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

Anonymous replied on September 29, 2012 - 10:00amPermalink

Anyone using Google's 2-step verification will have to generate a new app-specific password and enter THAT in Settings > Mail > (account) instead of their own password as the incoming and outgoing passwords. Works like a charm.

Anonymous replied on October 11, 2012 - 12:13amPermalink

Brilliant! You're a lifesaver!

Anonymous replied on October 19, 2012 - 1:35pmPermalink

I was able to log into my with the google generated password because i have the 2 step verification thing on my account as well. Thanks for helping me because I was about to send this iphone back!

Im new to the iPhone thing

keredd1010 replied on January 6, 2013 - 11:50amPermalink

[quote]Anyone using Google's 2-step verification will have to generate a new app-specific password and enter THAT in Settings > Mail > (account) instead of their own password as the incoming and outgoing passwords. Works like a charm.[/quote]

YES! Thank you so much! You are absolutely correct. If you have created the 2-step verification sometime in the past you will need to use this password and not the actual password that you use to log in from a PC.

Anonymous replied on April 3, 2013 - 4:03amPermalink

Thank u, worked like magic for me too :)

Helen replied on June 10, 2013 - 10:45pmPermalink

I've made the app-specific password on my desktop to use on my iPhone for gmail - but when I go to settings on my iPhone to update the password on my it won't let me in to do it! What am I missing?

Helen replied on June 11, 2013 - 12:02amPermalink

Solved it - I'd forgotten to remove the 'restrictions' option on my iPhone, *duh!* LOL!

Anonymous replied on June 12, 2013 - 1:58pmPermalink

Hi Helen. What restrictions are you referring to? I've been trying to set up my gmail for wks now, no success :(

Anonymous replied on January 31, 2013 - 10:02pmPermalink

Thank You So Much!!!! I was starting to get VERY frustrated after a good hour and fifteen minutes of trying!

SD replied on March 29, 2013 - 8:47pmPermalink

When you say "App specific password", what exactly are you referring to ? I have 2-step verification on and cannot login to gmail from iphone5.

Anonymous replied on December 13, 2013 - 6:26pmPermalink

Marry me. This solved everything for me, thank you.

Anonymous replied on March 20, 2013 - 10:14pmPermalink

Anonymous replied on June 25, 2013 - 3:08pmPermalink

Same problem for me! Please tell me how to fix if

Anonymous replied on May 12, 2012 - 2:20pmPermalink

It worked. Thanx

Jon replied on May 30, 2012 - 8:19amPermalink

This worked for me as well. In fact, the rep at apple care sent me to the same web site.

However, although it fixed the problem yesterday, today it is back. I repeated the same fix and I was able to collect my gmail from my iphone again.

I am concerned that I will have to do this every day now, even though I have had my phone for a year and a half now and never had to do it before yesterday... Anyone else having this problem?

Anonymous replied on July 6, 2012 - 4:25pmPermalink

Hi Jon,
I have the same issue- did you find a solution? Thanks, Katharine

Anonymous replied on June 2, 2012 - 12:14amPermalink

Thank you. I have beeN trying for days to fix this!!

Anonymous replied on June 4, 2012 - 6:53pmPermalink

I wish I came here first. This problem has been driving me crazy too! Problem solved!

Anonymous replied on June 4, 2012 - 10:19pmPermalink

Didn't work for me...

Anonymous replied on June 7, 2012 - 11:43amPermalink

This one worked for me. You need to disable the TWO steps verification process in your google or gmail account.

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

Anonymous replied on June 12, 2012 - 1:08pmPermalink

None of these fixes worked for me. Can access on WiFi but not on 4G (keep getting error notice). Any suggestions?

Mikey replied on June 13, 2012 - 11:09amPermalink

Perfect mate, thanks!

DHo4.0 replied on June 22, 2012 - 9:38pmPermalink

Amazing! Worked on the first go. Took only couple minutes.

Thanks for the post.

You've given me a real sense of accomplishment, cause I'm usually such a technically challenged guy... and also cause it's the first time I've ever tried to solve one of these mysterious things on my own!

Tui replied on June 26, 2012 - 2:27pmPermalink

Give credit where credit is due.
Thank you very much for your assistance. It truly was a lot of help and just like many people have already written, it worked "first time".
Again, my sincere "Thanks" to you.
Tui

Anonymous replied on June 29, 2012 - 7:19amPermalink

Thank you so much! I finally have my gmail and calendar back on my phone! It was driving me crazy, but this worked perfectly!

Anonymous replied on July 6, 2012 - 10:03amPermalink

Works on my Android phone too. Thank you! Have to do this pretty frequently though, every other day or so the problem comes back.

Allan replied on July 10, 2012 - 4:04pmPermalink

Beautiful. Worked instantly. Thanks so much

Jack replied on July 17, 2012 - 10:25amPermalink

Thank you very much. This solved the problem!

bgx55 replied on July 31, 2012 - 2:51pmPermalink

it worked! Thank you.

Anonymous replied on July 31, 2012 - 10:39pmPermalink

AWESOME!! CHEERS

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

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