ActiveSync on iOS Devices

Set up Exchange ActiveSync on iOS devices

With Exchange ActiveSync (EAS), you can synchronize emails, calendars, contacts, tasks, and notes on your iPhone or iPad with your mailbox account. EAS is particularly convenient as it enables real-time synchronization ("push").

Note: EAS is a proprietary Microsoft protocol. While it generally works reliably on Apple devices, it does not support shared calendars or contacts. For maximum compatibility, we recommend using open standards such as IMAP, CalDAV, and CardDAV (see below).

Requirements

• Active mailbox account
• iPhone or iPad running the latest iOS version

Option 1: Automatic setup via the mailbox web portal

1. Log in to your mailbox account.
2. Click your user icon in the top right corner and select Connect your device.
3. Choose: Apple → iPhone/iPad – Email + Calendar + Address Book
4. Depending on your device:
   • iPhone: Select Automatic configuration (via SMS)
   • iPad: Select Expert – Automatic configuration – Configure now
5. Download the configuration profile shown.
6. Open the Settings app on your device to install the profile.
7. Enter your mailbox password when prompted.

Tip: If the setup fails or the device does not accept the profile, use the manual configuration method described below.

Option 2: Manual setup directly on the iOS device

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.

2. Go to: Mail → Accounts → Add Account

3. Select Microsoft Exchange.

4. Enter your full mailbox email address (e.g., firstname.lastname@mailbox.org) and a description (e.g., mailbox). Tap Next.

5. When prompted, choose Configure Manually.

6. Enter the following values:

   Setting	Value
   Email address	Your full mailbox email address
   Username	The part before the @ in your email address
   Password	Your mailbox password
   Server	office.mailbox.org
   Domain	mailbox.org

7. Tap Next.

8. Select which content to sync:
   Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, Notes

9. Confirm by tapping Save.

Adjust sync settings

Extend sync period for emails

By default, iOS only syncs emails from the past few days. To change this:

1. Settings → Mail → Accounts → Open your mailbox account
2. Tap Sync Mail
3. Select, for example, 1 Month

For older emails, please access your mailbox using IMAP (see below).

Enable push notifications for subfolders

1. Settings → Mail → Accounts → mailbox account → Fetch New Data
2. Ensure that Push is enabled.
3. Adjust Fetch behavior for subfolders as needed.

Limitations and alternatives

Limitation	Alternative
No support for shared calendars or contacts	Use CalDAV/CardDAV
Emails only sync up to 1 month	Use IMAP
Issues with large attachments (> 5 MB) may occur	Use IMAP or the webmailer

Alternative: Use IMAP, CalDAV & CardDAV

If you want more control or full support for all features, we recommend setting up:

• IMAP for emails
• CalDAV for calendars
• CardDAV for contacts

These protocols are open, standardized, and fully supported on Apple devices.

For setup instructions, please refer to this article:
Follow the instructions on the following article

Technical overview

Setting	Value
Server address	office.mailbox.org
Domain	mailbox.org
Username	Part before the @
Protocol	Exchange ActiveSync