Email: add BSC mail to Android: Outlook

Outlook works with BSC email once you switch it off its Exchange default. These steps cover it.

Before you start

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

If you'd rather use the app that came with your phone, see Add BSC mail to Android: Gmail app or Add BSC mail to Android: Samsung Email.

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

Get the Outlook app

Open the Play Store and search for Microsoft Outlook. It's free. Look for the blue envelope with an O, published by Microsoft Corporation.

Add your account

Open Outlook and tap Add account. If you already have another account, tap your profile picture, then the settings gear, then Add mail account.

Enter your full BSC email address and tap Continue.

Outlook could default to Exchange server. That's expected, but incorrect.

Outlook doesn't recognize b-sc.edu, so it may assume Exchange. BSC email uses IMAP instead, so you'll switch it over.

Don't fill in anything on the Exchange screen. Those fields won't work for a BSC account.

Look for an option to change the account type, then choose IMAP from the provider list.

Turn on Advanced Settings

The IMAP screen opens with just a few fields. Before entering anything, switch Advanced Settings on. The screen expands with the server fields you need.

If you fill in the short version and tap the check mark without turning this on, Outlook won't be able to connect.

Fill in the fields

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 the check mark to finish.

Finish setup

Outlook asks whether you'd like to add another account. Tap Maybe Later.

Allow notifications when prompted. Mail will arrive either way, but without this you'll only see new messages when you open the app.

Check the Other tab

Outlook sorts mail into Focused and Other, and it decides which is which on its own. College messages sometimes land in Other, so check that tab for the first week or two until Outlook learns.

To turn the sorting off entirely, tap your profile picture, then the settings gear, then Focused Inbox, and switch it off. Everything then arrives in one list.

If it won't connect

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

If Outlook set the account up without ever showing you the server fields, it went down the Exchange path. Remove the account and start again, changing the account type to IMAP.

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 your phone model and a screenshot of the error.