iOS 4: Unable to view message body preview or mail receives blank messages

Products Affected

iPhone, iPod touch

Symptoms

After setting up an email account, you may find that Mail loads message titles but not the message body previews or that mail receives blank messages:

Message title with preview Message title with no preview Blank message appearing in Mail

 

Resolution

If Mail does not display message body previews, tap Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Preview and verify that the Preview setting is not set to None. If it was set to None, tap the number of lines you wish to see, return to Mail, and verify that you now see message body previews.

If Mail is set to preview messages but the previews don't appear, or mail receives blank messages, quit and then reopen Mail* using the following steps:

  • Click the Home button to suspend the Mail application and return to the Home screen.
  • Double-click the Home button to view recently used apps.
  • Select the Mail app by tapping and holding the Mail icon until the red minus appears.
  • Tap the red minus to quit Mail. This also removes Mail from recently used apps.
  • Double-click the Home button to return to the Home screen.
  • Reopen Mail.

* If you are using an iPhone 3G or iPod touch (2nd generation), see this article for instructions on how to force an application to close.

Additional Information

For additional Mail troubleshooting, see the iPhone Mail Support Site.

This document will be updated as more information becomes available.
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