Set up Alibaba Mail on the iPad's built-in Mail app by manually entering your POP3, IMAP, or SMTP server settings.
Procedure
Before you begin
Enable POP3 or IMAP access in your Alibaba Mail web account before configuring the iPad Mail app. If the protocol is disabled server-side, the iPad client cannot connect even with correct settings.
Choose a protocol
Use IMAP if you access your Alibaba Mail account from multiple devices. Changes such as reading or deleting messages sync across all devices automatically. Use POP3 only if this iPad is your sole email client, as POP3 downloads messages locally without syncing.
Server settings
Enter your complete email address as the Username for all three protocols.
POP3 Protocol:
|
Parameter |
Value |
|
Incoming server |
|
|
Incoming port |
110 (standard) or 995 (SSL) |
|
Outgoing server |
|
|
Outgoing port |
25 (standard) or 465 (SSL) |
IMAP Protocol:
|
Parameter |
Value |
|
Incoming server |
|
|
Incoming port |
143 (standard) or 993 (SSL) |
|
Outgoing server |
|
|
Outgoing port |
25 (standard) or 465 (SSL) |
SMTP Protocol
The outgoing server address and port for SMTP are included in the tables above.
[Domain] is the custom domain bound to your email address. To use a custom domain, configure the corresponding DNS records in advance. For details, see Alibaba Mail domain name resolution.
Add the account
On the iPad, open Settings, scroll to Mail, and tap Accounts.
Tap Add Account > Add Mail Account.
On the Add Account page, select Other, enter your email address and password, then tap Next.
Enter the incoming and outgoing server details. The screenshots below show IMAP as an example.
Tap Next. The app verifies the account.
Verification can take a few minutes or time out on a slow network. Wait for it to complete before retrying.
When prompted to sync Mail or Notes, select the items you want, then tap Save. The new account appears on the Accounts page.
Tap the account, then tap Account Settings > Advanced.
Verify the Incoming Settings match the values in the server settings table, then send and receive a test message to confirm the setup works.
Enable SSL and use the encrypted ports (465 for SMTP, 995 for POP3, 993 for IMAP) for a more secure connection. Confirm these ports are open on your network before testing.
Troubleshooting
Verification times out
Slow or restricted network connectivity is the most common cause. Switch to a different Wi-Fi network or disable any VPN, then retry. If the issue persists, verify that ports 110/995 (POP3), 143/993 (IMAP), and 25/465 (SMTP) are not blocked by your firewall or network policy.
Cannot send email (SMTP connection failure)
Go to Settings > Mail > Accounts > your account > Account Settings > SMTP. Confirm the SMTP server address matches the value in the server settings table, and that Use SSL is turned on with port 465.
Incoming mail not syncing
Go to Settings > Mail > Accounts > your account > Account Settings > Advanced. Confirm the incoming server address and port are correct, and that the SSL setting matches the port you entered (993 for IMAP SSL, 995 for POP3 SSL).