How to Fix “This Message Has Not Been Downloaded from the Server” Error on iPhone

Published 2022-08-28

Though social media platforms have superseded other communication mediums, email continues to play an important role and is used daily by billions of people worldwide. Several companies use the iOS Mail app to communicate and provide other information to their clients. Undoubtedly, the Mail app is fantastic, but what if it starts acting up?

It’s frustrating when you want to open an email but can’t because of an annoying error, “This Message Has Not Been Downloaded From the Server.” The Mail app does not provide a method for downloading the email response from the server; it becomes the receiver’s job to acquire and read the email. Potentially, there are several reasons why this can happen. In this blog post, we’ll list the relevant fixes as well!

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What Causes the Error “This Message Has Not Been Downloaded From the Server”?

The primary causes behind this particular error are listed below:

Running outdated Operating System: The primary cause of this problem might be your iPhone’s outdated operating system. It might be incompatible with the email server, creating the problem.
The copy is deleted from the Server: If your email client is configured to delete the email copy from the server and removes or fetches the message before any other client, then the other clients may fail to retrieve it.
Anti-Spam Filtering: If an anti-spam filtering program edits the email’s header, the email may become incompatible with the mail application, and the Mail app may display the error.
Faulty Mail App Installation: If the Mail App installation is corrupt, it may fail to interact with the server and so fail to download some of the email messages.

How To Fix “This Message Has Not Been Downloaded from the Server”?

You can follow the steps mentioned below in the stated order to solve the “This Message Has Not Been Downloaded From the Server” error.

Solution 1: Check your Internet Connectivity

If you cannot download your email from the server, ensure that you have an good network connection before moving with the other methods to resolve the problem. In addition, visit your iPhone settings and check to see if you accidentally enabled flight mode. We occasionally neglect to verify these minor details, which might be the root cause of a problem.

If the issue persists, activate Airplane Mode, wait 10-20 seconds, and then deactivate it. Then utilize the Control Center or simply browse to your phone’s Settings. There you will discover the Airplane Mode.

Hope this resolves the annoying error message “This Message Has Not Been Downloaded from the Server” on your iPhone.

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Solution 2: Force Quit the Mail App and Relaunch It

Most likely, some technical glitch is preventing the users from downloading the email content. In such scenarios, the best option is to force close the Mail App and restart it.

The simplest solution to fix any app, be it email or any other, that keeps crashing on your phone is to force quit and relaunch it. To do so, navigate to Settings -> Apps and choose the program that is frequently crashing. Tap on the app’s name, then ‘Force stop.’ Simply follow the instructions below:

Step 1: Hold the Home button for roughly 10 seconds until the Mail app shuts and the iPhone’s Home screen displays.

Step 2: Reopen the Mail app to ensure everything is operating properly.

Step 3: Close the Mail app and click the Settings menu to disable Wi-Fi.

Step 4: Reboot your phone and activate the Mobile Data option.

Step 5: Launch the Mail app to see if the problem has been resolved.

If this doesn’t work, try the following hack to fix this message that has not been downloaded from the server.

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Solution 3: Restart your iPhone/iPad

The third method is to restart your phone. For newer iPhone and iPad models with Face ID: To restart, hit Volume Up, then Volume Down, then the Lock/ Power button until you see the Apple logo on the screen. Hold down the Home and Power buttons for older iPhone and iPad devices that still have Home buttons until you see the Apple logo.

After restarting your phone, rerun the Mail app to see whether the problem has been repaired. This hack should be fine, and the content of the mail should now be correctly downloaded.

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Solution 4: Update the Operating System of your iPhone

If your iPhone’s iOS isn’t updated to the most recent build, the message “This message has not been downloaded from the server” may appear. Updating the iOS on your phone to the most recent build may fix this “message has not been downloaded from the server.”

Many issues may be prevented by just updating your operating system regularly. If you encounter this error message or notice that your phone has been acting strangely recently, you should update the firmware. Concerns about compatibility are the most typical cause of these issues, which in our case might be linked to an email server incompatibility.

To begin, charge the phone to 80% or connect it to a power bank. Then ensure you’re connected to a solid, constant internet connection. Choose Software Update. If an update is available, select the Download & Install option.

We hope that after updating your iPhone to the latest OS, you no longer may face the “This Message Has Not Been Downloaded from the Server” error.

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Solution 5: Fix the iOS Issues With Tenorshare Reiboot

Sometimes, the main reason behind this issue is the Mail App getting corrupt or if there is some malware-related severe issue in the phone. For that, a complete reset is very important. Another simple way to reset your device and resolve iOS-related difficulties is to use the PC-based program Tenorshare ReiBoot to repair the iOS system.

Tenorshare ReiBoot is, without a doubt, the greatest iOS recovery and repair software. Tenorshare created this app to give iOS users a simple yet dependable tool for addressing all of their iPhone and iPad problems without damaging their saved data. This app will assist you in resolving iOS difficulties with no data loss and a much greater success rate.

Follow the instructions mentioned below:

Step 1: Go to the official website of Tenorshare ReiBoot and download the product from there directly. Follow the instructions, accept the license agreement, and download it correctly.

Step 2: Connect your device to your PC or Mac and select “Repair Operating System” to begin system repairs. You can choose the repair you want here: standard repair or deep repair.

Step 3: The app will download your phone’s firmware package on the computer.

Step 4: Click the “Start Repair” button after downloading the firmware package.

Step 5: Your iOS device will automatically reboot after completing the repair procedure, and your data will be protected.

Following these steps should surely fix “this message has not been downloaded from the server.”

Solution 6: Enable the “Keep The Copy On The Server” Option

Almost every email client allows the user to erase the message copy from the server. The email client is configured to destroy the messages after retrieval.

If you remove an email message from the Delete folder on your phone or computer, it may be erased from the other device as well. If you try to access that mail on another device, it may fail to download. This may be the real cause behind your error. In such a case, enabling the option to maintain a copy of the communication on the Cloud may solve the problem in this instance. Follow the steps mentioned below:

Step 1: Go to the Preferences tab after opening the Mail program.

Step 2: Now, under the Accounts tab, choose the impacted account.

Step 3: Uncheck the box that reads “Remove Copy from Server After Retrieving the Message” box on the “Advanced tab.”

Step 4: On certain devices, the option to never erase from the cloud or leave a copy on the cloud may display.

Step 5: After exiting the Mail Preferences window, restart your computer.

Check “This message has not been downloaded from the server” to see if the error notice has been resolved.

Solution 7: Configure the Mail Preview to 5 Lines

Many Mail applications only download the email headers and the remainder of the message when the email is opened. It may result in the error message “This message has not been downloaded from the server.” Setting the Mail preview to 5 lines forces the Mail app to download both the header and the message simultaneously, which should resolve the issue. Follow the steps below:

Step 1: Firstly, go to Settings and from there, then Mail on your iPhone.

Step 2: After this, select 5 Lines from the Preview menu.

Step 3: Restart your iPhone to see whether the “message not downloaded from server” error has been resolved.

Solution 8: Update the Push or Fetch Settings from the Mail App

The Mail app fetches emails from the server based on the push and fetch settings. When you activate push, your Mail app will get all your messages from the email server. When you choose fetch over push, the Mail app will check for new messages at your chosen intervals. If one of these settings is malfunctioning, adjusting them may resolve the issue.

Go to Settings > Accounts & Passwords > Fetch New Data on your iOS device. Follow the steps outlined below to complete the process:

Step 1: The push option should be turned off.

Step 2: Fetch Settings should be set to Automatically if it is currently set to Automatically, change this to Manually.

Step 3: Switch all accounts to Fetch.

Step 4: Restart your iPhone or iPad now.

So, that was all about our today’s article on how to fix the “The message has not been downloaded from the server” error. If you know any other useful workaround that can resolve the issue, do let us know in the comments section below. When we were trying to get rid of the issue, taking the help of a professional tool like Tenorshare ReiBoot did the magic. It’s a brilliant iOS system repairing tool that one should consider to eliminate common iPhone/iPad errors and issues!

FAQs

1. How do you fix this message that has not been downloaded from the server?

Some of the common fixes to this error are:

Examine your internet connection.
Turn on and off Airplane Mode.
Restart the Wi-Fi modem.
Reboot your iPhone or iPad.
Reset Network Configuration.
After Force Closing the Mail App, relaunch it.
Set the Mail Preview to five lines.

2. Why does my iPhone say this message has not been downloaded from the server?

The message downloaded issue might be caused by a transient fault between the iPhone’s Mail app and the email server. In this case, relaunching the Mail app after force shutting it may resolve the issue. Read the Mail app on your iPhone and open an email that previously said, “This Message has not been retrieved from the server.”

3. How do I download messages from the server on my iPhone?

The message downloaded issue might be caused by a short hiccup between the iPhone’s Mail app and the email server. Relaunching the Mail app after force shutting it may resolve the issue. Launch the iPhone’s Mail app and read an email that previously said, “This Message has not been retrieved from the server.”

4. How do I fix my iPhone not receiving emails?

Follow the steps mentioned below:

Navigate to Settings, then Notifications.
Tap Mail, then a specific email account.
Make changes to your Alerts, Sounds, and Badges.

Conclusion

“This message has not been downloaded from the server” problem appears to be more prevalent on Apple than on other brands, according to user complaints. The issue is usually generated by a flaw with POP email accounts and the Mail application; nevertheless, the odds of experiencing this error with Gmail accounts are low.

You will surely be able to solve this problem if you follow all the above methods. First, try out the simple methods like restarting the app, checking the Internet Connection, and restarting the phone. If none works out, go to the next method. Among all of the options suggested, we recommend the Tenorshare ReiBoot program to resolve common iOS difficulties in a couple of clicks quickly. Try it right now! Follow us on social media – Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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