How to use iCloud email on Android

Apple makes many of its services work only on Apple hardware, which means that you can’t use iMessage on Android, for example. But if you’ve just switched from iPhone to Android and want to check your iCloud (or @me.com) email on it, it’s no problem. We explain how to set it up.

Use an app-specific password

These days Apple enables two-factor authentication by default on iPad, iPhones and macOS. So the first thing to do is to set up an app-specific password for accessing email on Android.

If you don’t do this, you’ll probably end up frustrated by error messages saying your email address or password is incorrect.

In a web browser, head to Apple’s website where you can manage your Apple ID. Log in (you might need an iPhone or other device on hand to give you the two-factor authentication code) and look for the Security section.

Here you’ll see a heading ‘APP-SPECIFIC PASSWORDS’ and a link to generate a password.

Click it and type a name for the password – we went for Android Email. It’s just a friendly name so you can identify which third-party apps you’re using to access your Apple ID.

Click Create and you’ll see the auto-generated password, which you’ll need in a minute.

How do I set up an iCloud email account on Android?

Open the Settings app on your Android phone. Its location may vary depending on your phone, but generally you can swipe down from the top and you’ll see the cog icon. You might have to swipe down a second time on more recent Android devices as the first swipe only shows certain shortcuts.

Now look through – or search – the menu for accounts. On a Pixel 2, with Android 8, it’s called Users & accounts.

Scroll down until you see ‘+ Add account’ and tap it.

Now find the option called Personal (IMAP) and select it. It should have a Gmail symbol next to it.

Type in your email address. In theory you shouldn’t need to include the @me.com or @icloud.com part at the end, but if it doesn’t work, then add this part.

The server settings should be automatically identified, and you shouldn’t need to configure anything.

On the next screen (above, left), type the app-specific password you generated earlier.

Tap next and choose the account options, including the sync frequency.

That’s it: your email should start syncing and show up in the Gmail app alongside your other email accounts. To switch between accounts in the app, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines at the top-left corner) then tap on the email address displayed, or on the circular shortcuts, to show other accounts.

Just tap the @me or @icloud account to see your email.

What are the iCloud IMAP settings?

Just in case you need them for manual setup, here are the incoming and outgoing settings you need for iCloud email:

Incoming

• Server name: imap.mail.me.com
• SSL required: Yes
• Port: 993

Outgoing

• Server name: smtp.mail.me.com
• SSL Required: Yes
• Port: 587
• SMTP Authentication Required: Yes

If you are asked to enter your email address or username for the outgoing server, use your full email address. And if you have issues with the security, use TSL instead of SSL.