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iCloud Mail Outage Hits Small Number of Users for 17 Hours and Counting

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Users experiencing difficulties accessing their iCloud Mail are not alone, as Apple is currently reporting an outage affecting the ability to receive mail through the service (via Business Insider).

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While the issue affects only 0.1% of users, it is notable that it has persisted for approximately 17 hours now, having begun at roughly 1:30 PM Pacific Time yesterday.

Apple has not yet provided an estimate of when the problem will be resolved.

Update: After approximately 27 hours, Apple reports the issue is now resolved.

Top Rated Comments

152 months ago
....some of us don't trust the Cloud. I'm one of the affected users, and I wonder if they're downplaying it. In any case going without e-mail going on a full day is really unacceptable. I wouldn't ever use just one proprietary service, and this is why.:mad:

My apologies in advance, but this has been a sore spot for me for well over 20 years. There was a pair of vice-presidents that, in the midst of a system outage, would, red-faced, demand, "What are you going to do to make sure this never happens again?" Uh, how about postponing this meeting until after we have the system back up?

Unless your mail server is in your home, you're using the "cloud" for email. The only question is whether the remote server is using POP or IMAP for your incoming mail protocol - effectively, whether you store your email archive on your computer (which will never fail, of course), or the server.

100% up-time is impossible, whether you're hosting at home, or using an off-premises server. Something is going to go down, it's only a question of what it'll be, and when. That's why Murphy's is a law, rather than a theorem.

That doesn't mean an outage isn't inconvenient, or worse, and it's surprising that this particular outage hasn't been cleared by now. I'm not sure why it's "downplaying it" on Apple's part, when the situation is posted for all to see at System Status. Is Tim Cook supposed to hold a press conference? And if he did, do you think anyone but the likes MacRumors would report it? What can they do, other than get the thing fixed, that would materially change things?

And let's face it, in the days of, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds," that was a goal, not an incontrovertible truth.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PocketSand11 Avatar
152 months ago
Darn, I was hoping they'd fixed this after MobileMe was discontinued.

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Unless your mail server is in your home, you're using the "cloud" for email. The only question is whether the remote server is using POP or IMAP for your incoming mail protocol - effectively, whether you store your email archive on your computer (which will never fail, of course), or the server.

100% up-time is impossible, whether you're hosting at home, or using an off-premises server. Something is going to go down, it's only a question of what it'll be, and when. That's why Murphy's is a law, rather than a theorem.
Well AOL mail has been more reliable than iCloud has been :p

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My iCloud works my gmail doesn't. It keeps telling me my password is wrong. I downloaded the gmail app for now.
Yeah, this annoying thing is half the reason I quit Gmail. "Password incorrect", probably because I didn't set up two-step authentication or Google+ or a verified phone number or whatever they want from me this time.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
autrefois Avatar
152 months ago
That's another unconnected issue.

iOS and OS X Calendar Glitch Pulls Holiday Data From Wrong Countries (https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1752010)

How is iCloud like a newspaper? There's a new issue every day! :o
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OllyW Avatar
152 months ago
I don't know if it's connected, but today I noticed stange new holidays in Calendar app. Turns out they are from a new calendar - Mexican holidays. Had to delete it. I definitely would never need or subscribe to that. :) I'm guessing it appeared because of some iCloud glitch...

That's another unconnected issue.

iOS and OS X Calendar Glitch Pulls Holiday Data From Wrong Countries (https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1752010)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
152 months ago
I don't know if it's connected, but today I noticed stange new holidays in Calendar app. Turns out they are from a new calendar - Mexican holidays. Had to delete it. I definitely would never need or subscribe to that. :) I'm guessing it appeared because of some iCloud glitch...

This is another recent glitch...https://www.macrumors.com/2014/07/07/ios-os-x-holiday-calendar/
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AxoNeuron Avatar
152 months ago
Darn, I was hoping they'd fixed this after MobileMe was discontinued.
I can always tell if someone had used MobileMe or not based on comments like this. If you had ever used MobileMe and now use iCloud mail, you would know that iCloud mail is WORLDS better. Even Gmail has similar problems like this, even though they have many years more experience than Apple does serving massive volumes of email. I would say Apple has done a pretty fine job.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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