no emails on iphone

Question

Hello

I cannot receive emails on my iphone 14. I am receiving them on my PC. When I try to log in my password it says i've tried too many times and won't accept the password i've had for ages. The other form of authentication is my husband's cell phone number. He passed away 1-22-25 and I took him off of the plan. Last time I changed my authentication process form my home phone I could not get on my PC for 30 days. I don't want that to happen again. I heard that there were issues with the server. is this why this is happening? What can I do to resolve this issue to again receive emails on my iphone.

Thank you

Answer 1

This is a widely reported on-going problem Microsoft have indicated they are investigating with Outlook accounts on iOS devices, they announced they had resolved the problem yesterday, however, this problem is still on-going.

You can track their updates and proposed fixes on this problem in the 'Microsoft Consumer Products' section on this link.

https://status.cloud.microsoft/m365/referrer=serviceStatusRedirect

Answer 2

The issue is not caused by a server problem. The account is being temporarily blocked because of repeated sign-in attempts with what Microsoft detects as an incorrect password or because of security protections on the account.

To restore mail on the iPhone without breaking access on the PC, use these steps and avoid repeated sign-in attempts from the phone until they are done:

1. Check that the account itself is working and not blocked
   • On a device where sign-in already works (the PC), go to the Microsoft account sign-in page and sign in.
   • If there is any security or “unusual activity” warning, follow the prompts to verify identity and unblock the account. Guidance is in Unblock my Outlook.com account from the article “Can’t send or receive email in Outlook.com”.
   • If the account is blocked, complete the unblock flow there first before touching the iPhone again.
2. Avoid more failed attempts from the iPhone for at least 24 hours if you see the ‘too many attempts’ message
   • The Q&A guidance indicates that when the message “You’ve tried to sign in too many times with an incorrect account or password” appears, further attempts can extend the lockout.
   • Wait at least 24 hours with no new sign-in attempts from the iPhone. Use only the PC during that time.
3. If still blocked after 24 hours
   • The Q&A guidance states that if the same error persists after 24 hours, the account may be blocked due to suspicious activity.
   • In that case, follow the “Unblock my Outlook.com account” process and, if needed, submit a Request for Account Reinstatement from a working device.
4. Fix the iPhone configuration once the account is confirmed working
   • If using the built-in Apple Mail app with Outlook.com/Hotmail:
     1. On the iPhone, go to Settings > Mail > Accounts.
     2. Select the Outlook/Hotmail account and tap Delete Account.
     3. Then go to Settings > Mail > Accounts > Add Account.
     4. Choose Outlook.com and complete the sign-in flow.
   • Apple Mail supports modern authentication by default when the account is added as Outlook.com. If the account was previously set up using basic authentication, removing and re-adding it this way resolves many password and connection errors.
5. If removing/re-adding the account still fails on iPhone
   • Follow the extended Apple Mail steps from the modern-auth article:
     1. Remove the Outlook account again from Settings > Mail > Accounts.
     2. Go to Settings > Safari and tap Clear History and Website Data.
     3. Reboot the iPhone.
     4. Add the account back under Settings > Mail > Accounts > Add Account > Outlook.com and complete the sign-in.
6. If the sign-in still fails only on the iPhone after these steps
   • The Q&A examples show that sometimes changing the password or adding another sign-in method (for example, Microsoft Authenticator) from a working device, then signing in again on the phone, resolves device-specific sign-in issues.
   • Perform any password reset or sign-in method changes only from a device where access is already working (the PC) to avoid being locked out there.

These steps keep the PC session intact while clearing the sign-in block and reconfiguring the iPhone to use modern authentication, which is required for Outlook.com accounts.

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References:

• Can't send or receive email in Outlook.com
• Outlook and other apps are unable to connect to Outlook.com when using Basic authentication
• Modern Authentication Methods now needed to continue syncing Outlook Email in non-Microsoft email apps
• Cannot login to my outlook account from iphone even though details are correct - Microsoft Q&A
• Problem with iphone and hotmail - Microsoft Q&A
• Why can't I log in to my Outlook account? - Microsoft Q&A