iPhone not showing emails in Inbox? Here’s what to do

Although we prefer instant messages more, emails are still an important communication tool. Mostly for work and school. Because of their importance, you want your emails to arrive on time and be accessible across all your devices. But that’s not always the case, as some users report that iPhone is not showing emails in the inbox.

I assume a similar problem bothers you. So, keep reading this article, and hopefully, we’ll make those emails re-appear together.

Table of contents:

1. Check Mail Fetch settings
2. Check your account
3. Remove your email account and set it up again
4. Check your internet connection
5. Check the iCloud storage space
6. Turn Background App Refresh on

Fix: Emails not showing up in iPhone’s Mail app

Apple’s email app is the number one choice for many users. It works with the most popular email services, so it allows you to gather all your mail together, instead of having to install an app for each service. That’s why the bulk of this article is dedicated to missing emails in the Mail app. So, if you’ve encountered this problem, check out the solutions below.

1. Check Mail Fetch settings

Fetch New Data is a feature that tells your iPhone how often should it check for new emails. Inside this section of Settings, there’s the Push option that automatically absorbs new data as soon as it becomes available. This allows you to receive emails instantly. If the Fetch settings aren’t set to Push, you won’t be receiving new emails in real-time.

So, the first thing we’re going to check is if the Fetch New Data is set up correctly. Here’s how to do that:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Head over to Mail > Accounts.
3. Tap Fetch New Data.
4. Make sure that the Push option is enabled.
5. Additionally, make sure the Automatically option is selected, under the FETCH section.

2. Check your account

If you’re using iPhone’s default Mail app as your main email service, you’ll need to sync it with all your accounts. If you haven’t synced all your mail accounts with the app, new emails simply won’t appear. Here’s how to make sure you have all your email accounts synced up:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Head over to Mail > Accounts.
3. Go through the list of all your connected accounts, and make sure the Mail option is enabled for each one of them.
4. In case you want to add another account, just tap Add Account, choose the email service provider, enter your credentials, and follow further instructions.

3. Remove your email account and set it up again

If none of the previous solutions worked, let’s try and re-add your email account. Here’s how to do that:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Head over to Mail > Accounts.
3. Tap the account you want to re-add.
4. Tap Delete Account and confirm.
5. Now, go to Add Account.
6. Choose the email service provider, enter your credentials, and follow further instructions.

If your iPhone is still not showing emails in your Inbox, definitely check the network.

4. Check your internet connection

You can’t receive new emails if you’re not properly connected to the internet. So, quickly make sure there’s nothing wrong with your internet connection. Check both Wi-Fi and data.

In case you notice there’s a problem with your internet connection, check out this article about Wi-Fi troubleshooting on iOS for more potential solutions. On the other hand, if your iPhone is not showing emails in your inbox but you are positive that the network isn’t the problem, check the iCloud storage space next.

5. Check the iCloud storage space

If you don’t have enough storage space in your iCloud account, it won’t be able to store new emails. So, make sure you clear some space for new mail to be synced. You can check your iCloud storage by going to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.

The base storage of 5GB that Apple offers for free is probably not enough for all your stuff. So, consider upgrading your Storage Plan to provide enough space for everything. You can check iCloud Storage options on the Support page.

Emails not showing up in a third-party app on iPhone

As you’ve already noticed, the solutions above apply to iPhone’s default mail app not showing emails. But, a huge number of users don’t use the default option, as they prefer a third-party alternative, like Gmail or Outlook. And to be honest, third-party mail services are sometimes more convenient, especially if you’re not too deep inside Apple’s ecosystem.

We have articles discussing this problem with the most popular alternatives, Gmail and Outlook. So, if you can’t receive emails from any of these apps, I suggest you check our dedicated articles for more precise solutions:

• Not receiving Gmail emails
• Not receiving Outlook emails

Turn Background App Refresh on

One universal solution for missing emails in any third-party app is turning on the Background App Refresh option. Without this option, your iPhone won’t be able to consistently receive new mail. So whichever app you’re using, make sure Background App Refresh is on.

Background App Refresh is an iOS feature that allows apps to check for new content even when running in the background. With this feature off, your email clients (among other apps), will only check for new emails once you’re inside the app. So, to make sure you receive new emails all the time, not just when the app is on the screen, make sure this feature is enabled.

Here’s how to do that:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Head over to General > Background App Refresh.
3. Make sure the Background App Refresh option is on.
4. Also, scroll down the list of apps, and make sure Background app refresh is enabled for the select email app specifically.

Don’t forget about the general software update and update iOS to the latest version in Settings > General > Software Update.

That’s about it. I hope at least one of these solutions helped you with missing emails on your iPhone. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, feel free to let us know in the comments below.

Editor’s note: This article was initially published in February 2022. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.