If you are reading this article, chances are that you are an Apple iOS device user and the mail client on your device (like iPhone) keeps reporting a iPhone cannot verify server identity error. We have put this step by step article together to help you solve that issue in the simplest and fastest way possible. Simply follow the steps outlined and the error should be resolved in no time.

The “cannot verify server identity” error pops up on any email account type – POP3 or IMAP. However, this error happens a lot in the Mac iOS 10.2x. The solutions we would be providing to you are collated from reports and posts from Apple users with a similar issue as well as the Apple support team. It is important at this point to mention that the solutions described here are subject to the assumption that you use SSL for your email.

Fixing the “cannot verify server identity” Error

There are many ways that through which cannot verify server identity error can be fixed. Please follow these directions listed below!

Remove your iPhone Mail account and create it again

Apple suggests that the easiest way to correct this issue is simply removing your email account and then setting it up again. Before doing this, ensure that you know where you have saved your email. If you have your email account with the Web Hosting Hub, then simply deleting the email settings on the iOS device would not delete your email.

With this process, you would simply be removing your email account from your iOs device and re-adding it again. Here is a step by step process

• Log into your iOS device.
• Go to Settings then open Mail.
• Click on Accounts.
• Choose the email account you want to delete.
• Scroll up till you see the “delete account” option. Click Delete Account.
• Confirm the delete or cancel if you want to stop this process
• Add your account again

Note: For POP3 email accounts

If your email account type is the POP3 account and you have set your email to “DELETE in 7 days” then chances are that your emails would be deleted when you delete your account from your iOS device. However, if you set it to “NEVER”, then even after deleting, your emails would still be on the server.

It is best to set the FETCH to manual as this would help you access your emails immediately. If you have not set your “Fetch New” data to manual then you may have to wait between fifteen minutes to an hour to get access to your emails.

Note: For users using SSL with their email account

For iOS user using SSL with their email account, please ensure that you have the right ports in your email settings. After you complete the process above, check your ports to be sure they are the correct ports.

If you already have the wrong ports added to the account, just go back to the device settings, click Mail, and then choose to edit the “Incoming and Outgoing servers” and input the ports to match this table below.

Secure ports for incoming and outgoing servers:

If you are an iOS user and you have multiple email accounts on your device, you would have to remove and recreate those accounts as well for full functionality of your mail client.

Avoid iPhone Cannot Verify Server Identity Error

Want to avoid the “cannot verify server identity” error entirely? Turn off SSL in your iPhone Mail account.

Yes, one simple way to avoid the “cannot verify server identity” error is to turn off SSL in the email client interface. However, it is best to continue using SSL for emails.

While we would not recommend this bypass method, turning off the use of SSL would stop the “cannot verify server identity” error. This method MUST ONLY be used if you urgently need to access your email.

Here is how you can easily turn SSL off in your iPhone/iOS Mail client:

• Log into your mobile device.
• Head over to Settings and open Mail.
• Open Accounts.
• Choose the particular email account you would like to turn SSL off
• Click on the label for your email account again – this is usually above the icon for Mail and Notes
• Tap on Advanced
• Tap on the slider labeled “Use SSL” then unmark it.
• Click on Account – This is on the top left corner.
• Click Done.

Save these settings and the iPhone cannot verify server identity error would be removed.