How to fix Gmail incorrect password/user name error on iPhone?

Sometimes the iPhone mail app will intermittently stop getting Gmail and the dialog box below will appear. The message "The user name or password for imap.gmail.com is incorrect" can show up even if you have made no changes to your Gmail account settings on the iPhone.

Here are instructions on how to fix this problem should it occur on your device:

1. Quit all mail clients that are accessing the affected Gmail account. This means the Mail app on the iPhone and any other place you are accessing your Gmail from such as a computer.

2. Open Safari on the affected iPhone and navigate to this page: http://www.google.com/accounts/DisplayUnlockCaptcha

3. Enter your full Gmail address, password and type the characters you see in the picture. Touch the unlock button to verify your account.

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4. Open the Mail app and your Gmail access should be restored.

tags:

Email and Messaging

Comments

DlyleM replied on August 3, 2012 - 2:58pmPermalink

Garbage! This solution does not work and at best is a temporary solution! Will someone please post an actual accurate solution to this issue. BTW, changing to imap.googlemail.com also is only a temporary solution. On the old 3G phone you could also turn the calendar on and off from the gmail settings and then go back into the mail app and you would have access again, but on the 4S I bought last month that solution no longer works. The problem WILL come back at random intervals. It almost looks deliberate that Google is messing with iPhone users...things that make you go "hmmmmmmmm!"

Anonymous replied on August 7, 2012 - 10:54pmPermalink

actually i don't know if this helped... I have 2 step protection on my phone and this worked
http://support.google.com/accounts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&ctx=ch_b%2F0%2FSmsAuthConfig&answer=185833

123123 replied on August 5, 2012 - 12:14pmPermalink

WoW! Fantastic! Thanks a lot!

Carson replied on September 22, 2012 - 12:58amPermalink

Here's my solution: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP0UaTMxGCY&hd=1

Michelle replied on July 31, 2013 - 4:49pmPermalink

This worked perfectly for me! Thanks so much for sharing the link.

MJ replied on September 27, 2012 - 4:18amPermalink

This didn't quite work. What I had to do was:

1) Delete the old account on the iPhone
2) Visit the https://www.google.com/accounts/DisplayUnlockCaptcha page on a PC
3) Login then follow the directions. It gave 10 minutes to reset the account on the iPhone
4) I set the account back up but (in this case) because the iPhone sends from a different address to what it receives from, the initial account email is the one it needs to send from (ie. joe.blogs@reply-from.com) then the incoming imap account is the normal google account (ie. joe.blogs@gmail.com) and then importantly, the outgoing smtp account is also the normal google account (ie. joe.blogs@gmail.com) one. The password is your normal gmail joe.blogs@gmail.com password.

We also have SSL set to on.

As a matter of interest, when I tried setting up the iPhone mail account through the normal GMAIL quick set up, it worked BUT it meant the iPhone lost its ability to send from a different email address to that of the Gmail account (which is critical in this case). I am wondering if people still having problems are doing this (ie. sending from a different email address to that of their GMAIL account) and in part of the iOS 6 upgrade, Apple played with some settings?

Anyway, all appears to be working now.

Cheers

Gage Gecko replied on October 1, 2012 - 1:39pmPermalink

This did not work at all.

Anonymous replied on October 8, 2012 - 1:58amPermalink

Thanks a Ton!!!

The Solution really Worked out.
Browsed the http://www.google.com/accounts/DisplayUnlockCaptcha and it has redirected me to gmail login page.
Provided my credentials and it got verified with a message stating the information of the account will be saved in less than 10min

I have deleted the account and added again. It worked out :)

Anonymous replied on October 8, 2012 - 1:15pmPermalink

I tried this, but no luck.I keep on getting the "cannot get mail error even after doing the captcha thing

Mondray Ficks replied on October 10, 2012 - 10:19amPermalink

Thanks to the person that came up with this information.
It really helped me alot
My emails are back to normal again , and all thanks to you.

Anonymous replied on October 19, 2012 - 12:46pmPermalink

Here is the answer to all of your problems:
Connect to your gmail account on a computer and
go to this link http://support.google.com/accounts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=185833 .
Add a specific application and name it "Gmail Iphone" for example and then use the password they give you to create your gmail account on the iphone app.

Wednesday replied on November 9, 2012 - 4:57pmPermalink

This WORKS! I tried everything and with 2-party verification - this is the solution.

http://support.google.com/accounts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=185833

Thanks!

Wednesday replied on November 9, 2012 - 5:00pmPermalink

This WORKS! I tried everything and with 2-party verification - this is the solution.

http://support.google.com/accounts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=185833

Thanks!

hutagalung replied on May 2, 2013 - 11:36pmPermalink

Me problem password

Lois replied on October 25, 2012 - 6:52amPermalink

I did what MJ suggested (delete gmail account on iPhone, go to that web site where you have 10 minutes to fix things, then add back the gmail account.)

It worked and it also moved the gmail to the bottom slot, so it is no longer my default, which is what I wanted.

Anonymous replied on June 22, 2013 - 11:29pmPermalink

I tried all these things and none worked. The last thing I tried was deleting my gmail account on my iphone 4 and then tried redoing again this time by adding my own account, went through a bunch of instructions I found online doing an IMAP account with my name and password, naming it gmail, filling info in the incoming and outgoing mail server but it did not sync and now my email is not even showing up on my iphone anymore. After doijng this I read somewhere else that this "fix" no longer works after 1/13.

I don't know what to do. Please help

Anonymous replied on December 5, 2012 - 11:22amPermalink

Fantastic. It worked!

Anonymous replied on December 16, 2012 - 6:15pmPermalink

Hi All,

After searching more, i have found the solution. I had to goto gmail on my laptop and then to settings after logging in. In the settings, there is a option to generate password for a device. A iPhone was listed as approved device. I clicked revoke and then generated a new password for new device. That password worked very well on my iPhone and it is great. Thanks for reading this.

Anonymous replied on March 8, 2013 - 5:18pmPermalink

Thanks for all of the help. It worked just wonderfully!!

Anonymous replied on April 17, 2013 - 9:26amPermalink

This works!! Thank you so much!

Anonymous replied on April 17, 2013 - 9:27amPermalink

Took a few times but finally worked.

Thanks

Anonymous replied on April 17, 2013 - 11:48amPermalink

I was having the same problem and although I saw a lot of people suggest the CAPTCHA solution, all I did was go into the mail settings, click on account, and change my name under "General Account Information" and it worked like a charm.

Vishal Patel replied on April 19, 2013 - 7:44amPermalink

thanks heaps! that worked well! i have click a few of the ad-sense on the side panel for you, just to say thanks:)

Anonymous replied on April 24, 2013 - 2:11amPermalink

Thanks a bunch !!
That worked for me

janniemart replied on April 30, 2013 - 7:28amPermalink

If you want to transfer your iPhone files to your system then use third party iPhone file transfer software. It is among the best software and can easily transfer your iPhone files to your system.

https://www.prbuzz.com/technology/95012-iphone-transfer-software.html

https://www.prbuzz.com/technology/97232-easy-method-to-transfer-data-from-iphone-4s-to-iphone-5.html

Dj Creeper replied on May 8, 2013 - 3:28pmPermalink

Thanks A Million ....

jesavail02 replied on May 13, 2013 - 10:30amPermalink

It worked very well. Thank you!

Anonymous replied on May 28, 2013 - 3:52pmPermalink

Here are explanations I had found on the web before, and which worked again to restore my gmail on my iphone:

Step 1: Log in to your Gmail account on your computer.
Step 2: Click on the settings Icon and then click on settings.
Step 3: Click on Accounts and Import
Step 4: Click on Google Account Settings
Step 5: Click on security
Step 6: Under the Connected applications and site select Manage Access. (you will be asked to reenter your gmail password)
Step 7: At the bottom of the web page click on Revoke your iPhone/iPad specific password.
Step 8: Create a new application password. When it shows you the new password you will then take that and enter that password from your screen into your iPhone/iPad for your Gmail email password.

The link below is from Google that explains the steps above.
http://support.google.com/accounts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=185833"

http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!msg/gmail/e-IWBuoNnvc/6NUoQIZ3rDoJ

Google Forever replied on May 29, 2013 - 2:18pmPermalink

This is because Apple doesn't support two step verification...so the proper fix is to not use apple..lol but if you are forced to like me there is an easier fix. Just get an application specific password from google. You can do this under your google account security settings. Google has this ability for inferior products. Lol.

Anonymous replied on June 11, 2013 - 12:11amPermalink

LOL! It's nothing to do with being Apple products! Apart from being a completely illogical assumption if you understand why it's needed, one of the examples Google gives in their how to create app-specific passwords is even "Bob's Android" - and there are posts under this very Q that say "works on my Android!" etc... Happy computing! :o)

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