ARCHIVED: Why you can't access your Umail account from a mobile device or an IMAP email client

This content has been archived, and is no longer maintained by Indiana University. Information here may no longer be accurate, and links may no longer be available or reliable.
Important:
Umail is only for former students who do not have an active status (for example, faculty, staff) and who separated from IU prior to March 11, 2018; see ARCHIVED: About the Umail upgrade. Current students use ARCHIVED: Gmail at IU. If you're unsure about what type of account you have, contact your campus Support Center.
Important:
Umail was retired on November 19, 2019. You can no longer access your Umail account and its associated services (such as email or Sites).

If you are unable to access your Umail account from either a mobile device or an IMAP email client, the problem is most likely caused by security measures Google uses to help protect your account.

Allow less secure apps

Google blocks login attempts from applications and devices that use outdated security standards, including Microsoft Outlook, the Mail app in iOS 6 and earlier, and the Mail app in Windows Phone 8 and earlier.

As a workaround, you can change your Umail settings to let less secure applications access your account. To do so, see Allowing less secure apps to access your account in the Google Support pages, and follow the instructions for "Option 2" under "Change account access for less secure apps". For additional details, see Outlook cannot connect to Gmail after July 15, 2014 in the Microsoft Support pages.

Unlock your Umail account

If you have made multiple failed login attempts to Umail through any IMAP client, Google's servers will automatically lock access for security reasons. When this happens, you may see an error message similar to the following:

Web login required (Failure)

Failed login attempts are usually due to simple problems; for example, you may have changed your Umail vendor password, but forgotten to update your email program; or you may have misconfigured other settings in your email program, which then made repeated attempts to log in.

If you configure Umail for your mobile device using your provider's IMAP configuration instructions, you may be locked out; this will occur if you mistakenly enter your Indiana University password instead of the vendor password. You may not always get an error message on your mobile device, or you may get an error that is not descriptive. However, even if you use a mobile device or an IMAP client, you will still have mail access through https://umail.iu.edu.

To unlock your account and regain access, you will have to either log in via https://umail.iu.edu or perform a CAPTCHA unlock.

Note:
If you're a mobile user and use an app for email, you'll need to use a browser login to unlock your account. UITS suggests that this not be the browser on your mobile device.

To perform a CAPTCHA unlock:

  1. Visit the Gmail login page.
    Note:
    In the past, Google had a specific CAPTCHA page where you could unlock your Umail account. Now, however, the CAPTCHA unlock will appear only as required, and most Gmail CAPTCHA links will redirect to the standard Gmail login page. If you arrive at this page, simply log in as normal (along with the CAPTCHA text, if prompted).
  2. Enter your email address for Umail. For example, if your Umail username is dvader, your Umail address will be dvader@umail.iu.edu.
  3. Enter your Umail vendor password.
    Note:
    This is not the same as your IU passphrase. If you forgot or don't know your Umail vendor password, see ARCHIVED: Resetting your Umail vendor password.
  4. Enter the CAPTCHA code (i.e., the letters you see in the picture) into the blank field.
  5. Click Sign in. Assuming you've entered the proper login credentials and CAPTCHA text, you will now be able to access your account.

Once you have unlocked your account, reconfigure your email program or mobile device with the correct settings and password; see ARCHIVED: Configure an email client for Imail or Umail. Then, launch the email program to make sure you can access Umail, or see if you're able to view messages on your device.

The information in this document was adapted from Google Help's Can't sign in to my email app page.

This is document aybx in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2019-11-19 10:07:59.