How to Set Up Email on Android

Reviewed and updated: 18 August 2026

This guide explains how to set up a business email address on an Android phone using the Gmail app. Android menus vary slightly between manufacturers, but the information you enter is the same.

Before you start

Have your full email address, password, incoming mail server, outgoing mail server and security details ready. If Jigsaw hosts your email, use the settings supplied with your account. Do not guess the server name from your domain if different details were provided.

IMAP is normally the best choice because it keeps messages and folders synchronised across your phone, computer and webmail.

How to add your email account on Android

1. Open the Gmail app

Open Gmail, tap your profile picture in the top right and choose Add another account. If the option is not shown there, open the Gmail menu, choose Settings and then Add account.

2. Choose Other

Select Other, enter your full business email address and choose Manual setup if prompted.

3. Select Personal (IMAP)

Choose Personal (IMAP). POP should only be selected when you have specifically been told to use it.

4. Enter the incoming mail settings

Enter your full email address as the username, your email password and the incoming mail server supplied by your provider. A standard secure IMAP account normally uses port 993 with SSL/TLS, but always follow the details supplied for your mailbox.

5. Enter the outgoing mail settings

Enter the supplied SMTP server and make sure Require sign-in is enabled. Use your full email address and password again. Secure SMTP commonly uses port 465 with SSL/TLS or port 587 with STARTTLS.

6. Finish the account setup

Choose how often the phone should check for messages, enter the account name and the name recipients should see. Send a test email and reply to it to confirm that both incoming and outgoing mail work.

If the account will not connect

Check the spelling of the server names, use the complete email address as the username and re-enter the password. Avoid accepting an unexpected certificate warning. If the security certificate does not match the server name, contact your email provider before continuing.