Last Updated: March 25, 2015

One of the major benefits of the iPhone is that it can keep you in touch with almost anyone from almost anywhere. Whether it's by text, social media, or email, your iPhone is your communications lifeline to the world. And that's what makes it so frustrating when your email won't download (it's doubling frustrating if you need to get email for your job).

There are many issues that can cause your iPhone not to be able to download email, probably dozens.

Luckily, there are five major steps you can take to resolve the majority of email problems.

1. Check Network Connection

Your iPhone can't get email if it's not connected to the Internet. You need to have access to a cellular network through your phone company or a Wi-Fi network in order to access email. Here are a few articles will help you make sure you get online and stay there:

• How to Connect iPod touch or iPhone to Wi-Fi
• Wi-Fi Grayed Out on iPhone? Here's How To Fix It

2. Restart iPhone

If your Internet connection is good, your next step is one of the most common in all iPhone-troubleshooting tutorials: restarting your phone. Believe it or not, restarting an iPhone can solve tons of problems. Sometimes your phone just needs a fresh start. Learn how to restart an iPhone here.

3. Delete and Set Up Email Account Again

If neither of the first two steps solved the problem, there may not be anything wrong with your phone. Instead, the problem may lie with the settings being used to try to connect to your email account.

If you entered the wrong server address, username, or password when setting up the account on your phone, you won't be able to get email.

If that's the case, begin by deleting the troublesome email account by:

1. Tapping the Settings app
2. Tapping Mail, Contacts, Calendar
3. Tapping the account with the problem
4. Tapping Delete Account
5. Tapping Delete from My iPhone in the pop-up menu at the bottom of the screen.

With the email account deleted, double check all the settings that you should use to access this account and go through the process of adding an email account to your iPhone again (you can also sync the account to your phone through iTunes).

4. Make An Apple Store Appointment

If email is still not downloading at this point, you may have a problem that's bigger or more complex than you can solve. In that case, it's probably best to take your iPhone (and all of the information about the email account) to your nearest Apple Store for tech support (you can also call Apple for support). Apple Stores are busy places, though, so make sure to make an appointment before heading out to avoid waiting forever for someone to free up.

5. If It's a Work Account, Check With Your IT Department

If the first three steps didn't work, and especially if you're trying to check a work email account, maybe the problem doesn't lie with your iPhone at all. Maybe the problem resides on the email server that you're trying to download mail from. It could be that there's a temporary problem with that server or a configuration change that you're not aware of that's blocking your iPhone. If the account with the problem is provided by your job, check with your company's IT department and see if they can help resolve the problem.

 

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