This guide walks you through the setup step by step, using IMAP — which keeps your emails in sync across all your devices. It works on all iPhones and iPads running iOS 14 or later.
Prerequisites
Before you start, make sure you have:
- An active HOSTDOG hosting account with at least one email address created
- Your email address and password (set when you created the email account)
- Your domain name (e.g.,
yourdomain.com)
On your iPhone or iPad, tap Settings from the home screen.
Depending on your iOS version:
- iOS 17+: Tap apps → mail → mail accounts → add account
- iOS 14–16: Tap mail → accounts → add account
You'll see a list of email providers (iCloud, Google, Outlook, etc.). Tap other at the bottom of the list.
Then tap add mail account.
Fill in the following fields:
| Field | What to Enter |
|---|---|
| Name | Your display name (e.g., "John Smith") — recipients will see this |
Your full email address (e.g., info@yourdomain.com) |
|
| Password | Your email password |
| Description | A label for this account (e.g., "Work Email") — optional |
Tap Next.
At the top of the next screen, you'll see two tabs: IMAP and POP. Select IMAP (this is the recommended protocol as it syncs your email across all devices).
Fill in the server details for both incoming and outgoing mail:
Incoming mail server
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Host Name | mail.yourdomain.com |
| User Name | Your full email address (e.g., info@yourdomain.com) |
| Password | Your email password |
Outgoing mail server (SMTP)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Host Name | mail.yourdomain.com |
| User Name | Your full email address (e.g., info@yourdomain.com) |
| Password | Your email password |
yourdomain.com with your actual domain name throughout. The username is always your full email address, not just the part before the @.
Tap Next.
iOS will attempt to verify the settings. This may take a few seconds. If successful:
- Choose which services to sync (leave Mail enabled, toggle Notes as you prefer)
- Tap save
Your HOSTDOG email account is now configured. Open the Mail app to start sending and receiving emails.
Verify SSL settings (if needed)
If the verification in Step 7 shows an error, you may need to confirm the SSL settings manually:
- Go to Settings → Mail → Accounts (or Apps → Mail → Mail Accounts on iOS 17+)
- Tap your newly added account
- Tap Account Settings → Advanced
- Under Incoming Settings, confirm: Use SSL: On and Server Port:
993 - Go back and under Outgoing Mail Server, tap the SMTP server, then confirm: Use SSL: On and Server Port:
465 - Tap Done
For a complete reference of all ports and settings, see HOSTDOG email server settings.
Troubleshooting
This can appear if your SSL certificate hasn't fully propagated. Tap Continue to proceed — your connection is still encrypted. If this persists, contact support so we can verify your SSL setup.
- Your mail server hostname is
mail.yourdomain.com(with your actual domain) - Your username is your full email address, not just the name part
- Your password is correct (try logging in via webmail to verify)
- You're connected to the internet (try opening a website in Safari)
This usually means one set of server settings is incorrect. Double-check that both incoming (IMAP) and outgoing (SMTP) servers are set to mail.yourdomain.com and that authentication is enabled for the outgoing server.