IPhone – Port blocking on iPhone 6

firewalliphonetethering

I am unable to get email to connect to my IMAP server using an iPhone 6+ with iOS 8.3.

The telco (Telstra Australia) loves telling me that they do not block ports.

Either the telco is blocking ports or the phone is blocking ports.

Can a hotspot connected computer route port 993 requests through the phone without blocking within the phone?

I have no trouble routing port 80, 443 requests through the phone as a modem, and also direct from Safari, however any other ports through Safari on the phone, or a hotspot connected computer fail to connect.

Is there a firewall on the iPhone that needs to be configured to allow additional ports through, and if so, how would it be configured.

If the phone is connected via wifi it has no issue connecting to any of the ports it needs to, it is only an issue when connecting over 3G/4G networks.

UPDATE This situation miraculously resolved itself. It seems the telco provider must have been blocking it, as it suddenly started working after months of not working without upgrading iOS, phone, or email systems. Because of this I can only presume the telco changed something.

Best Answer

No, there is no default firewall on iOS so you don't need to configure anything to access port 993. If connectivity is working fine via wifi but not a cellular connection, everything points to your cellular provider blocking port 993.

Are you able to access your email from your phone via a 3G/4G connection? Or is it only a computer tethered to your phone that's not working?