How to set up your professional email on iPhone and Android

Before you start

Both iPhone and Android can use your professional email properly through IMAP, which keeps your phone, laptop and webmail in step. Have your full email address, your mailbox password and your server name ready.

iPhone and iPad

1. Open Settings and scroll to Apps, then Mail. On older versions, go to Settings, then Mail.
2. Tap Mail Accounts, then Add Account, then Other.
3. Tap Add Mail Account.
4. Enter your name, your full email address, your mailbox password and a description such as Work.
5. Tap Next. iPhone will try to detect the settings and may take a minute.
6. Choose IMAP at the top of the screen.
7. Under Incoming Mail Server, enter mail.yourdomain.co.za as the host name, your full email address as the username, and your password.
8. Under Outgoing Mail Server, enter the same host name, username and password. iPhone labels these optional but they are required.
9. Tap Next, then Save. If you see a certificate prompt, tap Details and then Trust.

Android using the Gmail app

1. Open Gmail and tap your profile picture at the top right.
2. Tap Add another account, then Other.
3. Enter your full professional email address and tap Next.
4. Choose Personal (IMAP).
5. Enter your mailbox password and tap Next.
6. Set the incoming server to mail.yourdomain.co.za, port 993, security type SSL/TLS.
7. Set the outgoing server to mail.yourdomain.co.za, port 465, security type SSL/TLS, with Require sign in ticked.
8. Choose how often to sync, then tap Next and give the account a name.

Getting the small things right

• Set your signature on the phone as well as the desktop, otherwise half your replies go out unsigned.
• Turn off notifications for the account overnight if business mail is disturbing you. Use Do Not Disturb rather than removing the account.
• Do not set the phone to delete mail from the server. With IMAP that deletes it everywhere.
• If you change your mailbox password, you must update it on every device, including the phone.

Setting your phone signature

Phones default to something like Sent from my iPhone, which does not look professional on a business quote.

1. On iPhone: open Settings, then Apps, then Mail, then Signature. Choose Per Account so your business address gets a proper one.
2. Type your name, role, business name and phone number.
3. On Android in the Gmail app: tap the menu, then Settings, choose the account, then Mobile signature.
4. Keep it short. Two or three lines reads better on a phone screen.

If it will not connect on your phone

1. Check the password by logging in to webmail in the phone's browser at yourdomain.co.za/webmail. If that fails, the password is wrong.
2. Make sure you entered the full email address as the username, not just the first part.
3. Switch off wifi and try on mobile data, or the other way around. Some networks block mail ports.
4. Try outgoing port 587 instead of 465.
5. Delete the account from the phone and add it again rather than editing broken settings. It is usually faster.
6. If you see a certificate warning, tap through to trust it, or ask us for the exact server hostname to use.

Battery and data tips

• Set the account to fetch every 15 or 30 minutes rather than push if battery life matters more than instant delivery.
• Turn off automatic image loading if you are on a tight data bundle.
• Limit how much mail syncs to the phone. One month of mail is plenty for most people and keeps the app fast.
• Turn on notifications for your business account only, so personal mail does not interrupt your day.

What to get right

• Use email on your own domain, never a free address, for business
• Choose IMAP so every device stays in sync
• Keep the mailbox under its size limit or mail stops arriving
• Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC so your mail is trusted
• Keep hosting, SSL and email with one provider so there is one number to call

Work down that list in order. Each item makes the next one easier, and skipping ahead is what creates the messy situations we are usually called in to untangle.

How this usually works in practice

1. Start with the goal. Write down what you want to be true in three months. Almost every decision about how to set up your professional email on iPhone and Android follows from that.
2. Check what you already have. Existing registrations, domains, hosting logins and accounts. People often own more than they realise, and duplicating it wastes money.
3. Get a written price before committing. A verbal figure is not a quote. Ask for scope and cost in writing.
4. Do the compliance part first. Registration and tax basics unlock the bank account, the contracts and the tenders.
5. Then build the visible part. Website, professional email, listings and branding.
6. Only then spend on advertising. Sending paid traffic to a weak website is the most common way South African businesses waste a marketing budget.

Costs and timelines, honestly

Exact figures depend on your situation, but here is the shape of it so you can plan.

Every one of these prices is published on our pricing page, and you can build your own total in the quote builder without speaking to anyone.

Mistakes we see every week

• Missing the annual return. CIPC deregisters companies for this, and it takes weeks and money to reverse. Diarise it.
• Not owning the domain. If a previous developer registered it in their own name, you do not control your own website or email. Always check who the registrant is.
• Using a free email address on invoices. It costs you credibility on every quote you send.
• Paying for ads before the website converts. Fix the destination first, or you are paying to lose people.
• No written scope. Almost every dispute we hear about started with a verbal agreement about what was included.
• Letting the mailbox fill up. A full mailbox stops receiving mail silently, and people assume clients are ignoring them.

Where to go next

• See every price we charge on the pricing page
• Build your own total in the quote builder, no call required
• Read what we commit to in writing on the about page
• Browse the rest of the knowledgebase
• Or just send us a WhatsApp and ask

How Digitalx can help

Digitalx is a South African creative studio helping businesses launch, market and grow. WhatsApp us for a free consultation, or start a project.