What is the SSL Trust Error in Email Apps? Email Security SSL Verification
An SSL Certificate is a file issued by a trusted third party that verifies you have connected to a legitimate server and not an imposter trying to steal your data. When an SSL connection is made with a server, the server provides the certificate to the computer connecting to it. The computer then analyzes the certificate to verify the identity of the server.
All SSL certificates eventually expire and must be reissued. When this happens, your computer or email application may not recognize the new one. In some cases, you'll be prompted to approve the certificate manually or cancel the connection; in others, it simply won't connect.
Each email application handles this differently, so we'll show you how to accept the new SSL in your application.
Verify the Certificate in Mac Mail
The identity of "mail.example.com" cannot be verified. If you're receiving this or a similar error in Mac Mail, follow these steps:
- When you get the error message, click Show Certificate.
- Check the box to always trust the certificate.
- Click Connect.
Trust the Certificate in iOS.
Cannot Verify Server Identity. The identity of "mail.example.com" cannot be verified by Mail. Review the certificate details to continue If you're receiving this or a similar error on your iOS device, follow these steps:
You can locate the box### from your email settings. To navigate there, follow these steps:
- When you get the error message, tap Details.
- Tap Trust in the top right corner.
If Steps 1 and 2 do not resolve the issue, proceed to Step 3. - Change Host Name from mail.domain.com to box###.Bluehost.com (If Host Name is already the box###, change to mail.domain.com).
- Log in to your cPanel.
- Click email at the top of the screen.
- Click email configuration from the menu on the left.
- Select one of your email accounts from the drop-down menu. The box### will be listed under Private with SSL settings on the incoming and outgoing mail server.
If the Trust button is missing or greyed out, continue to the steps below:
Option 1: Turn off SSL, change to Port 26, and verify email can be sent.- Navigate to Settings, then select Accounts and Passwords.
- Select your email account.
- Select SMTP (Outgoing Mail Server).
- Select Primary Server.
- Toggle Use SSL off, and change the Server Port to 26.
- Press Done in the upper right corner.
- Double-click the Home button and swipe up. This will close your email client.
- Refer to steps 1 through 4 above to navigate to your Outgoing Server settings.
- Toggle the Use SSL option on.
- Press Done in the upper right corner.
- Navigate to Settings, then select Accounts and Passwords.
- Select your email account.
- Select SMTP (Outgoing Mail Server).
- Select Add Server...
- Enter hostname. This is mail.yourdomain.com (substitute ‘yourdomain.com’ with your actual domain name).
- Enter the username (your full email address).
- Enter the password (for the email address in question).
- Press Done in the upper right corner.
- Once verified, you will be brought back to the SMTP Server page. Select the Primary Server.
- Toggle the Primary Server off, then press Done in the upper right corner. This will force the newly added server to take over mail handling.
Reinstall the Certificate in Outlook
If you are connecting to Bluehost with Outlook and getting the SSL error to follow, these steps to make your computer trust the certificate.- Click the View Certificate button.
- Click Install Certificate.
- Next, you will see the import wizard. Leave current user-selected and click next.
- Choose "Automatically select the certificate store based on the type of certificate."
- Click Finish.
- Click Yes to continue connecting.
If you need further assistance, feel free to contact us via Chat or Phone:
- Chat Support - While on our website, you should see a CHAT bubble in the bottom right-hand corner of the page. Click anywhere on the bubble to begin a chat session.
- Phone Support -
- US: 888-401-4678
- International: +1 801-765-9400
You may also refer to our Knowledge Base articles to help answer common questions and guide you through various setup, configuration, and troubleshooting steps.