Client Question: Why can't I send my Bigpond email when I am in Hong Kong?

This problem affects so many travellers I see: not always Bigpond (and of course not always in Hong Kong!); sometimes Optus, TPG, iPrimus, Netspace, etc.

Let's look at the Bigpond mail problem encountered by a client very recently.  

In this scenario, we are talking about a Bigpond email addresses that was created before 2012, so is set up as a POP3 email account on this client's iPhone.  (Note.  Newer Bigpond Accounts are 'Windows Live'/'Outlook' accounts that are a type known as IMAP, so do not suffer the same problem.)

(If you are interested in understanding the difference between POP3 and IMAP email accounts, read this extract from the iTandCoffee Guide about the iOS 7 Mail app.  For the full version of this guide, click here.) 

Here's what can happen ...

When you are connected to your home Bigpond internet, you find there are no problems sending your emails.  When you are out and about with your iPhone and on your Telstra cellular connection, there is also no problem.

But, when you are on someone else's internet connection that is not Bigpond - for example, at a friends house, or when you are overseas and using a different Internet Service Provider (ISP) - your emails won't seem to send.  

You hit Send, perhaps even hear the Whoosh that seems to indicate it has sent successfully.  But you then get a strange message that mentions 'relaying' and find your email sits in your Outbox until you are connected to Telstra again!

Well, the issue here is with the type of email account that you have with Bigpond, and with the way it is configured. 

To send your Bigpond email via the 'foreign' (ie not Bigpond) Internet Service Provider (ISP), your email must use something called 'Relaying' - using this other ISP to send your email on behalf of Bigpond.  

However, this relaying has been blocked by many ISPs, in an attempt to cut down on the amount of SPAM that was being sent.

So how do you get around this when you desperately need to send an email from overseas?

There are a few solutions to consider.

Option 1.  Use a different email account to send the 'stuck' email/s

One is to use another IMAP email address that you have installed on your iPhone (or iPad) to send your mail that is 'stuck'.

If you use iCloud, you may already have a separate iCloud email address that will allow you to do this.  Or, you may have a separate GMAIL or Outlook/Live/Hotmail account on your device.  

If you do, follow these steps to clear your backlog of emails.

1. Go to your Mailboxes and touch on the Outbox.
   
2. Touch on one of the emails in the Outbox to open it.
3. Touch on the Cc/Bcc, From
4. This will give you a separate From field.
5. Touch on that From field, then choose the alternative email that you wish to use from the 'spinner' that appears at the bottom of the screen.
6. Then try hitting Send again!

Option 2. Use the Webmail version of your mail account in Safari

Before you travel, it is a good idea to Bookmark your ISP's webmail page in Safari, so that you have it readily available when needed.

For Bigpond, go to www.messaging.bigpond.com 

Log into your Bigpond account (with your email address and email password.

You will then be logged into your Bigpond Mail and be able to view your received mail and, most importantly, to send email from this account.

(Note.  Unfortunately, any emails you drafted in your Mail app and that are sitting in your Outbox on that device will not be visible here, so you will have to create them again.)

Option 3.  Set up a new Gmail account that imports all your Bigpond email - then use that new email account on your i-Device,  instead of your Bigpond account!

We won't go into how to do this here - keep an eye out for a future Handy Hint on this one.  In the meantime, call iTandCoffee on 1300 885 420 if you want help to set this up.

Step 1

Step 3

Step 5