Outlook settings for Android (IMAP) not working

[#1]

Has the mailbox configured correctly - that is no reports of username / password errors?

have you tried changing the root folder to inbox?

Do the server configuration settings allow you to increase the time out period as can be done on the Windows versions of OL2016/9?

Do you have an email with a large attachment in the mailbox?

Is the connection over WiFi (Plusnet BB) or 3/4/5G ?

Does this help - Troubleshoot Outlook mobile issues - Office Support (microsoft.com)

There seem to be lots of reports of issues with Outlook on Android ... [SOLVED] Outlook is not syncing messages on Android - Spiceworks "I personally found the Outlook app to be flaky. [on android?]"

[#2]

Encouraged by suggestions, I reinstalled Outlook Mobile again on my Android phone. It's a moto so pretty stock android. The first alarming thing to mention is that despite previously uninstalling the app carefully, clearing all caches and data I could find and running a clean-up, the app 'remembered' all my details from previous installation. 

Anyhow -  @ianmackay is spot on.  There are no opportunities to 'set' the security now in the manual or 'advanced' account set up. Nor can I see or adjust anything to do with folders. And I too just have frequent demands for account password.  Although it 'appears' that the account has been accepted (using the set-up suggested) I too just have 'Emails being downloaded' which they are not. I tried the sending a mail button and it opened an email page -so I duly 'sent' a test email. That just resulted in another password demand.  Duly inputted but the email never arrived. I regret that despite the kind and helpful suggestions here, I suspect plusnet IMAP and Outlook mobile is an insoluble problem.  Because I have a paid MS subscription I am going to have one last go at pushing MS to come up with a solution. If anyone else has any insights I'd be glad to hear them.

As I said originally, this is incredibly frustrating because for my business and other interests, I rely on the interoperability of Microsoft programs and services but my business email and social emails too are all plus net so at some point one or the other will have to go, and I've been with Plusnet practically since it started.

[#3]

I am afraid that my help is limited, I do not have an android platform on which to comparative tests and (a personal view) from my limited exposure to the platform, it is junk and completely counter intuitive to configure.

Some thoughts to explore...

1. Does the account creation step offer no "configure manually" option as is provided with the desktop version? See How to set up an IMAP account in Microsoft Outlook for Android - YouTube at 1:16 there is a manual setup option - after which there is show advanced options
2. Have you selected the correct provider?  See How to Setup Outlook on Android Phone - YouTube at 1:26 - you need to select IMAP - then the advanced settings at 2:50
3. Do you get the completion message as at 4:58?
4. Have you checked the mailbox to see if there are any items with large attachments?
5. Have you done any Google research on the problem?  As I noted, the issues with android are legion - this is not just a Plusnet issue as implied herein - see How to reset the Outlook app when not working on Android • Pureinfotech

[#4]

Thanks for having a go Townman. I might agree about Android being a flawed platform, which is why I had two Windows phones before that folded.  And I can neither afford Iphones nor do I want to buy into that ecosphere so I'm stuck with it. It's fair enough for you to have a personal view, but Android phones are a reality Plusnet ought to grapple with a bit more for it's customers - I think this really is a problem for lots of people and not just me. 

As to questions - aside from automatically setting up - the manual/advanced account settings have virtually no configuration options. 

Yes I use correct provider,  I've tried numerous times and some suggested variations such as my email for username etc.

Usually it won't complete.  If it does complete it endlessly loops on downloads, if it does finally open there will be a dozen emails from yesterday and none from today and endless requests for password re-entry. Or certificate problems.  As you say - flakey and junk.  But it works fine with my other accounts. I've googled the thing to death and reset numerous times. 

[#5]

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@Marksfish wrote:

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"as a reminder, from 11/01/2021 Microsoft will disable TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1... there are still many emails sent from ********* using old TLS protocols:"

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Given that Plusnet services use TLS 1.2 this has no relevance here.

[#6]

@ANTAR 

Suggestion - try switching off Outlook's Focussed Inbox setting.

Does the mail box have a lot of sub-folders or just the usual Inbox, Drafts, Sent, Deleted, Junk folders?

[#7]

yep = always turn off dratted focused inbox. Not many folders.  Weirdly- a few emails came overnight and promptly stopped coming at 7.01 am. Tried to open one - back to enter account password again.  Interestingly there is a diagnosis page through which I'm trying to get MS help to deal with this - no luck yet. But it has a 'test push notifications' button which results in error (call support). 

[#8]

[#9]

OK.  I have to take a break for a while to let the bruises on my forehead subside.  Townman is right - there is a lot of flack on the internet getting cross with this longstanding (in 2020 and 2019) problem.  Two weird things have arisen.  

• A number of users have reported successfully getting the imap account to work by NOT adding an IMAP port number BUT adding a STMP number in the manual config. 
• I thought I'd give it a shot, but as I cannot AMEND account details, I had to delete the failed IMAP plusnet account and went to ADD Plusnet IMAP again after clearing cache just in case. 
• The app offered to add my Imap account by name so I clicked that, expecting it to open account details prefilled so I could amend the IMAP port setting to nothing. What happened instead was odd. A page opened with all my IMAP mail there, up to date with the latest email. 
• When I go to accounts in the app, only my microsoft hotmail account is there.   In the mail page, I seem to have two mailboxes - the hotmail one, and one labelled INBOX which is my IMAP mail, all present and correct. 
• I can only assume that Outlook has somehow connected the IMAP mailbox successfully running in the Office 365 cloud suite. 

As you can see, there's no identifying trace of my Imap account - but the second INbox has my mail.

[#10]

For the avoidance of doubt.

1. Have you added the Plusnet mailbox to your Office365 mailbox via outlook.com? If this were the case, you should see the Plusnet mailbox content on every device which accesses your Office365 mailbox.

2. Are you sure on your mobile that the Plusnet mailbox has been configured as IMAP and not POP3?

POP3 configuration might put the Plusnet mail content into the same space (local folders) as everything else. POP3 used to work that way, l have not used POP3 for decades as it really messes up email operation, segregation and multiple device operation.

I would also look at specifying the root folder to see if it makes a difference.