How To Fix Gmail Not Working on the iPhone

It is undeniable that email apps, like Gmail, have a significant influence on the way we interact today, both socially and professionally. They allow you to easily connect with people living in faraway places and enable you to work remotely. That’s why any errors on your Gmail account can be so vexing since the impact on your daily life can be profound.

Fortunately, there are several tried-and-true solutions for Gmail not working on your iPhone. This article will guide you to solve the problem and get Gmail functioning again on your device.

Why Is Gmail Not Working?

Among many reasons that may cause Gmail to stop working on iPhones, security is the top concern. When the security is too tight without any explanation, consumers can have a hard time regaining access to their accounts. In many cases, consumers find their Gmail stops loading when they arrive at their location while on vacation. This is because Google suspects someone is attempting to hijack your account when you go to another country or region and log in with a different IP or location. Even when you’re not traveling, Gmail can be temporarily blocked when you try to sign in from an unknown device.

Other common reasons for Gmail not working relate to an inconsistent or missing internet connection, which can be solved separately. Alternatively, you may have run out of room on your Google account.

How to Get Gmail Working on an iPhone

The tips below should help you fix Gmail on your iPhone. You can try each one of them until you find one that solves your problem.

Restart Your iPhone

The most basic yet effective approach for resolving many minor issues is to restart the iPhone. If Gmail isn’t working because of a minor bug in the app or a background process, rebooting your iPhone should fix it.

Check Gmail Website for Alerts

If you can’t sign in to your Gmail account on your iPhone, try accessing Gmail on another device or your PC. Google may mistakenly identify your login as suspicious and send you an email warning you of any suspicious activities. You need to find that email to verify your most recent sign-in. When you’ve validated your account, you should be able to access Gmail on your iPhone and everything should be OK.

If you have set up a recovery account, it might have received the email instead.

Check Device Activity

Even though you don’t find any email from Google informing you of restricted sign-ins, it’s still a good idea to check other possibilities by visiting your Google account settings. You can access your Gmail account from the app or by going to any Google-related service in a browser.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Open a web browser and visit your Google Activity page. Click Go to Google Account in the upper right corner.
   
2. Click on Security then Scroll down the page and click on Manage Devices. You will be able to look back at any device that has recently attempted to sign in to your account.
   

Your email should start loading on your iPhone as soon as you confirm that you are the one trying to sign in.

Perform a CAPTCHA Reset

A CAPTCHA reset is a Gmail remedy that frequently goes unnoticed. This feature temporarily unlocks some of Google’s security safeguards, allowing you to access Gmail on your iPhone.

Follow these steps to perform the CAPTCHA reset:

1. Navigate to Google’s CAPTCHA reset page (Display Unlock Captcha) and use your username and password to log in.
   
2. After clicking Continue, you should see a screen that says Account access enabled.
   
3. Try to log in to your Gmail account on an iPhone. The attempt to sign in should be successful and Google will remember your device going forward to prevent blocking.

Enable IMAP

IMAP enables access to and syncing Gmail with external email clients, such as the iPhone’s Apple Mail app. Make sure IMAP is enabled if you’re experiencing difficulties with the Apple Mail app getting Gmail. Here’s how to find out:

1. Use a web browser to log in to your Gmail account.
   
2. Select the gear icon in the upper right corner.
   
3. Choose See all settings.
   
4. Open the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
   
5. Select Enable IMAP and hit Save Changes at the bottom.
   

If you use the POP protocol for your forwarding (which is relatively uncommon), then you’ll need to ensure the client is properly configured.

Check the Internet Connection

Gmail needs an internet connection to function. If your Gmail or Mail app isn’t working, make sure that you’re connected to cellular data or Wi-Fi.

Turn off your VPN if you’re using one. Disconnect your Wi-Fi or cellular data and reconnect it to see whether the problem has been resolved.

If you’re abroad, check whether you have enabled cellular network data while roaming:

1. Go to Settings.
   
2. Select Connections.
   
3. Tap on Mobile Networks Options.
   
4. Turn Data Roaming on.
   

Remove Your Gmail Account and Add It Back Again

If you have tried all the steps above and your Gmail is still not working on your iPhone, try to remove your Gmail account and add it back again. This is like the modern version of unplugging and plugging it back in. It will refresh your account’s connection to the server and may resolve the problem.

Here’s how to remove a Gmail account on your iPhone:

1. Open your Gmail app.
   
2. Tap your profile picture.
   
3. Select Manage accounts on this device.
   
4. Tap Remove from this device.
   

If you wish to erase personal information from your smartphone before giving it to someone else, removing your Gmail account is a good move.

Update Mail App

Make sure that you have updated your mail app. In addition to new features, updating your app fixes bugs and improves overall performance and compatibility.

The App Store on your iPhone might not be updating apps on cellular data. Check the following:

1. Open Settings.
   
2. Go to App Store.
   
3. Turn on App Updates and Automatic Downloads.
   

If you’re abroad, make sure your plan covers roaming data, as internet access can be expensive.

Update Your iOS

An outdated iOS version can sometimes create several issues with your iPhone. Updating your phone’s operating system brings bug fixes and might resolve a variety of strange difficulties, including Gmail issues.

Reset Your iPhone

If none of the options listed above seem to be working, you may need to reset your iPhone as a last resort. All of the phone’s settings will be restored to factory default. This might be useful if there is some kind of system error on your iPhone that prevents you from accessing Gmail.

How to Reset iPhone

Back up your data before performing a factory reset.

You can use iTunes to create a backup. If you don’t have iTunes on your PC. Here’s how to do it:

1. Connect your iPhone to a computer with a USB cable.
   
2. Open the submenu on iTunes, and select Back Up Now.
   

You can also follow these steps to back up your data in iCloud:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
   
2. Tap your Name.
   
3. Select iCloud.
   
4. Tap iCloud Backup.
   

Here’s another guide using iCloud backup if you’re using iOS 10.2 or earlier:

1. Open Settings.
   
2. Select iCloud.
   
3. Tap Backup.
   

Next, you can reset your phone by following these steps:

1. Open Settings.
   
2. Select General.
   
3. Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
   
4. Select Erase All Content and Settings.
   
5. Insert the passcode or password for your Apple ID. Verify your decision to delete your device.
6. Wait for your device to erase.

After resetting your iPhone, you’ll need to restore its most recent backup in iTunes or iCloud and set up your Gmail account again.

Follow these steps to restore using iTunes:

1. Connect your iPhone to a laptop or PC using a USB cable.
   
2. Open iTunes.
   
3. Tap the iPhone icon on the upper left corner of the iTunes screen.
   
4. Select Restore Backup.
   
5. Choose the backup you want to restore from the drop-down menu.
6. Hit Restore.
   

And here’s how to restore using iCloud:

1. The first time you set up your iPhone after resetting, select Restore from iCloud Backup on the Apps & Data screen.
   
2. Choose the backup you want to restore.

Stay Calm and Find the Right Solution

Having Gmail not working on your iPhone is a nasty problem and can get you into trouble. You don’t need to panic since there are many ways to fix it. You can try each method until you find the right one to resolve your problem. It may take some time, but it only requires very little work on your part.

Which method has helped you fix your Gmail problem? If you’ve found an alternative solution, let us know in the comment section below.