, but no good solutions.  I'm also reluctant to delete the account on the iPad and reinstall it, as then we could lose everything if it doesn't work and she won't be happy with me!  The reason I think that's not going to work is that I've tried adding her account to my email client, along with downloading a couple of email client apps on my Android tablet, including the BT app and I've not been successful, due to a perceived "error" in the settings.  I've tried auto set up and manual set up, using the server info on the BT website.

I'm struggling to know where to go next.  Are there any suggestions out there?  Unfortunately I'm not with her for a week, so I won't have the chance to follow up with suggestions until the weekend.  Many thanks to all the contributors out there who are able to help those that are not so IT literate. 

[gg30340]

Is she presently a BT Broadband customer or is she paying for her email through a BT Premium email account?

If neither of the above her email account may have been downgraded to a BTMail Basic account which can not be used with an email client or an email app.

See link

https://www.bt.com/help/email/bt-email-products

[HelpingMum]

She's a BT Broadband customer, although I'm wondering if you've hit on something, as the BT account is in her husband's name.   

Is there a reason why it would have only become a problem since 4 June?

If this could be the cause, what's the solution?

thank you

[HelpingMum]

I believe the email is set up as some kind of "sub-email" to my Dad's "parent" mail, so it should be recognised as being the same account.  On the PC, both of their email addresses are in the same client, with my Mum's Inbox being 'below' my Dad's, so he can see her emails.  I don't fully understand the set up, as I'm not with BT myself and sadly, although my Dad was quite IT literate, his 90+ years have taken their toll and it's difficult for me to get good answers from him

[HelpingMum]

Just to clarify, the email is working on a Windows PC with Thunderbird email client, so that fact that it's working in that, suggests BT are seeing the account as a Standard account, linked to the Broadband account in her husband's name

[gg30340]

If the email is working OK with webmail and it can send with email clients it means that there is nothing wrong with the password so do not change it or delete and try to reinstall it at this time.

As long as the email account is part of a current BT Broadband package it should not have been downgraded. It is not relevant who the BT Broadband account holder is.

Do you know if the email account was "gifted" to your mum from her husband. By "gifted" it means that she would have had to set up her own BTID and would be able to manage the email account without her husband being able to access the account.

See link about "gifted or affiliated" accounts.

https://www.bt.com/help/email/manage-email-account/account-set-up/how-do-i-create-and-activate-a-new...

If she was gifted the email account and has her own BTID can you access it to check what type of account she has?

If she was not gifted the email account can her husband access his BTID in order to check what type of account it is?

To do that log onto the MyBT the go to "Your Products" then click on "Email,Manage". Once thereit should show at the top of the page the account type. It should be "Standard".

Assuming that it is a Standard account it should be able to work with email clients/apps. Can you report back with that information.  

[gg30340]

My last post crossed with the information you have just posted.

I presume you have tried restarting the iPad? 

It is also possible that there is a BT server problem and turning off the BT Hub for half an hour should get an new IP address and connected to a different server so that may be worth a try but given T'bird is working I have my doubts that it will make any difference.

If you have not done it can you check that the password for both the Incoming servers and Outgoing servers on the iPad are correct.

The problem appears to be only with the iPad, however having said that there does appear to be a deeper issue given that you were unable to set the email account up on your devices. This indicating an issue at BT's end.

I don't have anything else to offer other than deleting the iPad's email app and reinstalling it and adding the account but I would also be reluctant to do that.

You may have to call BT 0330.1234.156 and ask for the email team to see what they can do to help but they may say the can not offer assistance with email clients or apps only webmail.

If that is their answer I think you will have no option other than first of all change the password, or deleting and resetting up the account which if you do after doing it on webmail, allow about 30 minutes for the servers to synchronise before changing it on the iPad. 

[HelpingMum]

I'm not sure if messages are coming through in the correct order as the guidance is in conflict with other messages.  But, yes, the iPad has been power cycled several times, including leaving it off for 5mins+, in the hope that's one step better than a simple reboot.   Ref the router, because they're about to go digital, I installed the new BT router today, so everything is now new in that department!

I've just got the login for my Dad's BT ID to answer the question in your other post, my Mum doesn't have one.  Let me try and get the answers.  I haven't got my head around gifting and affiliate yet.

[gg30340]

If she does not have her own BTID it won't be gifted.

Her email account, if not gifted will just show in your dad's list of emails.

[gg30340]

I have just re read your posts. I never picked up on the date that the problem started until now.

There was a large BTMail outage on 4th June 2025. It was resolved after a few hours however some Apple users reported that their Apple devices email apps were still not working.

I suggested changing the password and it appeared to work.

 Stop the iPad and any other devices from checking for email. The easiest way of doing that is to turn them off.

Once you have done that, change your email password and check that you can access the email account via webmail (on a browser).

If that works you should wait at least an hour to allow the servers to sync and then add the new password to your iPad and T'bird.

When entering the iPad settings, make sure that in the Outgoing server you do not use the "use same as incoming" for the email address and password. Enter them manually.

If the above does not resolve the problem, when you change your BT password on an iPhone/iPad/Apple device it may only change for INCOMING mail.

To change the Outgoing mail password you have to go into Settings; then scroll down to Passwords & Accounts or on older devices Mail, Contacts, Calendars. From there select the BT email account and select the account where it is listed under IMAP.

You will find the details for the account and can change the password for the Incoming server there, the outgoing mail server only shows SMTP and mail.btinternet.com You have to tap on that Primary Server in order to find where the Outgoing password is hidden so you can update it.

When setting up the email account on the device you are best to set it up manually, using "other" and ensure that you are using the correct settings as per this link.

https://www.bt.com/help/email/manage-email-account/manual-settings/what-are-the-settings-for-outgoin...

This of course does not answer why you could not set the account up on your devices. 

I can not guarantee it will work but there does not appear to be any other option that I am aware of.