For the longest time, email coming from my iPhone was stuck using my regular Gmail address.
Now, I’ve discovered how to use email aliases that I’ve previously set up using Gmail.
When setting up your mail account on the phone, use the “Other” account option. I suggest selecting the IMAP toggle. Then enter the email address you want to use and fill out all the other information using your Gmail info.
To add an additional alias, create another account of type “Other.”
- Select POP mail, and enter the address you would like to use as the alias.
- Under the incoming mail option, put in a single character for each field. (These can be optionally removed later.)
- For outgoing mail, enter your Gmail info.
What this does is set up one account that can sync with your Gmail, and multiple additional accounts that can only send through your Gmail SMTP account.
When you send mail, you should now see an additional “From:” field, where you can choose your alias.
Thanks for the step by step directions. It was easy to understand. Keep posting more interesting subjects. Just found your site so cant wait for your next one.
Hi. This is just awesome and is what I’ve been looking for all along.
However. I want to ask whether there is a difference using pop or IMAP for the additional alias?
Thanks! =)
@Wang
It doesn’t matter – since you’re putting in bogus info, no connection will be made to the incoming mail server anyways.
Will it show an error from the alias account every time you check your email?
Nope, no errors should appear. On my phone it’s completely seamless.
Kevin–
Thanks so much for your help. I just got an iphone and followed your directions to a “T”,
However when I send a reply to my test email (from my alias) it says senders address is
invalid. Any ideas?
@David
Is the alias you’re trying to use also registered in Gmail?
I tried this but it didn’t work. When I try to send an email from my iphone using the new alias that I set up using your technique it doesn’t send, rather it gets stuck in the outbox.
Please help! I desperately need this function.
@jay
Your SMTP details in your phone setup actually have to match your Google account. You need to provide your full Google address and password. Example:
smtp.gmail.com
blah@gmail.com
blahpasswordBlah
Use SSL: on
Authentication: Password
Server Port 587
i also have the same issue as jay… please help!
n/m got it just as you replied! make sure you use “@gmail.com” in the username thanks brah!
I’m having the same problem as above…. any more input…?
Just wanted to say thanks and that it’s a great work around!! Took me a few tries but not working great. I have multiple aliases though and can only see it working with one alias per gmail account. Am I correct with this or overlooking something?
@DaN
Are you using your real gmail info for the SMTP server?
@John
You’re welcome! Hmm, I have it working on multiple aliases on one gmail account, as you can see in the picture in the post. Did you set up the other aliases as described?
Do you know if this works on Iphone 3gs? The only think g holding me bakc from getting an phone is because I am not sure if I could set an alias email to respond to work emails.
@mike
I’m guessing it does. It still works on the 3G with the latest OS, and the 3GS is supposed to be using the same OS.
It works on iPhone 3GS. Sending mail as an alias is a very important feature to me. I was about to return my phone if I could not get this to work.
Kevin–Sorry to bother you again–but I am 99% there. I have a total of 3 alliases. I have it set up for two of them, and the replys work perfectly–however the third address always gets an error that says SMTP is not valid–and the message stays in the outbox and wont send–Any ideas? I have tried both the SMTP AND POP settings and to no avail ANy ideas?
@David Christie
A couple things to check:
1. Is the alias already working in Gmail.
2. Are the server settings identical to your second alias?
Set this up on my new iphone 3gs today. Thank you! Really
needed this function for my business.
Kevin–
Thanks so much for all your help. The alias is already working in gmail AND the server SMTP settings are identical to the first one. I can receive on the iphone but cannot send.
Any other ideas?
@David
Try not putting in any information for the Incoming server fields. I just updated the instructions to follow this tip. I think the phone might still try to connect to the bogus server.
Kevin,
I guess I should check the Media Lab site. But, I found your page while search for solution to problem with alias email on Iphone 3gs. Is Walter and Nicholas still there? How bout Joe Jacobson? I know, I’m probably showing my age.
I was one of the corporate sponsor representatives during the mid-nineties.
Now into Human Research with a 14 hospital Institutional Review Board as Chief Programmer.
Have a great day!
Hi Don,
I think Nicholas Negroponte left and started OLPC. Not sure about the others.
Which company were you representing? It’s an honor to have a former sponsor rep reading my humble blog!
Hi Kevin,
I guess Joe is with eINK. Walter Bender, not sure. I was one of JCPenney’s reps in the News in the Future Consortium. I really enjoy my Friday video conferences with Walter when he was Chief Scientist. I was involved between 94 and 99. Nothing gave me more pleasure than coming up to the lab walking through checking out all the new tecnology, writing up reports to take back to Plano, Texas to marry some tech with further funding to develop some retail applications for JCP. Early eINK signs that you could roll up and stick under your arm then unroll and stick on the front window of a JCP or CVS store, then program a message through a wireless beeper type device was cool back in the 90′s.
When I don’t fill in the “incoming mail” fields, it doesn’t let me save the account. Am I doing something wrong?
@Robby
I think you can enter something and then delete it later.
I agree with Robby. I used all the steps described, but when i don’t fill in the “incoming mail” fields, it does not allow me to save the account. Thoughts/Ideas?
@DaveSF @Robby
I’ve updated the instructions to avoid this problem.
Really nice posts. I will be checking back here regularly.
Hey, thanks for the tip. Is there any way to have the outgoing emails default to one address or do I have to chose the one I want every time? In other words, could I set up my gmail account on the iPhone with the desired alias (already registyered in gmail)?
Thanks
Ken,
You don’t even need to register your original account’s email in the outgoing field. You can put any alias as long as your login is correct. I actually don’t have an iPhone right now, but I think that’s how it works.
I am using Iphone 3GS and following your instructions it works excellent using wifi, but when I turn off wifi and use 3G, error message appear asking for incoming mail server password for the email aliases. Please help!
Kevin
I solved the problem. I was missing “Cellular Data Network” information from China Mobile.
Now it works. Thanks.
Seeams to work fine but when sending an email i is still the user id that appear instead of the alias , I am doing someting wrong ?
This was incredibly helpful! Thanks so much for putting out easy to understand instructions.
this doesn’t seem to hold for the ipad…any suggestions?
never mind. it does. (-;
I think this is an easier way to accomplish the same thing. You can set up numerous alias for an account without setting up any dummy accounts. I’m using an iPad.
http://www.cjo20.net/blog/?p=24