AOL email. Anyone have an answer to this?

[dakota]

Got an email from AOL about security settings using email in third party applications.  I use it on Apple mail. Went straight to the site where they say:

   

Hi AOL Member,

"Just in case you missed our prior emails, we’re letting you know that AOL Mail will no longer support third-party applications (such as third-party email, calendar, or contact applications that weren't developed by AOL) using outdated sign-in methods. We’ve noticed you might be using one, so we need you to make some changes before October 20, 2020. "

They recommend removing it ( won't I lose all my emails?) and reinstalling with SSL. I thought I was using SSL!

I found the same info online going back t0 2017, when I never received a notice myself, did nothing, and nothing happened. I use it as my main email and can't afford to lose it. Can anyone tell me what to do here?  TIA.

[dakota]

This is one of their solutions...........

Access mail via Apple Mail on Mac OS
Remove your AOL account and re-add it to Apple Mail on Mac. When you re-add the account, look for the AOL provider logo to trigger the secure sign in method.

Access mail via Gmail App on mobile

[Xairbusdriver]

Remove your AOL account and re-add it to Apple Mail on Mac.

Sounds like a plan, that's why there is an "AOL" option in adding an email account to Mail. Just make sure you have your password "remembered" in your password manager.

I can't remember which version of Mac OS that first used that multi-service interface, probably Panther (10.3) even though even 10.0 included support form "email clients". Apple 'knows' which email service uses what details and changes the Mail Prefs as needed to assure you have places to fill all the needed blanks. A "TLS/SSL" checkbox may appear in the "Server Settings" tab of Mail's Prefs for AOL. With major services, that pref is included simply by using the interface selection. Just clicking the AOL choice will probably do that for you.

[jchuzi]

Be careful about losing all your emails. I followed Apple's advice about deleting an account from Mail and then reinstating it. I lost all the emails. Fortunately, I had a (mostly) complete backup. Before you delete the account, be sure that your emails are stored on your computer and not solely on AOL's server. To do this, you could create a mailbox in the On My Mac section of Mail and move your emails into it. I had done this before deleting the account and the messages that were stored therein remained after deletion.

Also, are you sure that the email that was from AOL really was from AOL and not a phishing attack?

[jchuzi]

One more thing:  If you move emails to another mailbox, don't move too many at one time. I made the mistake of trying to move around 10,000 into another mailbox and Mail choked. Instead, select about 50 at a time and continue this until they have all been moved. It's tedious, but it's faster than trying to move all at once.

[Paddy]

Also, are you sure that the email that was from AOL really was from AOL and not a phishing attack?

It's real - it's similar to allowing "insecure apps" to access your Gmail account. Lots of info on it online. (and of course, they really DO want you to use their webmail so they can plant ads in front of eyeballs, which I guess Gmail wants too, but I don't use their "social" and "promotions" categorizations and that's the only place Gmail inserts ads, so I never see them in the rare instances where I go into any of my Gmail accounts via a browser.)

Unfortunately, I see an AOL email address and immediately think "uh-oh, here we go...dinosaur alert..." It's not an uncommon reaction - you might want to consider transitioning away to a domain associated email of your own or a Gmail account, particularly if you're using the account professionally. You can forward AOL automatically to any new account for a while. Just a thought. Could be worse, I suppose. Could be using Hotmail, home of spammers and scammers.

[dakota]

Yes, the email is legit.  I went straight to their site to check it out.  What is strange is that the same situation appears online from 2017 and I was never notified, and nothing happened to my emails.

[jchuzi]

Here's another way to back up your email: Select a mailbox and then go to Mailbox > Export Mailbox. You can then import that mailbox if necessary via File > Import Mailboxes. For more details, go to Mail Help and search for Export.

[sluggo]

I recently received a similar notification from Yahoo. I haven't acted upon it yet.

[dakota]

Well, I didn't act on it and just around midnight discovered I had no AOL mail. I didn't delete my mailboxes, but did add a new one. It brought in all my emails, including thousands I had trashed. I then discovered that if I tried to respond to an email using "aol.com" it couldn't send it.  I had to switch and use "aim.com".  Pain in the neck.

Then on my second computer I followed a different route.  On AOL's site you can generate a password- one they give you- a series of letters. I was able to install my original AOL, with no problem.  I then went to the first computer, took the newly formed AOL account offline and tried their "generated" password to bring back my original account.  It is downloading thousands of emails right now, including, of course, all the ones I trashed.

Seems that the easiest way is to generate that password on their site and not have to get involved with aim versus aol!  I think that password ow becomes the permanent password for the email account- but when push comes to shove and  I wind up with a password issue I am sure I will find out!

[Xairbusdriver]

Glad you seem to have your emails working again.

Just be sure to edit/add that new password in your password manager.

Consider the above suggestions on moving away from AoL, also.

[dakota]

Hah!  As for writing down the password- nope.  Did it on one computer, forgot the other. Now I'm having issues on the iphone, but there I may opt to delete and reinstall because I am not dependent on the emails on it.

I have kept AOL because I moved a few times and wanted to make sure my email was constant. I don't like depending  on a provider email and then changing providers.  Any advice?

[Xairbusdriver]

I understand the desire to maintain an address for a very long time! My wife still uses a Mindspring/EarthLink addy. She wants to keep it as long as a group she is in maintains printed directories!!

[dakota]

I just posted elsewhere about a new problem with Optimum can to help me with.  All of a sudden my outgoing mail server is "offline".  Once I used a new password for AOL and all was okay, I took the new AIM account I had created offline.  NO problem till this afternoon when that new account totally disappeared from my accounts and I can't send mail from Optimum or AOL. I am ready to tear my hair out.  My other computer is fine, and all the settings on both are the same, but I had not established a new AIM account when AOL said they were changing their settings.  I simply used a password and everything was fine.  Now the new email is gone and the original AOL AND my Optimum amount can not send.  I can sent on the other computer but not this one. Does not make sense.

[Xairbusdriver]

It may come down to the very frustrating way passwords are always hidden. You will swear they are correct everywhere, but the different places have problems. Sometimes it's easier to just create a txt file and paste in the password and other details you want to put in various places. You can even type the names of places/accounts. At least you can see, for sure, what you are putting in where. If you have a decent password manager, you should be able to put notes and even the plain text password in the info for that password record. You might start by putting the "working" user name and password in a TextEdit file and cleverly name it "A LIST OF SECRET STUFF - DO NOT OPEN".