Set Up Business Email on iPhone Mail (IMAP, Step by Step)

The Mail app on iPhone handles a mailbox on your own domain as well as it handles iCloud, once it is set up as an IMAP account rather than one of the named services. The setup takes about three minutes. Two fields that iOS labels "optional" are the reason most people end up with an account that receives but cannot send, so this guide calls them out.

Quick answer

Settings, Mail, Accounts, Add Account, Other, Add Mail Account. Enter your name, address and password, then on the IMAP screen set both the incoming and outgoing host to mail.oqumail.com and fill the outgoing username and password even though they are marked optional. Save. Then confirm SSL is on with port 993 incoming and port 587 outgoing.

The settings you will enter

• Incoming (IMAP) server: mail.oqumail.com, port 993, SSL/TLS on
• Outgoing (SMTP) server: mail.oqumail.com, port 587, STARTTLS (on iPhone this is "Use SSL" on with port 587)
• Username: your full email address, for both incoming and outgoing
• Password: the same password you use for OquMail webmail

Step by step

1. Open Settings, scroll to Mail (on older iOS: Passwords & Accounts), tap Accounts, then Add Account.
2. Choose Other at the bottom of the list, not iCloud, Google or Outlook.com, then Add Mail Account.
3. Enter your name as you want recipients to see it, your full email address, your webmail password and a description such as Work. Tap Next.
4. On the next screen make sure IMAP is selected at the top. Under Incoming Mail Server enter Host Name mail.oqumail.com, User Name your full address, and the password.
5. Under Outgoing Mail Server enter Host Name mail.oqumail.com, User Name your full address and the password. iOS marks these optional; leave them empty and sending fails.
6. Tap Next. iOS verifies both connections, which takes a few seconds. Turn Mail on (and Notes off unless you want them) and tap Save.
7. Confirm the ports: Settings, Mail, Accounts, your account, tap the account name, then Advanced. Use SSL should be on and Server Port 993. Go back, tap SMTP, tap the primary server, and confirm Use SSL on with Server Port 587.
8. Send a test message to another address you own and reply to it from that address to confirm both directions.

Make Sent and Drafts sync with webmail

In the same Advanced screen under Mailbox Behaviors, set Drafts Mailbox, Sent Mailbox and Deleted Mailbox to the folders on the server rather than On My iPhone. Messages you send from the phone then appear in the Sent folder in webmail and in any other app, and drafts started on the phone can be finished on a laptop.

Useful settings

• Signature per account: Settings, Mail, Signature, choose Per Account and write one for the work address with your name, business and phone number.
• Default account for new messages: Settings, Mail, Default Account, so a new email from the share sheet comes from the work address.
• Notifications per account: Settings, Mail, Notifications, Customize Notifications, and turn alerts on for the work inbox only.
• Fetch schedule: Settings, Mail, Accounts, Fetch New Data. IMAP accounts here use Fetch, not Push; every 15 minutes is a sensible balance of battery and speed.

If something goes wrong

• Cannot Verify Server Identity: the host name has a typo. It must be exactly mail.oqumail.com for both servers.
• Receives but will not send: the outgoing username or password was left empty. Fill them under SMTP, primary server.
• The username and password for the server are incorrect: the username must be the full address, and the password is the webmail one. Test it in webmail first.
• Port 465 does not work. Use 587 with Use SSL on; iOS negotiates STARTTLS on that port.
• Mail stuck in Outbox: usually the outgoing server was set up with the wrong port while the phone was on Wi-Fi that blocks it; see cannot authenticate.

Common questions

Should I use the Gmail or Outlook app instead?

Either works with the same settings, and some people prefer their interface. The built-in Mail app is the lightest on battery and supports per-account signatures and notifications; see the Gmail app guide if you already live in that app.

Can I add a second mailbox?

Yes, repeat the steps for each. Every mailbox appears as its own account with its own inbox, and the All Inboxes view combines them.

Does this work on iPad?

Yes. The screens are identical under Settings, Mail, Accounts.