KEY TAKEAWAYS
- To fix ‘This message has not been downloaded from the server’ error on an iPhone 16, first try killing the Mail app, followed by restarting your device.
- You should also check your connection to the Internet, update your iPhone and Update your mail settings.
- If nothing works, removing the mail account and adding it again should force your iPhone to re-download all messages.
Have you received an email that won’t show up on your iPhone 16? You’re not alone. This article explains how you can fix when you encounter the ‘This message has not been downloaded from the server’ error message while attempting to check your emails on your iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max. Some users report that they see this message when they want to open an email message with an attachment.
It seems that this issue is affecting both POP and IMAP email accounts.
This is a known issue. Sometimes the Mail app on the iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro may refuse to download and show new email messages even though the message was received fully and successfully. If you see this message, this means that the mail message you want to see has been interrupted when trying to download the email from the mail server.
Here is how you can address this problem. Make sure to check your device after each step to see if the Mail app starts working.
First, Try Restarting Mail
There’s a common theme among these fixes, and it’s restarting things. Since Mail doesn’t have a means of attempting to re-download a message, you should try restarting the app instead.
Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause in the middle to launch the app switcher. Find the Mail app in the list of apps, then flick up on it to close it (as if you’re throwing it away).
Now try opening the mail app and navigate to the message that gave you the problem in the first place.
Try Restarting Your iPhone
If that doesn’t fix the problem, you should take the next step. Restarting your iPhone 16 will hopefully cause the Mail app to spring back to life when your phone starts up and re-download any incomplete messages.
The easiest way to restart your iPhone is to ask Siri to do it. Press and hold the side button, then say "restart my iPhone" and confirm. Wait for the iPhone to restart, then launch the Mail app and try again.
Check your connection to the Internet
You may experience this problem if you do not have an internet connection. Make sure that your iPhone 16 is connected to a working Wi-Fi or cellular network. You can easily check this:
Open Safari browser on your iPhone 16 (you may also use any other browser).
Visit geekschalk.com.
If nothing loads, then you may have a connection problem.
If you are experiencing this problem, you may try the following troubleshooting tips:
- Restart your Wi-Fi modem and router. Just unplug them from the power outlet and wait about a minute and then plug them back in.
- Reboot your iPhone.
- Try using a different Wi-Fi network.
- Turn on Airplane Mode and wait about a minute and then turn it off (Settings > Airplane Mode).
- Reset your network settings by going to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Note that this will erase your network settings such as your Wi-Fi passwords etc.
- Contact your carrier or network provider. It is possible that issues with your carrier or account might affect your service.
Update your iPhone
Update your iPhone 16 to the latest version of iOS. You can do this by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
You can also have your device update automatically by going to Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates.
Update your mail settings
- On your iPhone 16, go to Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts > Fetch New Data. And then:
- Turn off Push.
- Scroll down and set Fetch Settings to Automatically. If it is already Automatically, change it to Manually.
- Change all accounts to Fetch.
- Now reboot your iPhone 16.
Remove and Add the Account Again
If you still get this "Message Has Not Been Downloaded From the Server" error on your iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro, it’s time for drastic measures. Head to Settings > Apps > Mail and tap on the Mail "Accounts" button, followed by the account that’s giving you trouble. Make sure you’ve got the correct account, then remove it from your iPhone using the "Delete Account" button at the bottom.
Be aware this will remove the account from your iPhone 16 entirely. Any drafts saved on your device that have not been pushed to the server will also be deleted. As long as messages exist on the server, you shouldn’t lose any email messages in your inbox.
Now head back to Settings > Apps > Mail and tap on Mail Accounts again. Tap the "Add Account" button and follow the instructions for adding a new account to your iPhone. Once the account has been added, make sure that "Mail" is enabled. Your iPhone 16 will now attempt to download your mail messages, which can take a while.
Alternatively, Use a Dedicated App or Web Browser
Using your email provider’s dedicated app is another option you might want to try. Though apps like Gmail and Outlook lack the privacy protections you’ll find in Apple Mail, they work flawlessly with their respective services.
Most webmail services also work in a web browser too. This includes Gmail, Outlook, and even iCloud Mail (because Apple’s own service is also not immune from the issue).
If you are experiencing this problem on an iCloud email account, then you can go to icloud.com to check your emails.
If nothing works for you, then you might need to contact Apple Support for further help.