AOL for Mac: A Troublesome Setup

Image by m01229 courtesy Flickr Creative Commons

As a tech-savvy individual, I've had my fair share of battles with computers and their quirks. Recently, I encountered a peculiar issue while setting up AOL email on a Mac. My client, EW, was experiencing a frustrating problem where her emails would disappear from her iPad and iPhone inbox, as if by magic. She had already spent two hours on the phone with Apple and Verizon, but to no avail.

To troubleshoot the issue, I decided to take on the challenge and dive into the world of AOL email setup for Mac. As it turns out, Apple has made it difficult to customize Mail settings, but I was determined to find a solution.

I started by manually setting up the AOL IMAP and SMTP server information with her email address. However, the Mac insisted that since the email ended in @verizon.com, it had to be set up as POP (Post Office Protocol), which was the only option offered by Verizon's tech support page. I refused to accept this limitation and decided to take a closer look at the issue.

After some digging, I discovered that the Mac was set to delete mail from the server one week after downloading it. While this might seem like an insignificant detail, it didn't fully explain why EW's emails were disappearing in the first place.

Further investigation revealed that Verizon had recently transferred its email hosting duties to AOL, a subsidiary company. This change in ownership could potentially cause issues with email setup and synchronization between devices.

Armed with this new information, I devised a plan to resolve the issue. I saved the downloaded mail into 'On My Mac,' removed the account, re-added it as IMAP, and copied the saved mail back into the server folders. This solution allowed EW's emails to sync correctly across her devices, putting an end to the mysterious disappearances.

In conclusion, setting up AOL email on a Mac can be a tricky business, especially when dealing with complex ownership changes like this case. By being persistent and willing to dig deeper, I was able to overcome the obstacles and help my client resolve her email issues once and for all.

Aol for mac