Setting up an Akeonet email account on an external client (Thunderbird, Outlook, Android or iOS app) relies on a specific set of server parameters. The challenge is not so much to follow a step-by-step wizard but to enter the correct protocols, ports, and encryption modes on the first attempt, to avoid looping authentication errors.
IMAP and SMTP server settings for an Akeonet account: summary table
Configuring an Akeonet account follows the standard scheme used by French internet service providers: IMAP for incoming and authenticated SMTP for outgoing, both encrypted. The table below gathers the settings to be entered in any email client.
| Parameter | Incoming server (IMAP) | Outgoing server (SMTP) |
|---|---|---|
| Protocol | IMAP | SMTP |
| Encryption | SSL/TLS | SSL/TLS or STARTTLS |
| Port | 993 | 465 or 587 |
| Authentication | Normal password | Normal password (required) |
| Identifier | Full email address | Full email address |
The identifier always corresponds to the full email address (for example [email protected]), not just the username. A common mistake is to omit the part after the at sign, which causes an immediate rejection by the server.
To connect to Akeonet email from an external client, these parameters are sufficient in the vast majority of cases. The only variable is the choice of SMTP port: port 465 uses native SSL/TLS, port 587 uses STARTTLS. Both work, but some clients impose one or the other by default.
Why IMAP replaces POP3 on Akeonet accounts
Several providers comparable to Akeonet have gradually removed POP3 access in external clients to retain only the IMAP protocol. The reason relates to a concrete synchronization issue.
With POP3, messages are downloaded and then deleted from the server (unless configured otherwise). If you check your emails from a computer, a phone, and webmail, each device retrieves a different copy. Messages read on one device remain marked as unread on another. Worse, an email deleted from the phone reappears on the PC.
IMAP synchronizes the status of messages across all devices in real-time. Folders, read markers, and deletions are reflected everywhere. For a user checking their Akeonet email on two or three devices, switching to IMAP eliminates these inconsistencies.
Practical consequence during configuration
If your email client offers the choice between POP3 and IMAP when adding the account, select IMAP. Some clients (notably the Android Mail app) still offer POP3 as an option. Selecting it may desynchronize your folders and cause duplicates or message losses.
Configuration on Thunderbird, Outlook, and mobile clients: the discrepancies to know
Not all email clients interpret the settings in the same way. Three points of friction regularly arise.
- Thunderbird often automatically detects the settings via the Mozilla ISP database. If Akeonet is not listed, the detection fails, and the software proposes incorrect default values. You then need to switch to manual configuration and enter the parameters from the table above.
- Outlook (desktop version) distinguishes “SSL/TLS” and “STARTTLS” in two different menus. Selecting “SSL/TLS” on port 587 blocks the connection, as this port expects STARTTLS. Associate port 587 with STARTTLS and port 465 with SSL/TLS.
- On Android, the built-in Gmail app manages third-party accounts via IMAP. The “server” field does not accept spaces or the “http://” prefix. Enter only the name of the IMAP server, without any protocol in front.
On iOS (native Mail app), the account addition form has a “Sending server” section collapsed by default. If you do not expand it to enter the SMTP parameters, the iPhone accepts the account for receiving but refuses to send messages. The error only appears on the first send, without a clear message.
SMTP authentication errors: quick diagnosis
The most common problem after an initial configuration concerns sending. Receiving works, but each sending attempt returns an error such as “authentication denied” or “relay not allowed.”
Three causes recur in most cases
The first is a mistyped password. Spaces at the end of the string (added by copying and pasting from a password manager) go unnoticed but cause a rejection. Retype the password manually to rule out this hypothesis.
The second relates to the “SMTP Username” field. Some clients separate the IMAP identifier and the SMTP identifier. If the SMTP field is left empty or contains a different identifier, the outgoing server refuses the connection. The SMTP identifier must be identical to the IMAP identifier: the full email address.
The third is related to encryption. A server configured to require SSL/TLS will reject an unencrypted connection without sending an explicit message. The client then displays “server unreachable” or “timeout exceeded,” which incorrectly points to a network issue.
Verification in case of doubt
If the error persists after checking these three points, log in to Akeonet webmail (auth-webmail.akeonet.com) with the same credentials. If the webmail connection works, the problem lies in the client configuration. If it fails as well, the password is likely incorrect or the account is locked. The Akeonet self-care allows you to reset the password.
Configuring an Akeonet account on an external client comes down to a handful of well-entered parameters. Port 993 for IMAP, port 465 or 587 for SMTP, encryption enabled, full email address as identifier: these four settings cover almost all situations. Webmail remains the best diagnostic tool when an external client has issues, as it immediately isolates a password problem from a configuration issue.