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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.
Using Outlook for iOS for personal email and calendar management
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
If you are using an Exchange account in the Mail app, try to disable Notes sync for it (settings > mail > accounts > exchange > turn off notes sync). It worked for some devices for us.
I have the exact same problems after updating from iOS15.7 to 16.1 yesterday and at my wits end trying to resolve it. I have to manually open the Mail app for mail to deliver, and throughout the day it also will just stop working with Cannot Get Mail: The connection to the server failed. Work email essentially non-functioning on iOS Mail now since we use Exchange. too.
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
Thank you for the information. We've made the switch to Modern Authentication/OAuth in the Exchange Admin center and granted the necessary admin consent permissions for the Apple Internet Accounts/iOS Accounts. Using Modern Auth on the native iOS Mail app works fine in 15.7 and 15.7.1 but still remains broke in iOS 16. Still get random but consistent "connection to server failed" messages as shown in the screenshot and push mail does not work. At this point we've done everything we can on our end and will have to use the Outlook app until someone comes up with a fix.
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