If you have an email address on your company's domain, such as contact@your-domain.com, you can use it on iPhone in Mail, Gmail or Outlook for iOS. For most hosting-based addresses, the correct setup uses IMAP for incoming mail and SMTP for outgoing mail.

In brief: use the full email address as the username, the server mail.your-domain.com, IMAP on port 993 with SSL enabled and SMTP on port 465 with SSL enabled. If port 465 does not work, use port 587 with STARTTLS/TLS.

Settings required for a custom email address on iPhone

Information to have ready

You need the full email address and the mailbox password. Do not use the iPhone password, WordPress password, cPanel password or Apple ID password.

Field What to enter
Email address name@your-domain.com
Username The full email address, not only the part before @
Password The mailbox password
Incoming Mail Server mail.your-domain.com or the server provided by your service provider
IMAP port 993
SSL for IMAP Enabled
Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP) mail.your-domain.com or the server provided by your service provider
SMTP port 465 with SSL or 587 with STARTTLS/TLS
SMTP authentication Password, using the same full address and password

Mail on iPhone

Mail is the native iPhone app. On iOS 18, the setup area is under Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts. On older iOS versions, the path may be Settings > Mail > Accounts.

Steps for setting up a custom address in Mail on iPhone
  1. Open Settings on the iPhone.
  2. Open Apps, then Mail, then Mail Accounts. If you have an older iOS version, look for Mail directly in Settings.
  3. Choose Add Account.
  4. Choose Other, then Add Mail Account.
  5. Complete the fields: Name = the name displayed for the sender, Email = the full address, Password = the mailbox password, Description = an easily recognizable name.
  6. Tap Next. If the iPhone does not detect the settings automatically, choose IMAP.
  7. Under Incoming Mail Server, enter Host Name = mail.your-domain.com, User Name = full address, Password = mailbox password.
  8. Under Outgoing Mail Server, enter Host Name = mail.your-domain.com, User Name = full address, Password = mailbox password.
  9. Tap Next, then Save.

Check the ports in Mail

If the iPhone saves the account but errors appear, open the newly created account again and check the advanced settings: use port 993 with SSL enabled for IMAP, and port 465 with SSL enabled for SMTP. If SMTP 465 does not work, try port 587.

Important: on iPhone, the SMTP server's User Name and Password fields may appear optional. Complete them anyway for business addresses. If you leave them blank, you can often receive email but cannot send it.

Gmail on iPhone

Gmail for iOS can add a non-Gmail address through the Other (IMAP) option. This is useful if you want to see multiple accounts in one app.

Steps for setting up a custom address in Gmail on iPhone
  1. Open the Gmail app.
  2. Tap the profile picture in the top-right corner.
  3. Choose Add another account.
  4. Choose Other (IMAP).
  5. Enter the full email address, then tap Next.
  6. Complete the IMAP settings: server = mail.your-domain.com, port = 993, security = SSL/TLS, username = full address, password = mailbox password.
  7. Complete the SMTP settings: server = mail.your-domain.com, port = 465 with SSL/TLS or 587 with STARTTLS/TLS, username = full address, password = mailbox password.
  8. Complete the setup and check that the messages synchronize.

Outlook for iOS

Outlook sometimes tries to detect the provider automatically. If the address is a custom one, choose IMAP manually when the provider-selection screen appears.

Steps for setting up a custom address in Outlook for iOS
  1. Open the Outlook app.
  2. Open Settings, then Accounts.
  3. Choose Add Account, then Email Account.
  4. Enter the full email address and continue.
  5. If the provider-selection screen appears, choose IMAP.
  6. Enter the password and enable Use Advanced Settings if the option is available.
  7. For the incoming server, enter mail.your-domain.com:993. If Outlook has a separate port field, enter the server without the port and enter port 993 separately.
  8. For the outgoing server, enter mail.your-domain.com:465. If that does not work, try mail.your-domain.com:587.
  9. Use the full email address as the username for both incoming and outgoing mail. Use the mailbox password in the password field.
  10. Tap Sign In and send a test email.

What to do if it does not work

  • You can receive email but cannot send it: check SMTP. Complete the SMTP username and password even if they appear optional.
  • The iPhone says “Cannot Verify Server Identity”: the server being used does not match the SSL certificate. Use the exact server provided by the service provider.
  • The password appears to be incorrect: test it in webmail. If it does not work there, the mailbox password must be reset.
  • The account is saved but does not synchronize: check that you selected IMAP rather than POP.
  • Outlook or Gmail detects another provider: look for the option to change provider and choose IMAP manually.

Our recommendation

On iPhone, Mail is usually the simplest option if you want iOS integration, while Gmail or Outlook are suitable if you already use them for other accounts. Regardless of the app, the rule remains the same: use the full address as the username, IMAP 993 with SSL and authenticated SMTP.