If your @alice.it, @tim.it or @tin.it mail syncs in some places but not others, the network you are on is almost certainly the reason. TIM only lets a mail app reach these mailboxes from TIM's own network. Your address and password are fine, and there is no setting in BlueMail that changes it — but it takes about a minute to confirm.
TIM's Rule
TIM allows a mail app to collect an @alice.it, @tim.it or @tin.it mailbox over IMAP or POP3 only when one of these is true:
- the mailbox is associated with an active TIM line, fixed (ADSL or fibre) or mobile; or
- it is not tied to a TIM line, but you are connected to the internet through TIM's network at that moment.
Anywhere else, TIM's position is that the mailbox is reachable through webmail only. Its own mobile setup guide says so directly: Configura email sui client di posta per mobile.
So TIM is declining the connection, deliberately. BlueMail reports what it is given, which is a mail server that will not let it in.
Why It Looks Like an Occasional Sync Bug
The rule is about the connection you are using right now, not about your account, so the same phone can work and fail on the same day. Mail typically stops when you:
- leave home and join office, school, hotel or café WiFi;
- use a mobile network other than TIM, including a second SIM in the same phone, or an eSIM you use while traveling;
- travel abroad, where roaming puts you on a foreign operator;
- turn on a VPN, which sends your traffic out through somewhere that isn't TIM even while you sit on a TIM line.
Then it comes back by itself when you get home, which is exactly what a flaky bug looks like. It isn't one: mail queued up while you were away arrives at once as soon as you are back on TIM, so nothing has been lost.
Confirming It in a Minute
Do this while mail is not syncing:
- Switch networks and watch. If you are on WiFi, turn WiFi off and use TIM mobile data; if you are on another operator's data, join a TIM line. Syncing on one and failing on the other is the answer.
- Open TIM's webmail in a browser on the same connection that just failed. If webmail signs in with the same password while BlueMail cannot, the password is not the problem — the mail-app route is being refused.
If you see a code in the status line of your Mail List View, it will usually be Unable to connect to server (3011). A 3011 that follows you onto every network is a different problem; one that appears only away from TIM is this one.
What You Can Do About It
Only TIM can lift this, so the practical options are:
- If you have an active TIM line, fixed or mobile, ask TIM to associate the mailbox with it. Once it is tied to a line, the mailbox works from any network.
- If you no longer have a TIM line, or the mailbox was never attached to one, read that mailbox in TIM's webmail in a browser when you are away from TIM, and let BlueMail collect it at home.
- If you are moving away from TIM for good, ask TIM about forwarding your mail to an address you can reach anywhere, and add that account to BlueMail instead.
Don't delete and re-add the account to try to force it. It cannot succeed on a network TIM refuses, and you lose the account's locally stored mail and settings for nothing. Leave it in place; it starts working again on TIM's network.
If You Are on TIM's Network and It Still Won't Sync
Then check the settings, because TIM's are unusual. TIM uses STARTTLS on ports 143 and 587, not the SSL ports 993 and 465 that most providers use, so values copied from a general guide will not connect.
| Server | Port | Security | |
|---|---|---|---|
| @alice.it incoming (IMAP) | in.alice.it | 143 | STARTTLS |
| @alice.it outgoing (SMTP) | out.alice.it | 587 | STARTTLS |
| @tim.it incoming (IMAP) | imap.tim.it | 143 | STARTTLS |
| @tim.it outgoing (SMTP) | smtp.tim.it | 587 | STARTTLS |
| @tin.it incoming (IMAP) | imaps.tin.it | 143 | STARTTLS |
| @tin.it outgoing (SMTP) | smtps.tin.it | 587 | STARTTLS |
Your username is your full email address, including the part after the @. If BlueMail's Security dropdown offers no STARTTLS on your device, choose TLS — TIM says the same for clients that don't list StartTLS. TIM's full parameters: Configurazione avanzata per client di posta.
To check what your account is currently using, go to Settings | Accounts, tap the account, then tap Incoming/Outgoing Settings. See How Do I Change My IMAP, POP3 or SMTP Server Settings?.
Still Not Syncing
If the settings are right and you are on TIM's network, the cause is no longer TIM-specific. Mail that arrives late rather than not at all is usually the account's sync mode or, on Android, battery optimization; older mail missing from a folder is the Days to Sync window rather than a failure. Connection Issues, Sync Failures or Missing Emails works through the rest.
To set up an Alice or TIM account from scratch, or for Libero, Virgilio and Tiscali, see How to Add Alice, Libero, Virgilio and Tiscali Accounts.
