iPhone cannot send mail: server does not allow relaying – Fix

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You may be inconvenienced when trying to send an email on your iPhone by an error message preventing you from doing so. The error message reads “A copy has been placed in your outbox. The recipient was rejected by the server because it does not allow relaying.”

When this error occurs, you can start by checking if you have entered an incorrect recipient address. It can also occur when the mail server detects that you are trying to send mail without proper authentication.

Solutions to “The recipient was rejected by the server because it does not allow relaying”

To fix the ‘recipient was rejected by the server because it does not allow relaying’ error, try out the following fixes:

1. Enter the correct mail server settings

When you configure mail client on your iPhone, you are required to specify the outgoing and incoming mail servers associated with that account. The outgoing mail server details are shown as optional and many users often ignore those fields.

Sending a mail without authentication can only work when the mail server is an open relay yet most mail servers are not configured to be such. Mail sent without proper authentication is rejected by the server.

To fix this, you have to correctly configure the mail client settings on your iPhone. Confirm with your e-mail provider for:

  • Incoming mail servicer
  • Outgoing mail server
  • SMTP support
  • SSL

You should also enter the correct email account username and password.

2. Enter your email and password in the Outgoing Mail Server settings

For security reasons, you may reset your passwords periodically. However, passwords in the mail clients should be updated each time your email account passwords are reset.  With wrong mail account passwords, the mail server cannot be able to authenticate the user and this may lead to failures in relaying mail.

To update your details:

  • Open Settings
  • Select Passwords & Accounts
  • Tap your email account
  • Go to Account > Outgoing Mail Server
  • Enter your username and password
  • Tap Done

You will have to retype the password even if it says that the field is optional.

Read Also: How to fix iPhone text notifications not working

3. Update your iPhone’s iOS version

Software updates for iPhones are released periodically by Apple and usually include additional features and security enhancements.

However, certain updates may need you to change the mail client settings so that mails can work properly again. This fix works in instances where mail accounts that were previously working well suddenly start giving the error message.

4. Check for connectivity issues

Issues with connectivity may be due to internet connection or SMTP port configuration.  When the problem is with the internet connection (being weak or signal lost), then the mail client may not be able to connect with the mail server leading to mail delivery errors.  This can be fixed simply by switching to a stable internet connection.

SMTP port can also interrupt connectivity thus leading to the error message. By default, SMTP port is 25, for sending mails. However, this can be different in many servers to avoid spamming. Some servers have SMTP port as 587. The SMTP port should be this configured correctly to avoid blocks and fix the mail delivery issue.

5. Delete the email account from your iPhone then add it back

If all the above ways don’t work, you have the option of deleting your email account from your device then add it back. To delete your account:

  • Go to Settings > Passwords & Accounts
  • Select Accounts
  • Tap on the email account with the problem
  • Scroll down to Delete Account
  • Tap on Delete from my iPhone and wait for your account will be deleted.
  • Add your account again following the usual procedures then retry sending your mail.

With the above fixes, you should be able to fix the error “A copy has been placed in your outbox. The recipient was rejected by the server because it does not allow relaying.” Did any of these solutions work for you? Let us know in the comments.