Add your Cedros-hosted mailbox to the built-in Mail app on your iPhone or iPad. You will use the server settings shown in Cedros and an app password created for that device, then check that messages can travel in both directions.
This guide covers Cedros-hosted email. If your mailbox stays with Google Workspace, use Google's account option and Google sign-in on the device instead. See Choosing Cedros email or Google Workspace if you are unsure which setup applies. For a Mac, use Adding your Cedros email to Apple Mail on Mac.
Before you begin
Make sure the mailbox is Active and usable in Email → Inbox in Cedros. If it has not been created, follow Creating personal and shared email addresses.
Have these details ready:
- The full mailbox address, including its domain.
- The server hostname displayed by Cedros for that mailbox.
- A Cedros app password for this iPhone or iPad.
- An outside email account you control for a delivery test.
Use the mailbox's address, not a receiving alias. An alias has no separate mailbox password. For a shared address, confirm that you are allowed to connect that mailbox to the device.
Adding an account to Mail does not move messages from your previous provider or change your domain's incoming delivery. If you are also migrating mail history, use Importing existing email into Cedros.
Get a password for this device
- In Cedros, open Email → Inbox → Settings. Under Your mail, find the mailbox in Your addresses.
- Select Connect mail app to open Mail client settings. Keep the displayed hostname, full username, and ports available. Copy settings copies connection details, not a password.
- Select Open app passwords, or open App passwords… from the mailbox's actions. If Cedros asks you to contact the administrator, have them issue a password for this mailbox and device.
- In What is this password for?, use a recognizable label, such as “Work iPhone” or “Office iPad.” Set Expires only if you want the credential to stop working at a specified time.
- Select Create app password. Copy the One-time app password and save it securely. Select I’ve saved this password after saving it, before closing the dialog.
Use that app password for both incoming and outgoing mail on this device. It is shown once but continues working until it expires or is revoked. It is not your Cedros sign-in password, Apple Account password, device passcode, or a one-time verification code.
Create a separate app password for each device. Avoid Replace all… when adding a phone or tablet: it revokes all existing app passwords for the mailbox, interrupting its other connected mail apps.
An administrator can also issue a password through Team → Mail addresses → App passwords… for the selected mailbox. If the hostname is unavailable or the address is still provisioning, finish the mail setup before connecting.
Add the account in iPhone or iPad settings
Apple's current setup starts in Settings → Apps → Mail → Mail Accounts. Older versions may show Settings → Mail → Accounts. The account-entry labels also vary; Apple's manual setup instructions cover the current flow.
- Open the device's Mail account settings and tap Add Account.
- Enter your Cedros mailbox address and tap Next, then choose Add Other Account → Mail Account. If your device shows a provider list first, use Other → Add Mail Account.
- Enter your name, full mailbox address, the Cedros app password, and a description such as “Cedros work mail.” Tap Next.
- If Mail requests manual settings, choose IMAP.
- Under both Incoming Mail Server and Outgoing Mail Server, enter the hostname shown in Cedros, the full mailbox address as User Name, and the same app password. Fill the outgoing credentials even if the device labels them optional.
- Tap Next and let Mail verify the settings. Finish with Save or Done when offered, and make sure Mail is enabled for the account.
- Open Mail, find the new account, and allow its messages to load. Continue with the connection and delivery checks below.
Enter only the hostname in Host Name fields. Do not add https://, a webmail path, or a port after the hostname. Use Cedros's displayed value rather than assuming the server is your website domain.
If verification fails, correct the reported details before continuing. Do not agree to connect without encryption or accept an unexpected server certificate to finish setup.
Check the secure connection settings
Return to Settings → Apps → Mail → Mail Accounts, select the Cedros account, and open its account details if needed. On some versions, the next row shows the email address.
Use these values, matching the settings supplied by Cedros:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Host Name, incoming and outgoing | The server hostname displayed in Cedros |
| User Name, incoming and outgoing | Your full Cedros mailbox address |
| Password, incoming and outgoing | The app password issued for this device |
| Incoming protocol and port | IMAP, port 993 |
| Outgoing protocol and port | SMTP, port 587 using STARTTLS |
| Use SSL | Enabled for both incoming and outgoing mail |
| Authentication | Password; outgoing authentication is required |
For incoming settings, open Advanced in the account details and check Use SSL, Authentication, and Server Port. For outgoing settings, open SMTP under Outgoing Mail Server, then select the Cedros hostname under Primary Server. Confirm that the server is enabled and its full username and app password are present. Save any changes using Done when offered.
Cedros also supports outgoing port 465 with TLS. If you use this alternative, keep Use SSL enabled. Port 25 is not the outgoing submission port for this setup.
An incoming connection can work while outgoing authentication is missing or incorrect. Check both sections separately, and keep the selected sending server associated with the same Cedros mailbox.
Test mail and choose when to check for new messages
Use a fresh message to verify the setup:
- From an outside account you control, send a short message with a distinctive subject to your Cedros mailbox address.
- Open the Cedros inbox in the device's Mail app and refresh it. Confirm the message also appears in Email → Inbox in Cedros.
- Reply from the device. Check From and select the Cedros mailbox address, especially if several email accounts are on the device.
- Confirm the reply arrives at the outside account and shows the expected sender. Reply once more and confirm that it returns to the device.
- Repeat with a small attachment if you use attachments regularly, and confirm it opens at the receiving end.
A saved account or a message appearing in Sent is not a substitute for checking the outside recipient. If outgoing delivery also fails in Cedros, have your administrator check Setting up outgoing email delivery.
If messages arrive only when you open Mail
Check Settings → Apps → Mail → Mail Accounts → Fetch New Data. If Push is not available for the account, use an offered Fetch schedule or check manually. Do not assume every mailbox supports instant background delivery.
With Automatically, Apple's background fetch can wait until the device is charging and connected to Wi-Fi. If you need scheduled checks, review the available schedule rather than treating the delay as an incorrect password. Apple's receiving-mail guidance explains Fetch and notification settings.
Notifications are a separate check: Settings → Notifications → Mail controls alerts, sounds, and badges. A missing alert does not by itself mean the message failed to arrive.
Fix common problems
The username or password is rejected. Use the full mailbox address and its Cedros app password in both server sections. Check for a copied space or the wrong mailbox's credential. If the password has expired or been revoked, create a new device password and update both incoming and outgoing settings. A successful Cedros browser sign-in does not validate the separate app password.
You can receive but cannot send. Check SMTP → Primary Server, its enabled state, port, encryption, full username, and password. Use the mailbox address as From. Do not leave outgoing credentials blank. If the error remains, compare sending from Cedros and review sending troubleshooting with the administrator.
A message is stuck in Outbox. In Mail, open the mailbox list and check Outbox for the unsent message. Confirm its recipient and the correct sending account, resolve the connection error, and retry. Apple also notes that a message is still waiting while Undo Send is available. See Apple's sending-mail troubleshooting.
The server cannot be reached or its identity cannot be verified. Confirm internet access and compare the hostname with Cedros's settings. If it fails only on one network, include that detail when contacting the administrator. Keep SSL enabled and have hostname or certificate errors resolved instead of bypassing them.
Mail appears in Cedros but not on the device. Confirm that Mail is enabled for the account, open the correct account and folder, and check for a filter or delayed Fetch setting. If messages do not reach Cedros either, review mailbox status, storage, and missing incoming email. If only older messages are missing from the app, open one in Cedros and check for an encrypted cold-storage notice. Follow Read or restore a cold-stored message if you need a local copy in the app.
The address or app-password controls are missing. Check the correct site and mailbox. Ordinary inbox access does not necessarily include permission to issue credentials; ask your Cedros administrator. If account changes are restricted on a work-managed device, ask its administrator to configure the account rather than removing management controls.
The account is connected but old messages are absent. Check whether the messages remain at an old provider. Adding a new Cedros mailbox to Mail does not import that history. Complete the separate mail import before retiring the old account.
Avoid deleting and re-adding the device account as your first troubleshooting step. Confirm that important messages are available in Cedros or safely saved elsewhere before removing it. An iPhone or iPad backup includes mail settings, not a backup of the email itself.
If you need help, include the iOS or iPadOS version, mailbox address, displayed hostname, exact error, and whether receiving, sending, or both fail. Keep app passwords and private message contents out of the report. See Getting help and reporting a problem.
Replace a password or disconnect a device
For step-by-step credential changes, follow Creating, replacing, and revoking email app passwords.
For a routine password replacement, create and save a new app password for this mailbox, update the incoming password and the separate SMTP password on the device, and repeat the send-and-reply test. Revoke the old device password when it is no longer needed.
If a device is lost or should stop accessing the mailbox, revoke its labeled app password in Cedros. This stops that credential from authenticating; it does not erase mail already downloaded to the device.
Removing the account from the device is a separate action. Use the account's Delete Account option in Mail account settings only after checking that needed messages are stored elsewhere. Removing it from one device does not close the Cedros mailbox. Apple's iPhone account guide and iPad account guide cover device account removal.
Use the individual Revoke action in Cedros for the device's password. Replace all… affects every app password for that mailbox.