Mail App Not Working on iPhone [Fix]

Several reports have been flooding the internet these days that explain an issue where the Mail app stopped working on iPhones. The Mail app is very essential these days for checking important official emails, newsletters, etc. on mobile devices.

The potential causes for this issue on any iPhone are described below in the article.

Poor internet connection.
Lack of storage space on iPhone
Technical issues with the Mail app or iPhone
Outdated iOS software on iPhone
Fetch settings are changed
Mobile Data setting is not enabled for the Mail app.

After analyzing the reasons listed above, we have found some great troubleshooting ideas that are explained very well in the article below. If you are facing this issue on your iPhone, don’t worry, these fixes are going to help you.

Table of Contents

Fix 1 – Enable Mobile Data for the Mail App

Step 1: Launch the Settings app first.

Step 2: Then go to the Mail option from the settings menu.

Step 3: Once the Mail app settings page opens, tap on the Mobile Data option’s toggle button to enable it as shown in the below screenshot.

Fix 2 – Remove and Re-Add the Mail account

Step 1: Open the Settings app.

Step 2: Go to the Mail option by tapping on it from the settings menu.

Step 3: Select the Accounts option.

Step 4: Now you have to tap on your Mail account which is causing the issue. Eg. Gmail, Outlook, etc.

Step 5: Click Delete Account at the bottom of the mail account page as shown below.

Step 6: Confirm it by pressing Delete from My iPhone on the popped-up menu on the screen.

Step 7: After that, go back to the Accounts page and click Add Account.

Step 8: Follow the on-screen instructions to add the deleted mail account again on your iPhone’s Mail app.

Fix 3 – Change the Mail Fetch Settings

Step 1: Go to the Settings page on your iPhone first.

Step 2: Then click on the Mail option from the list.

Step 3: Now tap on the Accounts option.

Step 4: Next, you need to select the Fetch New Data option at the bottom of the page as shown below.

Step 5: Now click on the Automatically option at the bottom section.

Step 6: Then select your mail account listed above as shown below.

Step 7: Afterwards, tap on the Fetch option from the list.

Fix 4 – Offload the Mail App

Step 1: After you unlock your iPhone, head toward the Settings app.

Step 2: Then go to the General option.

Step 3: After that, select the iPhone Storage option.

Step 4: Let it load first and then scroll down the list of apps installed on your iPhone.

Step 5: Search for the Mail app from the list and tap on it.

Step 6: Here you need to tap on Offload App.

Step 7: To continue, tap on Offload App on the popped-up context menu on the screen.

Step 8: Once done, click Reinstall App.

Fix 5 – Reinstall the Mail App

Step 1: Search for the Mail app icon from the home screen and long press on it.

Step 2: Select the Remove App option from the context menu as shown below.

Step 3: Click on the Delete App option on the popped-up menu.

Step 4: Now click Delete to continue.

Step 5: After it deletes the Mail app, reinstall it completely from the App Store.

Fix 6 – Reset All Settings on your iPhone

If you have tried all the above methods and still did not succeed in resolving this issue, you can try resetting all your iPhone settings once and this must resolve this issue.

Additional Fixes

Many iPhone users have tried restarting their iPhones once and this has fixed their issue which could have been caused due to internal software glitches. So try restarting your iPhone.
If the software on your iPhone is outdated, it can cause several issues which are not detectable easily. So try updating your iPhone software by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
Sometimes, there will be no problem with the Mail app but with the email account server. If the Mail account server is down, it can also be the reason why the Mail app is not working. so check the Gmail server, Outlook server, or iCloud server.
Check the internet connection and if your Wi-Fi signal is low, try restarting the Wi-Fi router to refresh the signal. Even after doing this, if you are facing the issue, switch to a mobile data network on your iPhone.
Also, ensure you have no active VPN connections on your iPhone.
When you are having trouble opening an email, it could be because there is no space left for a fresh email on your iPhone. So try deleting old unwanted files to make some space on your iPhone and then check whether the Mail app is working or not.