By Lydia | Last Updated
Today, Email still remains one of the most common ways to communicate. Thus, sending encrypted email on your iPhone can ensure that your email content remains secure. Go on reading to learn easily ways to encrypt your Emails.
Apple Mail supports S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) encryption, which allows you to send encrypted iPhone emails to recipients who also have S/MIME enabled.
Step 1: To use S/MIME encryption, you’ll need to obtain a digital certificate from a trusted Certificate Authority (CA).
Step 2: Once you've acquired the certificate, tap on the Certificate Activation Link in your iPhone. In the opened website, hit Generate Certificate button.
Step 3: Then Set a password for the certificate and hit Download. In the popup, tap on Allow for download. After downloaded, tap Close to finish.
Step 4: Navigate to iPhone Settings > Profile Downloaded. And then tap on Install. Follow the wizard to finish the installation.
Step 1: After Certificate installed, go to iPhone Settings > Mail. Tap Accounts, and select your own Email Account.
Step 2: Tap Account again, then select Advanced. Under the S/MIME section, toggle the switch to enable S/MIME.
Step 3: Go to S/MIME section, turn on Sign, and enable Encrypt by Default.
Notes: Enabling Sign can sign each email digitally, and Encrypt by Default will attempt to encrypt each email that send out from your iPhone.
Before start, ensure you have installed the Certificates from Recipients.
Step 1: Open iPhone Mail app, and compose a new message.
Step 2: Tap the Security button (a lock icon) at the top of the email composition window. Choose Encrypt to encrypt the message.
Step 3: Send the email as usual.
Once received Email, the recipient will be able to decrypt the message with their own private key.
Note: Both the sender and the recipient need to have S/MIME certificates installed for this method to work. Without a valid certificate, the email will not be encrypted.
If you want a simpler solution or need to send encrypted emails to recipients who don’t have S/MIME enabled, iPhone Gmail apps can help.
Step 1: Open iPhone Gmail and compose a new email.
Step 2: Tap on the three-dots option in the top-right corner, choose Confidential Mode from the menu.
Step 3: Here you can set expiration, in 1 day, 1 week, 1 month. After set, tap DONE.
Step 4: In Require passcode section, tap on Standard, change it to SMS Passcode.
Step 5: Then type and send the email.
Step 6: If prompted, tap on ADD MISSING INFORMATION. And type your own Phone number here.
Step 7: When someone receives your Email, he will be asked for Verify identity. Tap on SEND PASSCODE. After typing the verification code, click Submit Button.
Notes: You can also try on other third-party apps in the App Store that offer end-to-end email encryption, including ProtonMail, Tutanota, and Canary Mail.
Q1: Can I send encrypted emails to recipients who don’t have encryption set up on their iPhone?
If you're using S/MIME encryption, your recipient must also have the necessary decryption key or certificate to read your message. If they don't have encryption set up, they'll receive the email, but it will be unreadable unless they configure the necessary settings.
Q2: How do I check if my email was encrypted on my iPhone?
When composing an email in the Mail app, you should see a lock icon next to the recipient’s email address if encryption is enabled. If the lock is open or missing, your email is not encrypted.
Q3: What should I do if I accidentally send an unencrypted email with sensitive information?
If you mistakenly send an unencrypted email with S/MIME, this can’t be withdrawn, try contacting the recipient immediately to delete the email and not open it.
However, in Gmail, if you’ve set the expire time, you can manually expire it in advance. Just enter into the email you’ve sent, and hit the REMOVE ACCESS button. This method can help minimize losses as much as possible.
Encrypting your email on iPhone is an essential step in protecting your personal information and sensitive data from unauthorized access. Remember that email encryption works best when both the sender and the recipient are aware of the security measures in place. Always verify that your recipients can decrypt your encrypted messages before sending sensitive information.
