When setting up gmail on your iphone, problems with your internet connection or gmail servers can interrupt the process. device-specific glitches, outdated operating systems, and gmail account misconfiguration are other likely causes.
this tutorial covers 10 troubleshooting solutions to try when you can’t link gmail to your ios device.
1. check your internet connection
You need an active internet network to set up and use Gmail on your iPhone or iPad. If you can’t link gmail to your iphone’s mail app, please confirm your internet connection is working.
open your web browser, visit various websites and see if they pass. If your browser(s) don’t load any web pages, there is a problem with your internet connection.
turn your iphone’s airplane mode on and off to refresh the connection and try again. If you’re using mobile data, switch to Wi-Fi and try again. Also, make sure the Mail and Settings apps have access to mobile data. contact your service provider if the problem persists.
go to settings > cellular (or mobile data) and make sure that mobile data access for mail and settings are turned on.
2. check gmail service status
Temporary failures with the gmail servers could also be the cause of this problem. open gmail on another device and check if you can log in or access your inbox. If you can’t set up or access gmail on any device, there’s probably a problem with your email service.
visit the google workspace status dashboard in your web browser and check the status indicator next to gmail.
A green checkmark (✅) means that gmail is working properly and there are no problems with the email service. conversely, an orange exclamation mark and a red x icon indicate “service outage” and “service outage,” respectively.
In case of outage or service interruption, you will have to wait until google fixes the problem to use gmail. try setting up gmail again when the status icon shows a green checkmark again.
3. clear gmail cookies in safari
Cookie corruption in safari can prevent ios from linking your gmail account with mail app. If safari shows “safari can’t open the page because too many redirects occurred” or similar errors when configuring gmail, clearing safari cookies might fix the problem.
- go to settings > safari, scroll to the bottom of the page and tap advanced.
- tap website data.
- type gmail in the search bar and tap search on the keyboard.
- tap edit in the lower left corner.
- Tap the red minus icon next to “gmail.com” and select delete.
which will delete cookies and other browsing data related to gmail. try setting up gmail again and check if that solves the problem.
4. check mail app settings
Can’t find your gmail inbox in the mail app after adding your google account to your iphone? check the mail settings menu and make sure mail sync is enabled for your google email account.
go to settings > mail > accounts > gmail and activate the mail option. if it’s already enabled, turn it off, wait a minute, and turn it back on.
5. clear or reset the unlock captcha
Google sometimes uses the captcha protocol to protect your account from suspicious or fraudulent access. this security protocol may also prevent some third-party email applications from accessing your account.
If you can’t set up gmail on your new iphone, resetting the captcha may fix the problem. the operation will temporarily disable any additional security protocols except two-step verification or two-factor authentication, making the gmail setup process more difficult.
- visit the displayunlockcaptcha page in your web browser (preferably on a computer). sign in to google if the browser is not linked to your account.
- tap continue to continue.
- You should see an “account access enabled” message on the screen. try setting up gmail in mail app again.
6. enable imap in gmail settings
gmail uses the internet message access protocol (imap) to send messages to your devices. If your gmail inbox is empty in mail app, make sure imap is the preferred server in gmail settings. open the gmail website in a web browser and follow the steps below:
- select the gear icon in the upper right corner of your inbox and select view all settings.
- go to the forwarding and pop/imap tab, check the row “imap access” and select enable imap. select save changes to continue.
Try setting up gmail on your iphone and see if you can access your messages.
7. configure gmail manually
If you can’t add gmail (automatically) to your iphone using your email address and password, try setting up gmail manually.
- go to settings > mail > accounts and tap add account.
- select other and tap add email account.
- enter your name, email address and password in their respective fields. provide the account with a descriptive summary in the “description” field and tap next.
- tap the imap tab and go to “incoming mail server ” section. enter imap.gmail.com as the “hostname” and type your gmail address in the “username” field. then provide your gmail password in the “password” field.
- in the “outgoing mail server” section, enter smtp.gmail.com in the “name” field host”, and tap next.
- wait for the setup wizard to verify your account information. activate mail on the map page and tap save.
open the mail app and see if it now connects to your gmail inbox.
8. reboot your iphone
a simple reboot of the device can fix this problem. turn off your iphone, turn it back on and try setting up gmail from scratch.
if your iphone supports face id, press and hold the side button and any of the volume buttons. then drag the slide to power off to the right to turn off your iphone.
for iphones with a home button, press and hold the side button until the power off slider appears. drag the slider to the right and wait 30 seconds for your device to turn off.
You can also turn off your iPhone from the settings menu. go to settings > general > turn off and move the slider to the right. wait about 30 seconds for your iphone to turn off completely.
To restart your iPhone, press and hold the side button until the apple logo appears on the screen.
connect your phone to the internet (via wi-fi or mobile data) and try linking gmail to the mail app again.
9. upgrade your iphone
The problem could be due to bugs in your iphone’s operating system. check your iphone settings menu and install the latest version of ios available for your device.
open the settings app, select general, tap software update, and tap download and install to update your iphone.
10. use the gmail app
Install the gmail standalone app from the app store if none of the above troubleshooting fixes the issue. open gmail info page in app store and install the app on your iphone.
start gmail
Visit the gmail help community for troubleshooting tips from gmail users experiencing similar issues. Contact apple support if you still can’t link gmail to your iphone after trying these fixes.