Email: add BSC mail to Android: Gmail app

The Gmail app works with BSC email alongside your personal account. You'll enter the server settings manually, since Android won't find them on its own.

Before you start

Set your BSC password first if you haven't already. You'll need it partway through.

The Gmail app is on nearly every Android phone and it handles BSC email fine. If your phone came with Samsung Email, or you'd rather use Outlook, see Add BSC mail to Android: Samsung Email or Add BSC mail to Android: Outlook.

* Android screens vary by phone manufacturer. Your wording may differ slightly.

Add your account

Open Gmail and tap your profile picture in the top right, then Add another account.

A list of providers appears. BSC isn't one of them, so tap Other.

Enter your full BSC email address and tap Next.

When asked what type of account this is, choose Personal (IMAP). Don't choose POP3, which downloads your mail to one device and can remove it from the server.

Enter your BSC password and tap Next.

Incoming server settings

Your phone asks for incoming settings first.

Tap Next.

Outgoing server settings

Both Username fields need the whole address, not just the part before the @ sign. That's the most common thing to cause the email setup to fail.

Tap Next.

Finish setup

Your phone asks about sync frequency and notifications. Leave Notify me for new email switched on.

Give the account a name like BSC Email, and enter your first and last name where it asks what to show on outgoing messages. That's what people see when you write to them, so use the name your professors will recognize.

Tap Next.

Switching between accounts

Adding BSC email doesn't change or remove your personal Gmail. Tap your profile picture at the top to switch between accounts, or choose All inboxes to see everything together.

Check which account you're sending from

When you write a new message, Gmail uses whichever account you were viewing, which may be your personal one. Some College offices only accept mail from a BSC address, so this is worth checking before you email a professor or your advisor.

Tap the From line in any new message to see which account is selected and switch if needed.

If it won't connect

Check the Username fields first. Both need the full address including @student.b-sc.edu.

Check that Security type is SSL/TLS on both servers rather than STARTTLS or None.

If you've recently reset your password, remove the account and add it again so it picks up the new one.

Still stuck, email helpdesk@b-sc.edu with the phone you're using and a screenshot of the error.