Chapter 16. Setting Up and Customizing an Email Account
To help you stay in touch with people around the world, you can set up multiple email accounts on your iPad. As long as you can access the Internet on your iPad, you’ll be able to use Gmail, Yahoo!, MobileMe, AOL, Microsoft Exchange, or any email account that you want.
In this chapter, you’ll learn how to set up an email account on your iPad.
Setting Up an Email Account Automatically
If you use one of the more common email providers such as AOL, Yahoo!, Google, MobileMe, or Microsoft Exchange, your iPad can set up your email account almost automatically. All you have to do is type in your email address, and your iPad can figure out the correct settings.
To set up a MobileMe, Yahoo!, Google, AOL, or Microsoft Exchange email account, follow these steps:
From the Home screen, tap Settings. The Settings screen appears.
Tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars. The Mail, Contacts, Calendars settings screen appears, as shown in Figure 16-1.
Tap Add Account. The Add Account screen appears, as shown in Figure 16-2.
Tap the button of your email provider. A screen and virtual keyboard appears where you can type your name, email address, password, and optional description of your account, as shown in Figure 16-3.
Type your name, email address, password, and optional description of your account, and tap Next in the upper-right corner. A dialog may appear, letting you include Mail, Calendars, and Notes from that account, as shown in Figure 16-4.
Tap the on/off buttons for Mail, Calendar, and Notes, and tap the Save button.
Press the Home button. The Home screen appears.
Tap Mail. If you’re currently connected to the Internet, your iPad will retrieve any messages for that email account.
Note
You’ll need to set up an email account with your chosen provider before setting up the email account on your iPad. If you don’t have an email address yet, you can get a free one by visiting http://gmail.com/ or http://mail.yahoo.com/.
Setting Up an Email Account Manually
Your iPad can automatically set up most popular email accounts, but if you need to set up an email account that isn’t from one of the more popular providers, then you’ll need to type some additional information such as your incoming and outgoing mail server settings. (If you have no idea what these settings are, you’ll need to get them from your email provider or your Internet service provider.)
To set up an email account manually, follow these steps:
From the Home screen, tap Settings. The Settings screen appears.
Tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars. The Mail, Contacts, Calendars settings screen appears (shown earlier in Figure 16-1).
Tap Add Account. The Add Account screen appears (shown earlier in Figure 16-2).
Tap Other. The Other screen appears, as shown in Figure 16-5.
Tap Add Mail Account. A New Account window appears with the virtual keyboard.
Type your name, email address, password, and description of your email account, and tap Next. The Enter your account information window appears, as shown in Figure 16-6.
Scroll down and type your host name, username, and password for your incoming and outgoing mail servers.
Tap Save.
Press the Home button. The Home screen appears.
Tap Mail. If you’re currently connected to the Internet, your iPad will retrieve any messages for that email account.
Note
You may later want to set up a Contacts and Calendars account with your email account so you can keep track of appointments and contact information. Just repeat steps 1–4 of Setting Up an Email Account Manually in Setting Up an Email Account Manually. Then instead of tapping Add Mail Account, tap one of the Contacts or Calendars options such as Add CardDAV Account or Add CalDAV Account options.
Customizing Mail Accounts
After you have set up one or more email accounts, you might want to customize the way they display information. These customizing options aren’t necessary, but you might want to choose one or more settings to make your email account uniquely your own. Some of the options you can modify are as follows:
Show Defines how many messages to display
Preview Defines how many lines of each message to display
Show To/Cc Label Displays the To and Cc labels in the preview of your list of messages
Ask Before Deleting Makes you verify that you really want to delete a message
Load Remote Images Turns on (or off) the ability to display images in an email message
Organize By Thread Turns on (or off) the ability to show related messages and replies
Always Bcc Myself Sends a copy of each message to yourself so you know it was sent
Signature Lets you define a message to appear at the end of every message you send
Default Account Defines which email address Mail uses when you send a message such as via clicking a Contact Us link on a web page
To customize your email account settings, follow these steps:
From the Home screen, tap Settings. The Settings screen appears.
Tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars. The Mail, Contacts, Calendars settings screen appears (shown earlier in Figure 16-1).
(Optional) Tap Show. When the Show screen appears, click an option such as 25 Recent Messages or 75 Recent Messages, and tap Back to return to the Mail, Contacts, Calendars screen.
(Optional) Tap Preview. When the Preview screen appears, click an option such as 3 Lines or 5 Lines, and tap Back to return to the Mail, Contacts, Calendars screen.
(Optional) Tap Minimum Font Size. When the Minimum Font Size screen appears, click an option such as Small or Medium, and tap Back to return to the Mail, Contacts, Calendars screen again.
(Optional) Tap the Show To/Cc Label on/off switch.
(Optional) Tap the Ask Before Deleting on/off switch.
(Optional) Tap the Load Remote Images on/off switch.
(Optional) Tap the Organize By Thread on/off switch.
(Optional) Tap the Always Bcc Myself on/off switch.
(Optional) Tap Signature. When the Signature screen appears, type the message that you want as your email signature, and tap Back to return to the Mail, Contacts, Calendar screen again. By default, your signature will be “Sent from my iPad.” Simply delete this message if you want to have no signature.
(Optional) Tap Default Account. When the Default Account screen appears, tap the email account you want to define as the default account.
Press the Home button.
Additional Ideas for Setting Up and Customizing Email Accounts
Since you can set up multiple email accounts, consider creating one account for work and a second one for personal use. That way, you won’t accidentally send a flippant message about your vacation to your boss or a serious message about work to your nine-year-old nephew.
After you’ve set up one or more email accounts, consider customizing your signature to display or advertise your website, your business, or your own unique skills. For example, if you’re a carpenter or a doctor, your signature could publicize your line of work such as “The Most Honest Carpenter in Denver” or “The Doctor That Children Trust.” The more free advertising you can get through email signatures, the more exposure you’ll get, which will be better for you.
If email is important to you, you can read and write messages on your iPad and never lose contact with anybody. Now all you have to worry about is giving out your email address sparingly only to those people you trust. Otherwise you’ll risk getting overrun with unsolicited messages.