E-mails delete on all devices if deleted on one

[zodate]

I have just set up AT&T U-verse and have added e-mail accounts to all my devices including iPad and iPhone. However, when I delete an e-mail on one device, it deletes it on all of them. I want to keep messages on the devices as both my wife and I use them and need to see our messages independently. Under Settings>Mail>AT&T>Account>Advanced, there is no setting for "Delete from Server" which is what the help from Apple states. I only have options for Mailbox Behaviors (Draft, Sent, Deleted), Deleted Messages (Remove), and S/MIME. I have set Deleted Mailbox to go to the Deleted Messages Mailbox on the server and the Remove setting to Never. I cannot change the setting under Deleted Mailbox to Inbox as this is not highlighted.
Has anyone encountered this before? Is there a way to set up my mailboxes to prevent this from occurring?

 

[J. A.]

I have just set up AT&T U-verse and have added e-mail accounts to all my devices including iPad and iPhone. However, when I delete an e-mail on one device, it deletes it on all of them. I want to keep messages on the devices as both my wife and I use them and need to see our messages independently. Under Settings>Mail>AT&T>Account>Advanced, there is no setting for "Delete from Server" which is what the help from Apple states. I only have options for Mailbox Behaviors (Draft, Sent, Deleted), Deleted Messages (Remove), and S/MIME. I have set Deleted Mailbox to go to the Deleted Messages Mailbox on the server and the Remove setting to Never. I cannot change the setting under Deleted Mailbox to Inbox as this is not highlighted.
Has anyone encountered this before? Is there a way to set up my mailboxes to prevent this from occurring?

Hi, zodate! Welcome to iPF!
When you delete a mail, it is still on your iPad, in the Trash mailbox. You should still be able to read it.
You don't need to delete messages when you read them, you could put them into the Archive mailbox, and delete them later, when you don't need them any more. That isn't done in Settings, but in your Mails.
Or you could create a new mailbox in your mail account, where you move your messages that still need to be read.

 

[twerppoet]

Sounds like you have an IMAP or Exchange account type. This is normal behavior for this kind of account. All email folders are maintained and synced on/to the server. Usually, this is also the preferred behavior. When email is downloaded and deleted to individual devices (as it is in POP accounts) it can be difficult to figure out what device an email will still exist on (say if you want to retrieve something from Trash or the Sent folder.

Two options.

You can either see if your provider has a POP 3 option and set your accounts up that way; with the leave on server option enabled.

Or you can adjust to how the new account works.

My suggestion is to create two extra folders in your IMAP account. Name them something like HIS and HERS. When you are done with an email that you think your wife will also need to see, instead of deleting it move it to the HERS folder. She can do the same for emails she wants to leave for your consideration.

When you review your HIS folder, you can do whatever you believe appropriate with the email in full confidence your wife has already read it

You can also use the Flag option in mail to mark what you consider important for each other, (if your account supports flags). And if you both want input on an email you are replying to, the first person can save it as a Draft instead of sending it.

That's all I can think of.

Normally it's best to just each have your own account and forward what you want to share to each other; but it sounds like you are happy with and used to sharing an account. In which case it's just a matter of coming up with and agreeing on a system that works for both of you. You obviously already had a system that worked for you with your old account. You just need one that works best with the new account type.

Good luck.