Internet email began as a trusted service, with both sides of a conversation expecting the recipient to be who he or she claimed to be. Encryption came as an add-on, and while common now, certain mail hosts offer different ways of enabling the feature. When your iPhone (or any other device) checks your email, it can encrypt your login information as well as messages sent and received to prevent any snoopers from reading your email or intercepting your password. Use encryption, which the iPhone calls SSL (secure sockets layer), as long as your email provider supports it.
The iPhone switches this on by default. Some providers call SSL by its current, formal name, TLS, which stands for "transport layer security." Check with your email provider to be sure it uses this protection, whatever name it goes by. Of the preset account types recognized by the iPhone—Microsoft Exchange, appIe's MobileMe, Gmail Yahoo Mail, and AOL- almost all offer SSL support to varying degrees. Exchange servers require complete SSL; MobiIeMe supports SSL for receiving and requires it for sending; Gmail requires it for both; and AOL requires it for sending but makes it optional for receiving. SSL doesn’t yet work with Yahoo Mail on the iPhone. The only reason not to use SSL would be because your email provider doesn’t support it; otherwise, verify that it's on.
From the home screen, tap Settings > Mail Contacts, Calendars, then tap the name ofthe account you want to check. To make sure you are receiving email securely, scroll down and tap Advanced. Under Incoming Settings, make sure that Use SSL is switched on. To make sure you're sending email securely, tap the account name to return to the previous screen, then scroll down to the Outgoing Mail Server, and tap on the server name (in case there are more than one). Make sure that Use SSL is switched on.
