Outlook for iOS: Avoiding password errors if installed on both iPad and iPhone

18 February 2015, 02:29

I like the new Outlook for iOS app a lot but I was having a weird issue when accessing iCloud email if it was installed on both my iPad and iPhone. I’d be told that the password was incorrect on one of the devices. It was as if both devices couldn’t access iCloud email, and only one was allowed to do so.

One of the issues is that I have two-step authentication activated at http://id.apple.com and so was generating a new password for each installation of Outlook for iOS. Apparently this confuses the app, which stores authentication tokens in the cloud.

After speaking to Microsoft support we figured out a solution, as follows:

  1. On both your iPad and iPhone, delete the iCloud account within Outlook for iOS (to confirm: You’re opening Outlook for iOS, tapping Settings, tapping the iCloud account, and selecting to remove it).
  2. Go to http://id.apple.com and generate a new app password (click Password and Security on the left, then Generate An App-Specific Password at the right).
  3. On both the iPad and iPhone, open Outlook and opt to create a new iCloud account. Enter your email address, and then enter the same new password you generated on both devices.
  4. On both devices, tap the OK button to create the account simultaneously.

Simple.

Know better?

 
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