Guide Email

How to set up your email on Android

Step-by-step instructions for adding a domain mailbox to an Android phone through the Gmail app.

iFastHosting Support Team Updated 26 August 2026 5 min read Beginner

Android does not have a separate default mail app the way iPhone does — most Android phones use the Gmail app for every account, including a personal Gmail address and a domain mailbox side by side. Adding a domain address takes the same manual setup steps whichever brand of phone you have, since the Gmail app itself is what handles it.

Before you start

Have the full email address, its password, and the incoming and outgoing server names from your control panel ready. Those hostnames belong to your specific hosting account, so use the ones shown there rather than any you find elsewhere.

Adding the account in the Gmail app

Open Gmail and add an account
Tap your profile picture in the top right, then Add another account.
Choose Other
From the list of account types, select Other — the named providers above it are for their own services and will not accept a domain mailbox's settings.
Enter the email address
Type the full address and tap Next. On the following screen, choose Personal (IMAP).
Enter the password
Type the mailbox password and continue.
Enter the incoming server settings
Fill in the incoming server hostname from your control panel, with the port set to 993 and security set to SSL/TLS.
Enter the outgoing server settings
Fill in the outgoing server hostname, with the port set to 587 and security set to STARTTLS (or 465 with SSL/TLS, if the app offers that combination instead), and make sure "require sign-in" is enabled with the same address and password.
Finish setup
Confirm the account name shown for the inbox and tap Next. The account is added and begins syncing.

Settings reference

Field	Value
Account type	Personal (IMAP)
Incoming server	Shown in your control panel
Incoming port / security	993 / SSL
Outgoing server	Shown in your control panel
Outgoing port / security	587 / STARTTLS, or 465 / SSL
Sign-in required for outgoing	Yes, same address and password

Do not select POP

The Gmail app also offers a "Personal (POP3)" option on the same screen. Choosing it downloads mail rather than syncing it, and can remove messages from the server depending on the settings that follow — which then shows up as missing mail on any other device connected to the same mailbox. See IMAP or POP3 for why this matters.

Switching between accounts

Once added, the domain mailbox appears in the same profile-picture menu as any other account in the Gmail app. Tap it to switch inboxes, or turn on notifications for it individually under the app's settings if you want alerts from that address specifically rather than every account on the phone.

If the account will not verify

Recheck both server hostnames for typos — this is the most common reason setup fails on the first attempt.
Confirm the ports match the security setting exactly as listed above; a mismatched pair is rejected without a specific explanation.
Make sure "require sign-in" is switched on for the outgoing server. Without it, the app tries to send without a password and is refused.
Check the mailbox has not reached its storage limit, which can interfere with the initial sync. See what a mailbox quota is.

If mail syncs but nothing sends, work through fixing email that will not send. If nothing arrives at all, fixing email you are not receiving covers the broader set of causes beyond the phone itself, including MX records and spam filtering.

Using a different mail app instead of Gmail

Some Android phones ship with a manufacturer's own mail app alongside or instead of Gmail, and a number of third-party mail apps are available too. Whichever app you use, it asks for the same underlying information — account type, incoming and outgoing server names, ports and security settings — so the values in this guide still apply even if the exact screens and wording differ from the Gmail app steps above.

Setting sync frequency

Within the Gmail app's account-specific settings, a "Sync" option controls how often that particular mailbox checks for new mail, separate from any other accounts on the phone. IMAP accounts generally push mail as it arrives rather than needing this schedule, but if messages seem delayed, checking this setting and confirming sync has not been set to a longer interval, or turned off entirely to save battery, is worth doing before assuming a server-side fault.

Battery optimisation can delay mail on some phones

Some Android manufacturers apply aggressive battery optimisation to background apps by default, which can delay push notifications for mail arriving while the phone is idle. If mail consistently arrives late only on this phone and not on other devices connected to the same mailbox, check the phone's battery settings for an exemption or "unrestricted" option for the Gmail app.

Removing an account safely

Removing a linked mailbox from the Gmail app, from the account list under the phone's system settings rather than the app itself, does not delete anything from the mailbox — IMAP only ever displays what already exists on the server. This makes it safe to remove and re-add an account on this device at any point without any risk to the mail itself.