Tag: Apple Mail

Avast AntiVirus for Mac Configuration for Apple Mail

by Greg Johnson, posted in How To, Security, Tech Tips

If you’re using Avast AntiVirus for Mac and would like to use the Apple Mail program, you may notice a security certificate error when trying to access your email provider.

Avast has a 23 page document explaining how to correct this error.  The steps involve exporting a certificate from Avast and importing it into your mail client.

Alternative Option

If you don’t care about scanning inbound emails, you can enter your email server address as an exception and Avast won’t try to scan emails from that server. See the example below. To find this screen, open Avast, choose Preferences, then select settings for the Mail Shield. Press the + button to add your mail server.

STEP 1 – Open Avast

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 STEP 2 – CHOOSE PREFERENCES

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STEP 3 – ADD YOUR EMAIL SERVER

Replace the example below with your own email host. Use POP or IMAP as needed.

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Using Apple iCloud Email and Alias Addresses

by Greg Johnson, posted in Computer Support, How To, Tech Tips

The following is from Apple’s support website as of 22 Feb 2016. It’s being reproduced here for archival purposes, easy reference, centralized searching, and also to be disseminated through our social media and network of followers.

 

Create or change email aliases

An email alias is an email address that conceals your actual email address from a recipient. You could create an alias to use when buying items from online stores, signing up for mailing lists, and registering online, and reserve your real email address for use with family and friends. In this way, aliases can help you better manage the email you receive and monitor the sources of unwanted messages.

You can also send email using an alias.

You can have up to three active email aliases, and you can delete or turn off an email alias at any time. You might want to turn off an alias if, for example, you use an alias to make a purchase. After you receive the item, you can turn off the alias to avoid follow-up advertisements, then turn it on again when you make another purchase.

Deleting an alias is permanent, so if you think you might want to use the alias again, you should simply turn it off. When an alias is turned off, all email sent to that alias is returned to the sender.

Note: If you had five MobileMe email address aliases when you moved your account to iCloud, you retain the five aliases. However, once you delete one of your five aliases, you can’t create a new one to replace it.

Aliases are not transferable. Only the iCloud account that created the alias can use it as an email address.

You can’t use an alias to sign in to iCloud.com, and you can’t use an alias to create a separate iCloud account.

Create an email alias

  1. In iCloud Mail, click the Action pop-up menu in the sidebar, then choose Preferences.
  2. Click Accounts.
  3. Click “Add an alias.”
  4. Provide the requested information:
    • Alias: The text you provide becomes the email address (alias@icloud.com). An alias must contain between 3 and 20 characters.
    • Full Name: The name you provide appears in the From field of the recipient’s email.
    • Label: iCloud Mail uses the label to categorize messages sent to your account.
    • Label Color: Messages appear in your Inbox with the colored label that you specify.
  5. Click OK, then click Done.

Change, turn off, turn on, or delete an alias

  1. In iCloud Mail, click the Action pop-up menu in the sidebar, then choose Preferences.
  2. Click Accounts.
  3. Select the alias in the Addresses list, then do any of the following:
    • To choose a new color for incoming messages, click a Label Color option. Alias labels appear only in the iCloud Mail app on iCloud.com.
    • To change the name or label, enter a new alias name and label in the fields provided. Alias names must contain between 3 and 20 characters.
    • To turn off an alias, select “Disable alias.”

      When an alias is turned off, all email messages addressed to that alias are returned to the sender.

    • To turn on an alias, deselect “Disable alias.”
    • To delete an alias, click Delete.
  4. Click Done.

Select addresses you can send from

  1. In iCloud Mail, click the Action pop-up menu in the sidebar, then choose Preferences.
  2. Click Composing.
  3. Click the “Set a default address” pop-up menu, then choose the address you usually use.
  4. In the list of addresses, select the ones you want to be able to send from while using iCloud Mail.

    The selected addresses appear in the From pop-up menu when you create a new email message. For instructions, see Send email using an alias.

Set a default address to send from

If you created aliases or you have an @me.com or @mac.com address in addition to your @icloud.com address, you can choose one to use as the default address when sending mail from your iCloud account.

  • In iCloud Mail, follow the instructions in “Select addresses you can send from,” above.
  • On your iOS 8 device, go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > iCloud. In the Advanced section, tap Mail, tap Email, then tap the address you usually want to send from.
  • On your iOS 7 device, go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > iCloud > Account. Tap Mail, tap Email, then tap the address you usually want to send from.
  • On your Mac, open Mail, then choose Mail > Preferences. In the Composing pane, click the “Send new messages from” pop-up menu, then choose the address you usually want to send from.
  • On your Windows computer, do one of the following:
    • In Outlook 2010, 2013, or 2016, choose File > Info > Account Settings > Account Settings, click the Email tab, select the address you usually want to send from, then click “Set as default.”
    • In Outlook 2007, choose Tools > Account Settings, click the Email tab, select the address you usually want to send from, then click “Set as default.”

Network Solutions and Apple Email Setup for iOS and OS X

by Greg Johnson, posted in Tech Tips

Problem Summary

If you’re a Network Solutions website hosting customer with email service, when setting up email on Apple mobile devices, the default folders may not work, and may not coincide with what is used in the Network Solutions web based email or the Apple OS X desktop Mail client. This is because the iOS and OS X mail clients are somewhat different in how they work. As a result, you might end up with emails going into different folders or no folder at all. This is especially a problem for Sent Mail and Archived mail.

Discrepancies in iOS and OS X Mail Clients

As mentioned above, iOS and OS X use different default mail folders on some email services. Additionally, the OS X desktop mail client doesn’t allow you to specify what folders to use . The iOS mail client does let you select what folders to use. Folders such as Drafts, Sent Messages, Deleted Messages, and the Archive Mailbox can be assigned however you wish in the iOS environment.

Another difference between the platforms is that OS X won’t synchronize with Microsoft Hotmail, but iOS will. So, with Apple mobile devices, you can enjoy the convenience and assuance of knowing that when you delete messages or move them to folders on your mobile device, the same will be done on the Microsoft Hotmail server. However, with the desktop mail client, only downloading of messages is possible (using the decades old POP3 standard).

Preliminary – Archive Folder

The Network Solutions email system does not have an Archive folder by default. If you create one under My Folders on the server in the web interface, it will immediately be given an icon and moved to the top level folders under Trash. Other folders you create under My Folders will remain there with a folder icon, but the Archive folder is special so it gets moved to the quick links favorites area.

This Archive folder is what iOS can use. It will show up in iOS as a top-level folder called Saved in Advanced Mail settings. This is a little bit confusing since you’d be looking for a folder called Archive .

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To get to this setting, on your mobile device, go to Settings > Mail > Choose the mail account you want to configure > Click on the email address next to Account > then click on Advanced.

The Archive Folder is a very useful folder to have since many email systems will have a one-click button to move read messages from the Inbox to the Archive folder. It saves a person from the steps required to move messages to a folder (select message, click move, choose destination folder).

An alternative is to go ahead and use the longer three-click process to manually Archive messages by moving them to a folder.

iOS Alias Folder Renaming

Before folders on the server are assigned to email roles as described below, they will initially appear in the Advanced settings under the On the Server heading below Inbox. Once they are assigned to a role on the iOS device, regardless of what they are called on the server, they will no longer show up under Inbox, but instead they will appear at the top level as an iOS alias name with an icon. The remaining folders available on the server will be listed, but not the ones having been assigned.

Take a look at the image above. Notice the folders under On the Server and Inbox. When you first setup an email account, or before you’ve configured the folder assignment, every folder on the server will show up under Inbox. Once you select the assignment, they won’t show up anymore. So, the top level folders Drafts, Sent Messages, Deleted Messages, are the generic names representing whatever setting /assignment you chose for that folder.

For the remaining instructions, you’ll need to go into the Advanced settings to configure your iOS Mail settings.

For iPhone Running iOS 9.2

Some people will always use a website to check their emails. Other people always use a mail software program to read and compose emails. If you are someone who uses the web interface, you’ll want your folders to be the same on your iOS device. Use these settings on the iOS device to match the Network Solutions default folders.

  • Drafts  — Use Draft folder at the top level On the Server, not the Drafts folder under the inbox tree of subfolders.
  • Sent — Use the Sent folder at the top level On the Server, not the Sent Messages under the inbox tree of subfolders.
  • Deleted — Use the Trash folder at the top level On the Server, not the Deleted Messages under the inbox tree of subfolders.
  • Archive – Use the Saved folder at the top level On the Server, not the Archive folder under the inbox tree of subfolders.
  • Spam – Use the Spam folder under the inbox tree of subfolders.

For iOS 9.2.1 on iPad use the iOS settings above if you’re using the web interface a lot and want the defaults to work, or use the OS X settings described below if you want the Apple Mail client and your iOS devices to be the same. Unlike the iPhone, the folders won’t show up as top level or sub folders in iOS on the iPad. They will all be at the same level so pay attention to the names.

iOS and OS X Incompatibilities

Note that iOS lets you customize server folders for IMAP, but OS X doesn’t allow this. The OS X Mail client creates non-standard folders on the server and forces those to be used. So, in other words, drafts created with OS X will show up in Inbox>Drafts, but drafts created with iOS (or the web interface for the NetSol email) will show up in the top level Drafts folder. The real problem here is created by the fact that Apple Mail on the desktop creates new folders on the server rather than using the existing default server folders. So, the iOS device must be configured accordingly.

OS X Mail Settings for El Capitan

With the desktop Apple Mail program, the following folders will be created on the server and you can’t change or remove them (they will be created again by Mail if you do). It’s important to note that the default settings in Mail may not be correct when you setup a new email account. To check this, go to Mail > Preferences > Accounts > click on the new account > go to Mailbox Behaviors. Be sure to check all boxes in order to save all Drafts, Sent, Junk, and Trash on the server. In this way, all these messages will be available on your various devices.

Here’s an example of what can happen if you don’t store messages on the server. In the morning you might write up an important email and send it out. Then, later in the day, from your phone, you want to see that message again, but you won’t find it in Sent messages because it’s not available on the server, it was just locally stored on your Apple computer.

Here is the folder structure setup on the mail server by the Apple Mail program.

  • Drafts – This will be a folder called Drafts created by Mail on the server under Inbox tree of subfolders.
  • Sent – This will be a folder called Sent Messages created by Mail on the server under Inbox tree of subfolders.
  • Deleted – This will be a folder called Deleted Messages created by Mail on the server under Inbox tree of subfolders.
  • Archive – The Apple OS X Mail Client will use the Archive folder created on the server. It should be setup first on the server so it’s properly recognized at that level in the display of the web interface. Otherwise, it will remain in the tree of subfolders under the My folders heading without an icon in the web interface. If needed, you can move any emails already in the folder to a different folder. Then delete the Archive folder (once you’re certain the emails are moved and backed up). Then when you recreate the folder on the server, it will move to the top-level with an icon.
  • Junk – This will be a folder called Junk created by Mail on the server under Inbox tree of subfolders. This is called Spam in iOS.

Note that in iOS 9.2.1 on the iPad the top level folders may be mixed in with the sub-folders.

Apple Yosemite Mail Features Topic Not Found

by Greg Johnson, posted in Computer Support, Tech Tips

If you’re using Apple Mail after upgrading to Yosemite, the initial setup will require an upgrade of your old email mailboxes. The Mail Upgrade box is shown below.

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If you click on the Read more… link to learn about new features in mail, it’s possible you’ll get a message stating, “The selected topic is currently unavailable. The topic you were trying to view could not be found.” This is shown below.

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Close this message, and after waiting a little while, try clicking the Read more… link again.

You’ll notice that the Mail Help window does not have the same padding (space) above the window control buttons (red, yellow, green dots). Notice that the top corners are squared off rather than rounded. See below for a visual of this. This is likely an oversight by the programmers.

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Solution for Gmail Messages in Apple Mail Going to Archive and Unread Message Count Errors

by Greg Johnson, posted in Computer Support, Tech Tips

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The Apple Mail client in Mavericks is reported to have some compatibility problems with Gmail. In some cases, messages are being delivered to the Gmail archive folder and are not showing up in the Inbox. In other instances, the unread / new message count indicator is incorrect. The following steps may help resolve these problems.

  1. Quit Mail if it is running.
  2. In Finder, chose Go > Go to folder.
  3. In the dialog that appears enter “/Library/Application Support/Apple” and press enter.
  4. In the new Finder window that appears there’s a folder called Mail. Drag this folder to the trash.
  5. Restart Mail.
  6. Done!

What these steps accomplish is to delete some of the system settings relating to email. Be sure that you do not delete the Mail folder from your personal user Library. If you’re unsure, get a qualified support person to help you.

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Thanks to Makur for discovering the solution to this problem (source discussion thread).

Apple Mail Compatibility Issues with Google Gmail and Microsoft Live Hotmail

by Greg Johnson, posted in Support, Tech Tips

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Cross Brand Compatibility Issues

In their pursuit of customer loyalty, companies sometimes create proprietary exclusive technologies that don’t work well outside a certain brand ecosystem.

For example, Gmail (from Google) and Hotmail (from Microsoft) work great on their respective platforms:

  • Using a Google Chromebook or Android device (available on tablets and phones) you’ll likely have very few problems with Google’s gmail system.
  • Similarly, using Microsoft’s proprietary email clients found in Windows computers, tablets, or phones, it’s possible to enjoy a quality email experience.

However, using products across competing platforms often produces undesirable and unpredictable results.

According to conservative estimates, thousands of people are currently being inconvenienced by the incompatibility issues between the Apple Mail Client and Google Gmail Mail service.

Apple Devices Produce Unexpected Results

Oddly, when using an Apple iOS device (iPod, iPhone, or iPad), users experience exceptional email client compatibility with all features, folder access, and synchronization working properly. Yet, using Apple Mail on an Apple OS X device (laptop or desktop computer), users experience numerous problems.

Apple Mail and Gmail Issues

Here’s what OS X may experience when using Apple Mail with Gmail:

  • Archiving Error. New emails are delivered to an archive folder rather than the inbox.
  • Unread Count Error. Messages read on another device show up as unread on other devices.
  • Speed Issues. Apple Mail may load slowly.
  • Missing Emails. All messages may disappear from the inbox or other folders and not show up for a few minutes (or longer).
  • Synchronization Latency. Services like Apple iCloud, Microsoft Live, and Microsoft Exchange server all allow Push notification so you’re instantly notified of emails, calendar changes, and updated or new contact information. Gmail, unfortunately, requires a Fetch command in order to receive updates.

Apple Support Documents

Here are some Apple support documents relating to Apple Mail compatibility issues with Gmail.

Google Gmail Support Documents

Google offers a document with suggested IMAP settings for various email clients.

  • Recommended IMAP client settings – “All IMAP clients differ, and you can configure your mail client’s settings to best suit your needs. However, to work optimally with Gmail, we recommend certain settings. Click on your client below to view our recommended configuration.”

Jeff Schuette Configuration Document

There is a lengthy document on this subject, with suggestions from Jeff Schuette on how to best configure Apple Mail to work with Gmail.

  • Setting up Apple Mail to Rock and Roll with Gmail – “OS X 10.9 Mavericks has changed how Mail works with Gmail. This article is now only relevant for older versions of Mail. If you have previously followed these directions and have now updated to Mavericks, please see Apple Mail and Gmail Part Deux.”
  • Apple Mail and Gmail Part Deux – “If you followed my tutorial Setting up Apple Mail to Rock and Roll with Gmail, you will need to make some changes after upgrading to Mavericks.”

Further Reading

The following articles document the above issues and in some cases offer possible resolutions or work-arounds. It’s important when searching for articles to read current ones (within the past few months) since older articles may only be relevant for software that’s been replaced or subsequently updated.

  • Apple mail does not sync with gMail – “Today my Apple Mail no longer provides me with my gMail in the inbox. I can send mail to my gMail address and it shows in the Sent box …but it never makes it to my Inbox. If I log directly into Google Mail the email message is there.”
  • IMAP Gmail messages going directly to Archive folder instead of inbox – “Since upgrading to Mavericks, my Gmail accounts have been acting up in my Mac Mail program. At first it was just extremely slow to download the IMAP mail (my other POP email accounts continue to work just fine). However, in the past couple of days, I’ve noticed that incoming mail through the Gmail account randomly goes to my Inbox or to the Archive folder. This is very frustrating and can lead me to missing emails that I need to see. I haven’t changed any settings in Gmail or in the Mac Mail program.”
  • Mavericks Mail App and Gmail folders – “I have installed Mavericks on my MBA. Now in the mail app, when I drag messages from the inbox to a gmail folder, they leave the inbox. But if I click off of the inbox and then click back on it – they reappear in the inbox.”
  • Even after OS X 10.9.2 Mavericks update, users still complaining about Mail issues – “Mail in OS X Mavericks has been the new operating system’s least impressive point. Since launch, users have been complaining about issues relating to Gmail accounts, stability, and overall synchronization. Apple first attempted to patch up these bugs with a fix in early November of last year…”
  • Mail App crashes after OSX 10.9.2 update – “Updated to 10.9.2 today, now mail app crashes, Activity Monitor is showing it using 100% usage. It also makes my MacBook Air 2013 very hot.”
  • Apple posts workaround for Mavericks Mail sync issues, no permanent fix yet – “There’s good news and bad news for users of Apple’s Mail app who have been plagued by problems since updating to OS X Mavericks. Apple has acknowledged that users are still having trouble despite multiple updates since a new version of Mail first released with the updated operating system, but the suggested fix is only a temporary workaround.”