Outlook for iOS - "Downloading Your Messages" - Hangs on "Updating" - only for certain users

Question

Outlook for iOS - "Downloading Your Messages" - Hangs on "Updating" - only for certain users

Todd St. Jacques 0

We have a weird situation here that started about a week ago.

We have a couple of users that can no longer access their Microsoft Exchange e-mail accounts when using Outlook for iOS. Again, this just started a week or so ago.

After login the following is displayed:

"Downloading Your Messages" - and then hangs on "Updating"

In short... They are no longer able to access their Exchange e-mail from their iPhone using the Outlook app.

Other Information....

Access to these problem accounts via computer Outlook app or web based Outlook app is fine.

Problem exists for these accounts on Outlook for iOS V5.2604.0 and V5.2605.0

Problem exists for these accounts on multiple different iPhones we tried.

Other user accounts have no problem using the app in these same iPhones.

Users can access their accounts via web browser on these iPhones, just not using the app.

Thank in advance for your help.

Todd S.

Todd St. Jacques 0 Reputation points

2026-02-17T16:24:09.53+00:00

Hey Ryan,

Thanks for that quick, detailed response! Unfortunately it did not work. I even did the uninstall/reinstall of the app.

I think this is user or exchange related, not so much the app or iPhone. I have this phone set-up with a few other user accounts all them are working fine. Just not this particular user.

And, this particular user doesn't work on any iPhone.

Note: All users I'm working with are from the same "admin.exchange.microsoft.com" account but only this one gives me problems.

Todd S.
Ryan-N 10,875 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-17T16:42:00.4+00:00

Hi @Todd St. Jacques,

Thank you for your response. I’m sorry that the solutions I previously provided did not resolve the issue.

Based on your description, I’ve noticed that this issue only occurs with a specific account. This account is still working normally on the desktop app and the web app. In addition, when you sign in with a different account on the same iPhone, that account works without any issues.

Therefore, it is very likely that the problem is related to the data being synchronized from this specific account to the iPhone.

In this case, I recommend that you contact Microsoft Technical Support directly so they can perform a more in-depth investigation to identify which data is being synchronized and may be causing the issue on the device. Please note that this process will not access or affect any personal user information.

You can follow these steps:

Step 1: Go to admin.microsoft.com

Step 2: Select Help & Support

Step 3: Enter the title: Need help checking Outlook on iPhone

Step 4: Select Contact Support

Step 5: Choose the contact method that works best for you

Once the ticket is created and assigned to a technician, a support agent will proactively contact you. They have specialized tools to closely examine the data synchronization process between the account and the device, which will help them resolve the issue.

I hope this information is helpful.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

I look forward to continuing the conversation.

1 answer

Your answer

Todd St. Jacques 0 Reputation points

2026-02-17T16:24:09.53+00:00

Hey Ryan,

Thanks for that quick, detailed response! Unfortunately it did not work. I even did the uninstall/reinstall of the app.

I think this is user or exchange related, not so much the app or iPhone. I have this phone set-up with a few other user accounts all them are working fine. Just not this particular user.

And, this particular user doesn't work on any iPhone.

Note: All users I'm working with are from the same "admin.exchange.microsoft.com" account but only this one gives me problems.

Todd S.
Ryan-N 10,875 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-17T16:42:00.4+00:00

Hi @Todd St. Jacques,

Thank you for your response. I’m sorry that the solutions I previously provided did not resolve the issue.

Based on your description, I’ve noticed that this issue only occurs with a specific account. This account is still working normally on the desktop app and the web app. In addition, when you sign in with a different account on the same iPhone, that account works without any issues.

Therefore, it is very likely that the problem is related to the data being synchronized from this specific account to the iPhone.

In this case, I recommend that you contact Microsoft Technical Support directly so they can perform a more in-depth investigation to identify which data is being synchronized and may be causing the issue on the device. Please note that this process will not access or affect any personal user information.

You can follow these steps:

Step 1: Go to admin.microsoft.com

Step 2: Select Help & Support

Step 3: Enter the title: Need help checking Outlook on iPhone

Step 4: Select Contact Support

Step 5: Choose the contact method that works best for you

Once the ticket is created and assigned to a technician, a support agent will proactively contact you. They have specialized tools to closely examine the data synchronization process between the account and the device, which will help them resolve the issue.

I hope this information is helpful.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

I look forward to continuing the conversation.

Answer 1

Hi @Todd St. Jacques,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

I would like to provide you with the following information.

To resolve this issue, please follow the steps below in order:

Reset Network Settings

Open the Settings app.
Select General.
Scroll down and choose Transfer or Reset iPhone.
Select Reset.
Choose Reset Network Settings.
Enter your passcode and confirm Reset Network Settings to complete the process.

Sign out and sign back in to your Outlook account

Open the Outlook app.
Tap your profile picture (avatar).
Select the Settings (gear) icon.
Choose Account > select your account.
Select Remove Account, then sign in to the account again.

Clear the Outlook cache on iOS

Open Settings on your device.
Select General > iPhone Storage > choose Outlook.
Select Offload App.

After completing the steps above, please restart your iPhone and check whether the issue still occurs.

If the problem persists, I recommend uninstalling and reinstalling the Outlook app to ensure it functions properly.

You can refer to the following document: How to Fix Outlook on iPhone and iPad Stuck on “Downloading Your Messages” | IT trip

Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this.

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

I look forward to continuing the conversation.

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Outlook for iOS - "Downloading Your Messages" - Hangs on "Updating" - only for certain users

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