E-Mail and Xfinity Connect Help

[gohye]

I downloaded Xfinity on my iPad & iPhone, changed PW as requested for email on iPhone, iPad and IMac.  IMac sends and receives mail OK, but iPad and iPhone only receives.  When I try to send, get error msg that my PW or ID is incorrect.  Check all the setting and they are the same.  Any ideas.

[smores]

Are you logging in with you Comcast UID/Password or your Apple ID?  In order to access Comcast mail servers, you need to login with your Comcast ID/Password.  I use the Xfinity apps on my iPad and have no problems.

[BethKatz · Accepted solution]

On the iPhone and iPad, you probably changed the password on the incoming mail but not the outgoing. They are separate because you can use the outgoing for other accounts (I do that for a couple of my non-Comcast accounts.) 

On the iPhone and iPad (I'm looking at iPhone, but iPad is similar), go to Settings and then Mail, Contacts, Calendars. Tap one of the accounts. Scroll down to where it says Outgoing mail server and has smtp.comcast.net with an arrow next to it. Tap that. On the next page, there should be a primary server and it should be On. Tap On. That should get you to a page that looks like this where you can change the outgoing mail server password.

[gohye]

Thanks to BethKatz for providing me with a solution to my stupid question. I am computer illiterate and her help is very much appreciated. Thanks, too, to smores for responding as well. -30-

[BethKatz]

You're welcome. I'm happy to help.

[lgagnonsun]

Thanks!  That totally worked!

[crazygood]

Why does this show a different port number from the other help articles I looked at?

I've been using port 587 for the last year, successfully.

However, since loading the new version of the xfinity app on my iPhone I am unable to send mail using the iPhone's mail client. I am still receiving mail and I haven't changed any passwords, or other settings, recently so I know it's not password related.

The exact error message I get is "Cannot send mail. The username or  password for xxxx@smtp.comcast.net is incorrect.

I have authentication and SSL turned on. But bottom line it worked quite happily until last week when I updated the xfinity app - which to my mind should not have changed anything in relation to the native iPhone e-mail client.

Any Ideas?

[steve-baker]

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crazygood wrote:

Why does this show a different port number from the other help articles I looked at?

I've been using port 587 for the last year, successfully.

Several ports will work. The encryption settings (SSL, TLS, STARTTLS, TLS/SSL, etc.) that work will vary from client to client depending on how the client does things. If your client has a TLS or STARTTLS option, that's the one you want on port 587. Otherwise, SSL should work.

However, since loading the new version of the xfinity app on my iPhone I am unable to send mail using the iPhone's mail client. I am still receiving mail and I haven't changed any passwords, or other settings, recently so I know it's not password related.

The exact error message I get is "Cannot send mail. The username or  password for xxxx@smtp.comcast.net is incorrect.

Drop the "smtp" and make it xxxx@comcast.net. The "smtp" buggers up authentication.

I have authentication and SSL turned on.

The SSL part is working OK, otherwise you wouldn't have gotten to the part where the user/pass wasn't accepted.

But bottom line it worked quite happily until last week when I updated the xfinity app - which to my mind should not have changed anything in relation to the native iPhone e-mail client.

Well, I doubt that "@smtp.comcast.net" was acceptable to the Comcast servers last week. Maybe the old version edited out the "smtp" part?

[BethKatz]

Steve's right that the authentication username should not be xxxx@smtp.comcast.net. It should be xxxx (without even @comcast.net). 

That you installed the Xfinity Mobile app is probably coincidental. Comcast changed what they are checking on authentication in the past few days. 

On the iPhone, if you go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > your Comcast account, scroll down to the Outgoing Mail Server and tap the arrow. On the next screen, you'll see the various mail servers you have set up. Tap the primary one at top. The next screen should look like this:

[Baric]

And here's what it looks like on the iPad.  Note I'm using port 587 instead of 465, but either will work.

[crazygood]

Thanks all

I actually didn't have to do anything. It 'mysteriously' started to work about two hours after I posted here (after not having worked for at least 48 hours).

When I called Comcast, they wanted $40 to answer the question so thank you for taking the time to assist.

[steve-baker]

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crazygood wrote:

Thanks all

I actually didn't have to do anything. It 'mysteriously' started to work about two hours after I posted here (after not having worked for at least 48 hours).

When I called Comcast, they wanted $40 to answer the question so thank you for taking the time to assist.

---

Well, user@smtp.comcast.net still doesn't work from what I can tell, so I don't think Comcast had anything to do with why things just started working.

[steve-baker]

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BethKatz wrote:

Comcast changed what they are checking on authentication in the past few days. 

Which things do you mean? That doesn't really make any sense.

[Baric]

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steve-baker wrote:

Which things do you mean? That doesn't really make any sense.

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ComcastSteve posted this:

Urgent: Password errors when sending email from email clients

But the post is vague (to me anyway) and I'm not real sure what it was they did.

[BethKatz]

I don't know what it means either, but that was what I was referring to.

I was throwing it out there as a possibility. 

[steve-baker]

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Baric wrote:

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steve-baker wrote:

Which things do you mean? That doesn't really make any sense.

---

ComcastSteve posted this:

Urgent: Password errors when sending email from email clients

But the post is vague (to me anyway) and I'm not real sure what it was they did.

---

I think what's going on is that they were accomodating "acquired" customers whose previous ISP let them use different passwords for POP and SMTP, but they're not going to do that anymore; those legacy SMTP only passwords are history.

[GMDUBYA]

Thanks I bunch that worked for me........It was frustrating there for a while.

[sm-shea1]

Thanks for your help. 45 minutes chatting with a comcast tech and he could not figure out that I had not changed the password in BOTH incoming and outgoing servers. Two minutes with a google search and I found your advice. I have learned.

[JcPinCT]

This issue has been frustrating me for the longest time.  THANK YOU for providing an accurate and well written solution!

[WD19]

I have to thank you too. I have been trying for quite a while to get the IPOD mail to send Comcast email.

I wish there was a more useful error message to tell us what the program wants. 

[Q1015]

Thank you. Who knew about changing both passwords. I have been working on this for a week and finally found a successful solution.

Thank you.

[jasmandy]

Thank you for the info. I have been trying to figure this out for quite a while. 

[wetherjs]

Works great! I fixed my wife's iphone & iPad.

Thanks

[lpoust]

Thank you so much for posting this.  I was having the issue of receiving mail on the iphone and ipad but not being able to send.  I did exactly as you indicated and it worked right off!  Any idea how to load home video onto the ipad???

[swoopingdog]

thx u beth, i been on the phone for 2 hrs with comcast trying to get my iphone 4 to send mail, i found ur suggestions in the forum, all it took was to re-enter my password on the out going mail server, thxs for posting

[BethKatz]

You're welcome, everyone!

I like to look down this thread and see lots of thanks. This is one solution that keeps on helping.

[wmflyer]

Outstanding info!  My iphone sent emails just fine when connected to any wireless network, but it would rarely send when attempting through the cell phone connection.  Outgoing server info had "optional" on both the userid and pw, and now that I've updated both email accounts with the user/pw info it works just great!  Thank you for the assist

[haywardcarpente]

Beth,

After 24 hours of messing with this issue, your fix took care of my problem in three minutes. Thanks!!

[angelswellness]

Thank you so very much. I was wondering why I could get mail but not send. I did not know you have to change the password on the incoming and outgoing mail. 

[angelswellness]

Thank you so very much. I was wondering why I could get mail but not send. I did not know you have to change the password on the incoming and outgoing mail.