Microsoft Enterprise Exchange Problems on iOS 16

Anonymous
2022-10-19T18:56:28+00:00

Since the update to iOS16 and the change to modern authentication, I cannot get my business Exchange account to work properly on the native iOS Mail app for any iPhone or iPad device.

This problem has persisted since iOS16.0 through 16.0.3 and even the forthcoming iOS 16.1 RC. Push mail, or Fetch mail, no longer works. And when in the Mail app for the iOS device, it either gets stuck on "Checking for Mail" or it eventually fails with an error saying “Cannot Get Mail: The connection to the server failed”. It randomly will start fetching mail again, though not through Push or Fetch, only to get stuck at random intervals with "Cannot Get Mail: The connection to the server failed."

I've tried deleting and re-adding the account, resetting all settings on the devices, and even reinstalling iOS 16 fresh and re-adding the accounts. All to no avail. We've checked the Azure AD for error messages during these failures, and we cannot find any errors.

Absent an iOS 16 bug that may or may not be addressed, is there anything I am missing to fix this? I do not want to use the Outlook app, because I manage multiple accounts through the Mail app and do not want to be using multiple apps just to manage mail.

Outlook | Outlook for mobile | Outlook for iOS | For home

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  1. Anonymous
    2022-10-20T06:24:42+00:00

    Hello BDM-J,

    Good day! Thanks for posting in Microsoft Community. We are happy to help you.

    I understand you are getting errors “"Checking for Mail" or “Cannot Get Mail: The connection to the server failed” when trying to connect to iOS mail app with your Exchange account. Please correct me if I am wrong.

    To help us to narrow down this issue if it is account side kindly log to Outlook on the web since you are using Outlook app and check if you cannot connect without getting errors. If Outlook is working fine then this would be client-side issue, and to be assisted properly please contact Apple Support, I believe that experts from that team can address your query effectively and accurately.

    If the issue persists in Outlook kindly let me know for further troubleshooting and share a detailed screenshot of the error in Outlook with me.

    We are looking forward to your reply. Thank you for your cooperation.

    Sincerely,

    Simbarashe | Microsoft Community Moderator

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  2. Anonymous
    2022-10-20T18:02:58+00:00

    Hello Simbarashe,

    Your summary of the issue is correct. Outlook Web, Office 365, and the Outlook app work fine. It is indeed only broken on iOS's Mail app.

    I tried to contact Apple Support, but they instructed me to contact the provider since it isn't an iCloud Mail issue.

    I am not sure I have a good path to get this fixed.

    BDM-J

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  3. Anonymous
    2022-10-25T22:37:08+00:00

    Hello again, Simbarashe:

    This continues to be a problem with the latest update to iOS16.1 for me on any Apple device running 16+.

    I called Apple Support again and spent an hour on the phone troubleshooting. They eventually told me, once again, it is not their issue but a Microsoft one.

    Given the advice to use the Outlook app instead and the back and forth finger pointing between vendors, should customers assume that Apple and Microsoft are no longer supporting Exchange on Apple's native Mail app?

    Regards,

    BDM-J

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  4. Ron-6928 4,991 Reputation points
    2022-10-25T22:52:10+00:00

    I'd say using Outlook app for iOS is a temporary workaround. It will (hopefully) be fixed by either behemoth company.

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  5. Anonymous
    2022-10-26T00:27:38+00:00

    Thanks for the advice. I think that is indeed going to be the last resort and to just wait and see.

    I’ve tested this on iOS 15.5, 15.6, 15.7, 16.0, 16.1, and 16.2 beta today and the only versions that work just fine is iOS 15.6 and 15.7.

    Apple and Microsoft started switching to Modern auth and updated iOS 15.6 to support it: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/exchange-team-blog/microsoft-and-apple-working-together-to-improve-exchange-online/ba-p/3513846 

    I guess that didn’t carry past 15.7 so we’re stuck for now.

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