Adding BT Mail to iPhone Mail App

[jroyle]

Hi all,

Since this past Thursday, I've been getting the following error message on my iPhone with regards to my BT Mail in the iPhone mail app:

I have removed the account and have been trying to add it again but I keep getting the same error. My settings are as follows:

    

I've compared the settings to my work phone which also has my BT Mail using the iPhone mail app and they are the same except for the fact that I cannot select the server to save the mails on my personal phone.

I have tried selecting Yes and No for the message that comes up:  Cannot Connect Using SSL Do you want to try setting up the account without SSL?

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[gg30340]

Enter an incorrect password and the app will not authentcate your email account. It will then give you the option to set up the email account manually and allow to to input all the settings as per the following links.

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

Note the part about not using password authentication.

[jroyle]

Hi @gg30340 ,

For the outgoing mail server, it doesn’t offer a no password option. 

And for the incoming sett, it’s the same choice. 

Not sure what the issue is. 

Thanks. 
 

[gg30340]

You will need to add your password to logon to your account but under the authentication section do not select password.

[gg30340 · Accepted solution]

1. Open Settings: Go to the Settings app on your iPhone. 
2. Navigate to Mail, Contacts, Calendars: Scroll down and tap on "Mail, Contacts, Calendars". 
3. Add Account: Tap "Add Account". 
4. Choose Other: Select "Other" from the list of options. 
5. Add Mail Account: Choose "Add Mail Account". 
6. Enter Account Details:
   • Name: Enter your full name as you want it to appear when sending emails. 
   • Address: Enter your complete BT Mail address (e.g., firstname.lastname@btinternet.com). 
   • Password: Enter your BT Mail password. 
   • Description: Enter a description to identify the account. 
7. Save: Tap "Save". 
8. Manual Setup (if needed):
   • Incoming Mail Server:
     • Host Name: mail.btinternet.com. 
     • Port: 993. 
     • SSL: On. 
   • Outgoing Mail Server:
     • Host Name: mail.btinternet.com. 
     • Port: 465. 
     • SSL: On. 
   • Username: Ensure your BT Mail username is correctly entered. 
   • Password: Ensure your BT Mail password is correctly entered. 
   • Save: Tap "Save". 

[jroyle]

Hi @gg30340 ,

I’ve done all that but for some reason it’s now working with outgoing messages but still not incoming. 

On my old phone, under advanced, it’s not letting me change the mailbox behaviors. The incoming settings match exactly. 

Do I need to power off the phone in between steps?

Thanks again. 

[gg30340]

You do not need to power off the phone inbetween steps but I would suggest that you delete the BTMail account from the app then restart the phone which should clear out any old settings then add the account manually again following the settings provided.

As a check before doing that log onto your email account using a web browser just to ensure that there is nothing wrong with it and the password.

[chrischalk01]

This simply does not work. 

I've deleted and tried to reinstall but wasted hours so far on my primary device.  It works fine in mail on 2 secondary apple devices but not my primary phone. I also have a secondary BT email that works fine.

I get a range of random messages - such as:

"Cannot Connect using SSL".  

The IMAP server "mail.btinternet.com" does not support Password authentication.  Please check settings and try again."

The structure of BT's btinternet email structure has been unreliable from the beginning and it is still not working.  There is randomness and unreliability that really should not be there in 2025.  

[gg30340]

Have you considered that if it works on all your devices bar one the problem could be a setting or something on your device?

[licquorice]

Exactly.

Somewhere you have configured password encryption, it should be plain as the connection is already encrypted.

Apple make things far to complicated.