If your email address is hosted with a website hosting account, you can usually add it to the Mail app on your iPhone. We recommend IMAP with encryption so your inbox and folders stay synchronized across your phone and other devices.
These instructions cover standard hosted IMAP accounts, including compatible cPanel and SmarterMail mailboxes. The exact server name and authentication options depend on your email provider.
Before you begin
Have the following ready:
- Your full email address and its mailbox password.
- The incoming IMAP server name supplied by your hosting provider.
- The outgoing SMTP server name supplied by your hosting provider.
- Confirmation that the mail server supports encrypted connections.
For a cPanel mailbox, sign in to cPanel, open Email Accounts, find your address, and select Connect Devices. Use the server names and Secure SSL/TLS Settings (Recommended) shown there. For SmarterMail, use the secure connection details supplied by the mailbox administrator. Do not assume every account uses mail.yourdomain.com, because the certificate may be issued for a different server hostname.
Add the mailbox to your iPhone
- Open Settings.
- Select Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts > Add Account. Menu labels may vary slightly by iOS version.
- Choose Add Other Account > Mail Account.
- Enter your name, full email address, mailbox password, and an account description.
- Tap Next. If Mail finds your settings and finishes securely, save the account.
- If prompted for manual setup, select IMAP, not POP.
- Under Incoming Mail Server, enter your provider’s verified hostname, full email address as the username, and mailbox password.
- Under Outgoing Mail Server, enter the provider’s SMTP hostname, full email address as the username, and mailbox password. Outgoing authentication is usually required.
- Save the account when Mail verifies the settings.
Secure server settings
| Service | Recommended configuration |
|---|---|
| Incoming IMAP | Port 993, SSL/TLS enabled |
| Outgoing SMTP | Port 465 with SSL/TLS, or port 587 with STARTTLS when your provider specifies it |
| Username | Full email address, for both incoming and outgoing |
| Authentication | Mailbox password or provider-approved app password |
If you need to review the settings later, open the added account under Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts. The incoming Advanced options and outgoing SMTP settings may be shown separately.
Do not turn SSL/TLS off to make an account connect. Do not accept a certificate warning without checking the exact hostname and certificate with the hosting provider. Older articles suggesting unencrypted ports or bypassing connection errors are no longer appropriate.
Test your email
Send yourself a message from the iPhone, then reply to it from another device or webmail. Confirm that you can send, receive, and see the same messages in both places.
If the setup fails, recheck the mailbox password and the secure server hostname. A mailbox login is not necessarily the same password as your hosting control-panel login. Ask NABWD or your email provider to confirm the current server details rather than trying unsecured settings.
Helpful note: If you use Gmail or Google Workspace, add the account using the Google provider option instead of treating it as a generic hosted mailbox.
