If Yahoo Mail isn’t working on your iPhone, first sign in to Yahoo Mail in a web browser to make sure your account and password work. Then update iOS, and remove and re-add your Yahoo account in the Mail app. Yahoo says most iOS Mail problems come from settings that became outdated or an issue with the account itself. If the Mail app still won’t connect, use the Yahoo Mail app instead.
This guide covers Apple’s built-in Mail app and the Yahoo Mail app on iPhone. It includes the fixes in the order Yahoo recommends, plus Apple’s fetch settings, app passwords for manually added accounts, and Yahoo’s server settings.
How to fix Yahoo Mail on iPhone
- Test your account on the web. Sign in at mail.yahoo.com, send yourself an email, and check that it arrives within five minutes, as Yahoo suggests. Result: if it works on the web, the problem is on the iPhone. If you can’t sign in there, change or reset your Yahoo password and confirm web access before removing the account from your iPhone.
- Check your connection. Open a website in Safari. If nothing loads, see how to fix Wi-Fi not working on iPhone.
- Update your iPhone. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install any update. Yahoo notes that Apple fixes issues through iOS updates.
- Remove the Yahoo account. Go to Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts, tap the Yahoo account, and tap Delete Account. Result: the account disappears from Mail.
- Add it back. In Mail Accounts, tap Add Account > Yahoo and sign in. Yahoo may ask you to approve the sign-in. Result: your inbox downloads again.
- Try the Yahoo Mail app. If Apple’s Mail app still won’t connect, download Yahoo Mail from the App Store. Yahoo says a device problem may be the cause if iOS Mail still can’t connect. If you use more than one mailbox in the Yahoo app, see how to add and switch between accounts in Yahoo Mail.
These steps come from Yahoo’s guide to fixing Yahoo Mail in iOS Mail.
Check Fetch New Data if mail arrives late
If mail shows up only when you open the app, check how Mail downloads it. Apple’s guide for when you can’t receive email gives this path:
- Go to Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts.
- Tap Fetch New Data.
- Choose Automatically, Manually, or a schedule. Result: Mail checks for new messages on that schedule.
Apple notes that with Automatically, the iPhone fetches new data in the background only while it’s charging and on Wi-Fi. Also check Settings > Notifications > Mail if messages arrive but you don’t get alerts.
If you added Yahoo manually (IMAP)
Most people add Yahoo with the Yahoo button, which uses Yahoo’s own sign-in page. If you set it up as Other > Add Mail Account instead, Yahoo requires an app password rather than your normal password.
- Sign in to your Yahoo Account Security page in a browser.
- Under External connections, select Create app password.
- Enter a name such as iPhone Mail, then select Generate password.
- Use that code as the password in iOS Mail.
Yahoo says to create it in a browser you’ve used to sign in to Yahoo for several days in a row, not in a private window. App passwords keep working even if you change your main password. See Yahoo’s app password page.
Yahoo’s IMAP server settings are:
- Incoming (IMAP): imap.mail.yahoo.com, port 993, SSL on.
- Outgoing (SMTP): smtp.mail.yahoo.com, port 465 or 587, SSL on, authentication required.
- User name: your full Yahoo email address.
Common Yahoo Mail problems on iPhone
- “Cannot get mail” or password errors: remove and re-add the account so iOS signs in fresh. If you changed your Yahoo password, see how to update your email password on iPhone.
- Emails not arriving: check your connection, pull down on the inbox to refresh, and check Fetch New Data.
- Messages stuck in the Outbox: open Outbox in your mailbox list, check the address, and tap Send.
- Deleted emails come back: see how to fix iPhone Mail not deleting emails.
- Can’t send: see how to fix “the connection to the outgoing server failed”.
- The Yahoo Mail app itself misbehaves: update it, sign out and back in, or reinstall it. See Yahoo’s Yahoo Mail app troubleshooting page.
Once the account can send again, follow the steps to forward or reply in Apple Mail and check the new recipient, attachment choice, and From account. These are the built-in Mail app’s controls; the separate Yahoo Mail app has its own layout.
Frequently asked questions
Will removing my Yahoo account delete my emails?
Not from Yahoo. Your emails stay on Yahoo’s servers and download again when you add the account back. Apple notes that deleting an account removes downloaded emails from the iPhone, so check that your mail is on mail.yahoo.com first.
Is Yahoo Mail down?
If Yahoo Mail won’t load on the web either, the problem may be on Yahoo’s side. Wait and try again later.
Do I need an app password for Yahoo on iPhone?
Only if you added Yahoo as a manual IMAP account. The built-in Yahoo option in iOS Mail signs in through Yahoo’s own page.
How do I check my inbox on the web?
See how to view your Yahoo Mail inbox.
Want to organize your inbox? See how to create a new folder in Yahoo Mail.
Use Yahoo for work email? See how to set a vacation response in Yahoo Business Mail.
Do your emails show “null null” as the sender? See how to get rid of null null in Yahoo Mail.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are tested on current devices or checked against official product documentation, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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