[robert1014]

I've got a new iPhone 3G, which I've had for about two weeks. Originally, I had the Mail app on it to set to retrieve mail from my Mail app on my Mac at home, which retrieved only messages from my earthlink account. I was able to send and receive emails on it. I added a new account to my Mail app on my Mac at home last week, setting it to retrieve emails from my gmail account, (using POP mail).

I synced my iPhone to my computer and the Gmail account transferred over. I noticed I could send and receive emails via my new Gmail account (on my phone), but while I could receive messages via the (original) earthlink account, I could no longer send messages out from it. I started playing with the earthlink account preferences on my mac, and synced to my iPhone, hoping this would remedy the problem. Instead, I found I could no longer receive OR send messages from EITHER account on my iPhone!

Two days ago, I did a complete restore of my iPhone, using the saved backup. After this, I was able once again to send and receive emails from the Gmail account, and could receive emails via earthlink, but, as originally, could NOT send emails from the phone using the earthlink account.

Let me add that both accounts work fine on my mail app on my mac.

Stupidly, yesterday evening I had another thought about changing some of the earthlink settings to get it to work on my phone. After changing my earthlink settings on my mac's Mail app and syncing, once again I could neither send nor receive messages from either account on my phone. Aaarrgh!

I did another restore, but this didn't help. I've restored and resynced my iPhone now about three times, and while I have had some emails sporadically come through on the phone, I can't get it back to a functional state. Let me add I've competely deleted the mail accounts from my iPhone several times then resynced back to my mac. Again, both accounts work fine on my mac using Apple's Mail app. I think this is some sort of settings problem, and the settings on my mac seem fine, yet syncing the iPhone to the mac does not give me functional email accounts on my phone.

(Weirdly, I turned on my iPhone this morning, after having had it off overnight, and when it booted up, I got the email alert sound and nearly 20 emails I had tried to send yesterday evening showed up in my earthlink account, and one showed up in my gmail account. However, I still cannot send or receive emails from either account on my iPhone.)

At this point, I would be more than happy to simply get back to where I was yesterday: with emails coming through on each account, but being able to send emails only from the Gmail account, however, I'm at my wit's end.

Cany anyone help me? I do not have a Mobilme account and never had a .mac account, so this has nothing to do with whatever problems people have had with Mobilme.

Thank you.

[robert1014]

Well, I see no one has any suggestions as to the problem, but I subsequently found that it may be simply a matter of my location, though I can't explain why that would have any effect.

In short, when I have been in my apartment, a pre-war building in Manhattan with thick masonry walls, I have had the difficulties described above. However, when I have gone out into the street, I have been able to send and receive emails from my iPhone using my Gmail account, (and to receive emails to my earthlink account, but still cannot send from the earthlink account).

While one might assume my apartment walls may block my iPhone from accessing the internet, in fact I can open and use Safari on my iPhone, and, in any case, my iPhone connects to my wireless network here at home.

So, it's a puzzle, but as long as I can use the iPhone away from home to send or receive emails, I will leave the matter alone.

[robert1014]

I found a solution for the problem of earthlink on my iPhone not being able to send mail. I found another message board somewhere on iPhone issues, and one poster said that if one has a problem SENDING emails, to turn off the client email server, (e.g., smtp.earthlink.net) on the iPhone under email settings, and to turn ON the AT&T server only. I did this and what do you know? It works!

[ShadowOfGed]

Originally Posted by robert1014 I found a solution for the problem of earthlink on my iPhone not being able to send mail. I found another message board somewhere on iPhone issues, and one poster said that if one has a problem SENDING emails, to turn off the client email server, (e.g., smtp.earthlink.net) on the iPhone under email settings, and to turn ON the AT&T server only. I did this and what do you know? It works!

Yes, problems similar to this arise with the iPhone because many ISPs only allow you to send email while you're on their network. When using EDGE/3G, you're no longer on your home ISP's network, so it rejects your outbound mail. However, AT&T's server only allows you to send mail from their network, so if you switch to WiFi, AT&T's server won't work anymore.

Very annoying.

The solution I've used (though most people can't do this) is to set up my own server to send mail. It requires user authentication, so I can trust access from any address, since you can't log in to send mail if you don't have a valid user on the system.

Unfortunately, most people don't have the means (or know-how) to set up their own server.

OK guys, STOP the madness!

I gave up here and went to earthlink.net and used online chat help.

The tech led me the link:
http://kb.earthlink.net/case.asp?article=42353

I deleted the whole email account from my iPhone and in three easy steps added it back, started getting tons on emails floodinginto my inbox and sent myself an eamil at work and it actually went!

Hope it woks for you too.