Email password issues - Invalid Credentials

[candurwy]

When I try to login to my Fibe Bell email, I am most times blocked with the message "you have entered invalid credentials", even though my user name and password are correct.  This happens almost every time on any of the three notebook computers in the house. Two are Win 10 and one Win 11.  None run in S mode. Strangely it does not happen on my desktop, also Win 10.  It happens using either the Chrome or Edge browser.  I have twice changed the password but that does not help.  Before the recent email changes, the message was "You are locked out for 10 minutes."

Usually after a 10 or so minute wail, I can login.  Recently the wait times seem to be getting longer, today reaching close to 30 minutes without being able to connect.

A while back I called Bell Support and was told  Bell email was working correctly and I should change my password and clear the cache.  That did not help.  I thought it was a glitch in my several years old laptop, but I recently bought a new Win 11 which does exactly the same.

Any ideas?

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day.

After you log in with multi-factor authentication (MFA) for the first time, you can make changes to your email address or mobile phone number by following instructions on the MyBell profile page.

The one-time verification code is sent to the contact email address in your MyBell profile. If you’ve already verified a mobile number for use with multi-factor authentication (MFA), you can also choose to have your one-time verification code sent via text.

Contact & multi-factor authentication information

• Bell sends important information to your contact email address, such as to reset your password and to tell you your bill is ready. Sometimes Bell will send you a verification code to make sure it’s really you logging in to MyBell. You can also add your mobile number to receive verification codes by text.

Please check out the following web link. I am hoping this will be of assistance in answering your MFA questions.

Multi-factor authentication for MyBell : What is multi-factor authentication (MFA)?

Take care.

[KR2362]

In the last few days, @Sympatico.ca email is not working well on either iPhone or iPad. No problem with webmail, though each time I log in the view changes. Also, now and then I get a message that my password is incorrect, but that hasn’t changed recently. I will be travelling out of the country tomorrow night and worry about MFA overseas, not being sure I will get the code by text. I also have a bell.net email which seems fine, but @Sympatico.ca is my primary address with all travel emails. 
I have verified all settings, reset both devices. Nothing has changed on my end, but problems persist. Any help would be appreciated.

[KR2362]

So, I followed the various solution ideas above. Turned off both iPad and iPhone. Online at mybell.ca, followed instructions to reset password. Turned on both i-devices and input the new password for my @Sympatico email address. Still got prompted by the i-device native email reader that the password was incorrect. Entered the new password.

I am not making any mistakes, of that I am certain. Webmail is fine. Any more ideas, or is this simply a KBI (known Bell issue). I have changed nothing else on my devices - no new hardware. All software and OS are up-to-date. 

Help!

Edit 5 minutes later: iPad is now showing all current emails, including notification from the Bell Forum. Not so lucky with iPhone. I compared to webmail. By no means do I think this issue is solved though. 

Further edit: I tried to forward an important email about my travel from the inbox to another address (On the iPad). The message opens, then in the body , the spinner spins, telling me it's "LOADING"

[dks]

Thank you for your question. Could you clarify a couple of things? Do you use iCloud Keychain to sync your mail? If not, when you changed your password in the iOS Passwords app did you also change it in the Mail app? Are you using IMAP or POP mail? If using POP you can confirm this by going to Setting ==> Apps ==> Mail ==> Mail Accounts ==> Home (or where your Sympatico mail is) ==> Incoming Mail Server ==> Password. It should be a series of black dots. Enter your new password there and save the change. You can always re-enter your old password. Unless you are using iCloud keychain, Mail doesn't use the Password app.

I suspect this is not a Bell issue (I use my iPad and iPhone for my mail and have had zero issues; your mileage may vary) but an iOS issue. Let us know the results. 

[KR2362]

Hi there. More info:

I do not use iCloud Keychain at all.

When I changed my passwords, I did it via the mail app in iOS settings. 

I use the native mail app on both devices. The incoming server is imap.bell.net, outgoing is smtphm.sympatico.ca. Yes, the password shows as a series of black dots.

I don't agree this is an iOS issue, as I also have an @Bell.net email and am not experiencing any issues with it. Settings are the same. I'm a layman, but suspect this is a Bell/Sympatico specific issue. 

I am having the same issues with both devices. For a short while last evening it seemed as though things were improving, but on phone is snot showing any new emails since last evening.

[dks]

Thank you for the clarification. You may be experiencing what IMAP does and how it works. Once it has downloaded email on one device, your iPhone, it will not download the same email to another device, your iPad, with the same account. The email is deleted. To download mail to both devices that you will need to use POP mail and retain the email on the server on one device. I have done that for many years with no issues. 

[Vanadiel]

If you are using IMAP, there is a way to synchronize your e-mail between various clients/machines for non-standard folders. It should automatically sync certain folders, but sometimes it does not.

See here. 

[KR2362]

I have used both my iPhone and iPad for several years, and email always showed fully on both, with no issues. It seems hit or miss now. Overnight, my phone will show all emails up until very early morning. My iPad seems to be mostly gathering email fine. I do not agree that this is an apple issue, or that this is an IMAP issue, as for years (well over a decade) mail has worked fine. I still get error messages sporadically that my password is incorrect, even though it hasn't changed since my last revision 2 weeks ago. This is a Bell issue.

[dks]

Thanks for your question. Before we start assigning fault, could you please take a moment to confirm all your e-mail settings? You can find the settings here. I have, from time to time, had an experience of the password getting messed up and re-entering it in my settings fixed the issue. And are you using IMAP or POP for your mail? 

[KR2362]

All of my settings are correct. Bell mail setup is IMAP, so that’s what I’m using. Please read all of my posts in the last few weeks to see the issue. Bell mail works sporadically, sometimes not at all. I changed my password, and still get notice that the “password is incorrect”. Bell mail is exceedingly frustrating and Bell seems to have no interest in fixing the issues.

[dks]

Thank you for the additional information. I have read your posts and use both a iPad and iPhone with the Apple mail client -which is what you are using? - myself every day. I have no difficulties, although I use POP and not IMAP. To clarify, your key issue is that your password is not being accepted by the Bell server on an intermittent basis, correct? 

[KR2362]

For some time now, Sympatico mail has been sporadic, and in some cases, not working at all on Apple devices. My other posts outline both the issues and the steps taken to attempt to rectify. Webmail works fine. Password has been changed, all settings are verified correct, yet the problem persists.

Now, to add an update, in the last 2-3 days, mail seems to be coming through properly. I do fear, though, that the issue will rear its' head again. Hopefully Bell has addressed and corrected the issue. Fingers crossed!

[KR2362]

As I suspected, the issue has come back. Neither devices is getting emails. May be time to find a new service provider.

[Vanadiel]

I would use Gmail and call it a day. Or Microsoft Outlook.

This has the added advantage of being able to switch providers without having to worry about your e-mail and all the things tied it.