|
iPhone displaying the message “This message has not been downloaded from the server” or “This message has no content” – Houston, we have a problem with the iPhone’s email. 
This is a common message displayed on iPhone emails at various times using POP3 accounts. It is not specific to any particular internet service provider’s network or usage of those networks. It seems to be an iPhone specific issue in accessing POP3 accounts and servers for downloading of email messages. This is more appt to happening when an email message has a large amount of content including but not limited too images, large amounts of text, or excessive headers. 
We have recently received literally hundreds of emails asking how to fix this issue with various email servers mainly POP3 accounts assigned to an iPhone. This is something we have confirmed with many that Apple is actually working on to resolve. A fix for this should be packaged with the next update being firmware version 1.1.3 or newer for your iPhone from Apple. Looking for a fix or a resolution to this issue? Yes, so are we!!! Read more on how we fixed it...
We have fully tested and tried to resolve this issue ourselves and came up with a temporary solution with eliminating and getting rid of the “This message has not been downloaded from the server” message. We even went as far as asking the folks at Comcast and Cox cable networks in there internet troubleshooting department and came up with some interesting answers. We received answers such as “we do not support iPhone’s to you need to re-check your POP3 server settings on your device and restart Outlook. Outlook??? Whoa buddy, we told him it was an iPhone not a windows PC. We could not get very far with our iPhone downloading our full email messages but our 3rd tech that answered our troubled Comcast customer service call was all so helpful to tell us in detail his whole “theory” on what is really happening. He went on to explain that the iPhone was simply receiving stop messages telling it that the content is on the service but cannot be accessed at this time due to the iPhone downloading other content on the ever-so-slow EDGE 2.5G wireless network. He said by simply letting your iPhone completely LOG OFF of the network then attempt to try accessing email again on the iPhone on the particular email message displaying “This message has not been downloaded from the server”. We tried some form of this by making a phone call with the iPhone then after ending the call accessed the email and it actually WORKED! We also tried the old faithful repeated button taps of the up and down email message buttons shown in the image. 
This also works by ENDING the download of a previous email and then starting whole new download from your POP3 server for a different message and it being the one that initially showed the “This message has not been downloaded from the server” message. This only works sometimes as you have to catch your iPhone at the right time to END a download session of an email and start a new one. While we played at this task several times we were only successful half of the time out of 8 tries. Bottom line to our discussion here is Apple needs to own up to this glitch and get the REAL fix on the next firmware update. We thought about contacting Apple direct but we thought we had enough people already contacting Apple about this very issue as our emails from angry iPhone users stated in such kind words. We want to thank each and every person that wrote to us and we are almost finished answering each of our emails to our beloved readers. That’s how we do things, BUT we will be sure not to rely on our iPhone’s email for responding to anyone.
 Quote this article on your site | E-mail
1. test
Written by
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
, on 02-05-2008 15:39
  try something dif
|
2. Fixing missing mail
Written by
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
, on 02-08-2008 02:56
Well this might seem like a brutal solution but it worked for me.
You need to be sure that your email account is NOT set up so that mail is deleted from teh server after downloading (which is the normal state of affairs). Once you have confirmed this proceed by deleting your email account from the iPhone and re-creating it.
Make sure you're connected to wifi (because otherwise this could take a while).
Once that's done you'll find everything back to normal.
My theory on this is that the iPhone's internal database of mail gets messed up if you have partially downloaded some of your email messages, as happens when you get a big mail and get bored (or phoned) halfway through a mail download.
Hope this helps, worked for me.
Charlie Dancey
|
3. Written by Andrew, on 02-14-2008 11:35
Hey,
I found a quick solution that is a hassle but works nearly every time. Just press the "forward" button and the email reloads - I think from memory. It's a hassle because the reply keyboard fills half the screen, but it's better than nothing!
|
4. IPOD TOUCH
Written by JOE, on 02-26-2008 00:03
The same problem occurs with the mail feature on the Ipod Touch. I tried to send a large file (1 mbyte). The mail program on my mini mac handled it, but the Ipod Touch froze.
|
5. "not downloaded"
Written by
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
, on 02-29-2008 14:39
I believe the problem is that the iphone does not actually download and store the email, or stores it only for a prescribed period of time.
I will read several emails on my iphone, and not delete them. The next day, when the messages may have been downloaded from server to the desktop, only the header remains and this error message appears.
I know the blackberry does not do this - the entire message is retained and readable until you manually delete. Despite all the other feature, the email is disfunctional for a business user, and if I had it to do over, would go with the blackberry
|
6. JCO
Written by
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
, on 03-08-2008 00:05
I'll add that not only should eamil be downloaded locally, but it should also be available when Airplane mode is on (that is, the phone is not communicating at all).
As a new user of the iphone and unaware of this problem, I got burned, and hard, by this because I put all information for a business trip on the thing only to find out (while waiting to go through customs) that none of that precious information was available.
I felt like a class A idiot... worse, I purchased two of them (one for my wife). I felt like I'd purchased $1000 worth of toys for suckers. I get to enjoy being "that guy".
|
7. iphone Imap attachments
Written by Nelson, on 03-17-2008 18:19
I have the same problem opening any attachments on my I phone (v1.1.1) via Imap set up from work (LOTUS NOTES) I can Receive emails ok but can’t open the attachment. I have same Imap setting set up on my outlook 2007 and this works fine with attachments have also tried on other pc and works too...
Have done test on the following..
Hotmail account Attachments work (pop3 account) also set up a Gmail IMAP account and this works also.
Have checked with IT people at work see if anything has changed they say no and because attachments can be received on other pc they say not a problem with them.
Any info/help would be great as this is really bugging me
|
8. Written by gisela, on 04-22-2008 00:05
Am I understanding correctly that ... even in the rare instance when I CAN see an attachment (small jpg even, nothing huge)... that that is not saved so the next time I look for it in the message I still get the innane \"not downloaded from server\" message? How is this then a business-usable phone/PDA? Does anyone know of a way to save a jpg attachment to the IPhoto albums on phone?
|
9. Written by
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
, on 05-23-2008 15:06
so when the new software comes out to help "eliminate" the message not downloaded from the server problem, does that mean we all have to get new phones??
|
10. IMPAP solves this problem ...
Written by Harry Brindley  , on 07-27-2008 11:32
Switch to IMAP on the iPhone to solve this problem. Using Gmail as an example, do not create a default POP Gmail account on the iPhone, start out creating an "other" type of email account to get to the IMAP option. For step-by-step instructions, including how to specify a different "from" email address if needed, then read my blog entry at http://slapphappe.wordpress.com/2008/07/27/iphone-mail-this-message-has-not-been-downloaded-from-the-server/.
|
11. Systems manager
Written by Arthur, on 09-17-2008 02:01
As far as I can tell mail messages with attachments are downloaded to the iPhone with a POP3 account if the iPhone is the FIRST client that receives the message from the mailserver. If your computer downloads the message first, be it read or not, the iPhone will show 'This message has not been downloaded…'. Of course you must set 'Leave messages on server' in your POP3 account settings.
|
|
- Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article.
- Personal verbal attacks will be deleted.
- Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed.
- Email address is optional - If you enter your email address it will be viewable by others.
- All comments are moderated by an administrator. – Your comment will appear after review (usually same day), do not resubmit.
|
|
Comments (11)
