My Work Email Stopped Updating on My iPhone

Your work email quietly stops updating. No error, no obvious reason,
it just goes still. Nine times out of ten the phone simply 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.

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, so the phone is left
holding a key that no longer works.

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.

Step 1: Check the account

1. Open Settings on the iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap Apps, then tap Mail.
   On an older iPhone there is no Apps section, so just tap Mail.
3. Tap Mail Accounts.
4. Look at your work account in the list. If it needs attention it will say so
   underneath, usually something about the password or the account.

Step 2: Sign in again

1. Tap your work account.
2. What happens next depends on the phone, so follow whichever you get.
   - A box asking for your password. Type it and tap Done.
   - A Microsoft sign-in page. Enter your email address and password the
   same way you would on a computer.
3. 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, it is shown on the sign-in screen.
4. Wait for the account to stop saying it needs attention.

Step 3: Check it is working

1. Open the Mail app.
2. Pull down on the message list to refresh it.
3. New mail should start arriving within a minute.

Send yourself a quick test message if you want to be sure.

If you use the Outlook app instead

1. Open Outlook.
2. If a red dot or a banner says the account needs attention, tap it.
3. Tap Sign in and enter your password.
4. Approve the sign-in on your phone if you are asked to.

If it keeps asking for your password

Stop after two or three tries. Entering it over and over will not help, and on
some systems repeated failures will lock the account for a while.

That pattern usually means something needs changing on our side rather than
yours. Call us at 701.306.0188 and we will sort it out.

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.