Sympatico.ca and bell.net addresses on windows phone

[tersivoje]

Is anyone aware of a work around for making sympatico.ca and bell.net addresses to work on windows phone email application. Some background:

These domains below to a large Canadian internet provider, Bell. For years, they used Microsoft Outlook POP servers for their email, and it worked flawlessly on windows phones with default outlook application.

However, some 6 months ago Bell decided to install its own mail IMAP servers. There was a long lasting what they called ?Bell migration? saga which eventually resulted that on windows computers, any Android devices and any Apple devices after changing settings for typical email clients to Bell?s IMAP incoming and outgoing servers, sympatico.ca and bell.net email continued to work.

But, that was not the case with windows phones, either 8.1 or 10. Whatever I tried, it did not work. Spoke to Bell and they were initially denying the problem. Eventually admitted that after ?migration? Bell mail can only still be accessed as webmail on windows phones, which is rather impractical. They said they were working on the solution, but to my knowledge there is still none and given how few windows phones is owned by affected people like me, they will unlikely ever fix it.

Please also note that this question has nothing to do with Bell branded windows phones, if they have any, since they are also a cell phone provider nor their data services. My phone is not with Bell and the question is for any windows phones in general - can it be somehow set to receive and send bell.net and sympatico.ca mails while on Wi-Fi, as it used to be the case.

Thank you.

 

[DOGC_Kyle]

Honestly I'd recommend just moving your email off of Bell. I believe you can set your Bell email to forward to a different address (on a new account). That way you're immune to any changes they make, and also won't lose anything if you ever decide to switch ISPs.
(Note that while you get to keep the MS Account that Bell set up (without email), you won't be able to remove the Bell email address from the MS Account. You can add a new outlook.com email, but can't remove the bell.net one. Keep that in mind if you plan to use that account.)

If you want to keep using the new Bell email system, add a new IMAP account with these settings: Bell email migration ? What you need to know.

 

[tersivoje]

Thank you for the reply DOGC_Kyle. I'm considering to move away from Bell addresses but will take some time.
Re the link you posted re Bell migration, I checked it many times.
As I mentioned, it works fine with most other devices, operating systems and email clients, but it does not work with windows phone outlook application which seems to be designed to work only with Outlook.com servers (which used to be Bell's server too before "migation").
Obviously, one solution I have is to part with my windows phone and get an Android or iphone.
I don't know who is actually to blame for my situation, Bell or MS or both, but even if I know, would make no difference anyway,

 

[shmsnh]

I'm curious. I may be missing something, but can't you change the server settings on your phone to the new IMAP servers?

 

[PlexusCV]

I'm curious. I may be missing something, but can't you change the server settings on your phone to the new IMAP servers?

I wonder the same.

Sent from mTalk

 

[tersivoje]

I can, and I did several times, but it did not work. I then contacted Bell and it sounded that the only way how to access my mail on a windows phone after migration was to use webmail. They also said they were working on a solution. However, it is possibly that despite repeated attempts I never properly changed the settings yet while at the same time the Bell rep made the above statements in error.

 

[shmsnh]

Try this out on a desktop email client, such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird. If it works fine there, it should work on your phone. Unless the servers are actively blocking the phone client, or something.