How to Set Up Email Auto Reply on iPhone

• You can set up an automatic email reply on your iPhone but only for certain kinds of email accounts.
• Using the default Mail app, you can only set up an auto-responder for Microsoft Exchange accounts. If you have the Gmail or Outlook app installed, you have a few more options.
• Here’s how to set up an Auto-Reply email for the most common mail apps on the iPhone.

An Auto-Reply email is an essential tool for anyone who sends and receives a lot of email, since you can use it to keep contacts informed if you’re unable to reply to messages, whether it’s to let others know when you’re out of office or on vacation.

Unfortunately, support for Auto-Reply emails is spotty on the iPhone. The default Mail app only allows you to set up automated responses for Microsoft Exchange email accounts.

If you use Gmail on your iPhone, you can set up Auto-Reply emails in the Gmail app. And if you use the Outlook app, you have slightly more options, as you can set up auto replies for Microsoft 365, Exchange, Exchange (Hybrid), and Outlook.com accounts.

How to set an Auto-Reply email on the iPhone’s Mail app

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap Apps.
3. Tap Mail.
4. Tap Mail Accounts.
5. Tap the account you want to configure an Auto-Reply email for. Remember that this will only work for Microsoft Exchange accounts – if you try any other kind of account, like Gmail or IMAP, the option will not appear.
6. Tap "Automatic Reply."
7. Turn Automatic Reply on by swiping the button to the right.
8. Set your away message and enter the end date, then tap "Save" in the upper right corner.

How to set an Auto-Reply email on the iPhone’s Outlook app

1. Open the Outlook app and tap the menu button at the top left of the screen.
2. Tap the gear icon at the bottom of the screen to open the Settings menu.
3. Tap the account you want to configure an Auto-Reply email for. This will only work for certain kinds of accounts, like Microsoft Exchange, Office 365, and Outlook.com. The option will not appear for other accounts.
4. Tap "Automatic Replies."
5. Turn on Automatic Replies by swiping the button to the right.
6. Enter the message you want to send for your Auto-Reply email.

How to set an Auto-Reply email on the iPhone’s Gmail app

1. Open the Gmail app and tap the three horizontal lines at the top left of the screen to open the menu.
2. Tap "Settings."
3. Make sure the Gmail account that you want to send Auto-Reply emails for is selected.
4. Under “Compose and Reply,” tap "Vacation responder."
5. Turn on Vacation responder by swiping the button to the right.
6. Configure the Subject, message, and dates of your autoresponder.
7. Optional: To send the reply to your contacts only, under the message, tap Send only to my Contacts.
8. At the top right, tap Save.

Tip: To turn off your automatic reply, turn off the switch next to Vacation Responder.

How an automatic reply for Gmail works

Your automatic reply starts at 12:00 AM on the start date and ends at 11:59 PM on the end date, unless you end it earlier.

In most cases, your reply is only sent to people the first time they message you.

Someone can get your reply more than once if:

• The same person contacts you again after four days and your automatic reply is still on.
• You edit the automatic reply.
• If someone gets your initial automatic reply, then emails you again after you edit the reply, they get the updated email.

Tips:

• To prevent an automatic reply in a conversation thread, add a subject line to your reply. When you add a subject line, the recipient receives your reply in a separate email.
• Emails sent to your spam folder or addressed to a mailing list you subscribe to don’t get your reply.

See also: How to Create an iCloud Email Address: a Step-By-Step Guide