My work email stopped updating on my iPhone
Mail goes quiet with no error. Usually the phone just needs you to sign in again.
Your work email quietly stops updating. No error, no obvious reason, it just goes still. Nine times out of ten the phone needs you to sign in again, and it takes about two minutes.
Nothing is lost. Your mail lives on the server, not on the phone. Once you sign in, everything comes straight back.
Do this first: sign in again
- Open Settings on the iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap Apps, then Mail. On an older iPhone there is no Apps section, so just tap Mail.
- Tap Mail Accounts, then your work account. If it needs attention it says so underneath, usually something about the password.
- Tap the account. If a box asks for your password, type it and tap Done. If a Microsoft sign-in page opens, enter your email address and password the same way you would on a computer.
- If you are asked to approve the sign-in, your phone shows a notification from Microsoft Authenticator. Tap it and tap Approve. If it asks for a two-digit number, the number is on the sign-in screen.
- Open the Mail app and pull down on the message list. New mail should start arriving within a minute.
Why it happens. Usually because your password changed recently, on your computer or anywhere else. Changing it signs you out on every device you own. It can also happen on its own: the phone's sign-in has a lifespan, and when it expires the phone needs you to confirm it is still you.
If you use the Outlook app instead
- Open Outlook.
- If a red dot or a banner says the account needs attention, tap it.
- Tap Sign in and enter your password.
- Approve the sign-in on your phone if you are asked to.
Did this not sort it out?
If it keeps asking for your password, stop after two or three tries. Entering it over and over will not help, and repeated failures can lock the account for a while. That pattern usually means something needs changing on our side rather than yours.
Worth knowing. If you changed your password recently, expect to do this on every device you use for work mail. Your iPad and any other phone will ask in the same way. It is not a sign that anything is broken.
Tell Michael which step you got to and what the screen says. A photo of the screen from your phone is perfect.