Widespread Outages in Sending/Receiving Comcast Email from Third Party Email Apps

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@pipesdma wrote:

Comcast email users have been reporting issues in sending and receiving email from third party email apps such as Outlook, Outlook.com and Thunderbird for months, but the problems for Windows and Outlook users have gone viral over the last few days. I called Microsoft Support for the third time in three days this morning. I learned that they have been swamped with calls and chats about this issue. Also, they have investigated any possibility that the problem could be on the Microsoft side and have definitely ruled out that possibility. The problem is not due to a recent Windows or Outlook update.

 

Since November 10 we have been able to send and receive email from Outlook only late at night - in the off hours. At other times, an error 0x800CCC1A pops up for the attempted POP or SMTP connection:  'Your server does not support the connection encryption type you have specified. Try changing the encryption method. Contact your mail server administrator or Internet service provider (ISP) for additional assistance.' 

 

I believe that the error message may reflect a general failure to connect via the services that come into play with third party apps.  In other words, the encryption type may have nothing to do with the failure to connect and is just a common cause. If you're a network guru, please advise. In any event, Microsoft Support assures me that that there has been no change whatsoever of encryption protocol related to email on the Windows OS or the Outlook app.

 

As so many people have noted on this forum, going to Comcast.net or the Xfinity app for email is not an acceptable solution. Robust third party email apps have so many more search and work efficiency capabilities.

 

I cannot open an Xfinity support ticket because I am no longer a paying customer. My wife and I have used Comcast email addresses for over 15 years, and she uses it for her freelance business. It would take us countless hours of pain to change email addresses in all of our accounts. If you are a paying customer and this problem is affecting you adversely, please open a support ticket with Xfinity and insist on escalation if your case bogs down.

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See if this support article helps.