What if my SMTP connection Fails?

Modified on Sun, 15 Sep at 5:05 PM

If clients report that your emails are not getting through, you will need to do some further investigation as to the possible causes. The first step is to test the SMTP credentials for error messages.



Note: Check your Pet Sitter Plus software is connected to the correct Email Configuration Type:
  • Connecting your email account to Pet Sitter Plus is not essential, but can provide enhanced functions such as bulk/masse emailing to your clients.

How Do I Check That My Emails are Being Received?

Navigation: Connect > Email Settings > Email Configuration


Step 1

  • Ensure SMTP credentials are correct. A common issue is if your email password was changed, but not updated here. This will disconnect your SMTP.


Tip: If you are unsure if you have entered the settings correctly, you can refer to Connect your Email using SMTP (Part 2) for more information.


  • Click "Test & Update."
  • If you receive a Success message, your SMTP connection is fine.
  • If you receive a Failure message, your SMTP connection is disconnected and you have to repair it. Also see What can go wrong with SMTP.

Error message when SMTP fails to send in dog walking software


Step 2

Navigation: Reports > Connected Email Status


Your Connected Email Status report shows all the emails that have failed and a reason for the failure.

A failure notice such as the one in the example below indicates that your email password is no longer valid and needs updating. See Connect your Email using SMTP (Part 2) for more information.


View the SMTP status report for any failure messages in dog walking software



Step 3

If the information in Steps 1 & 2 hasn't solved it, read our troubleshooting guide below and follow the recommended steps to resolve the issue.


Tip: If you still don't manage to establish a successful connection, please contact Support and we will try to resolve this for you.


SMTP Connection Failure Troubleshooting

If you are trying to connect your business or personal email to Pet Sitter Plus for the first time and you receive an error message "Connection Failed", here are some troubleshooting solutions:


1. Gmail / Google / G Suite or Microsoft

If you have a Gmail or Gsuite account, please follow these steps Connect your Email using Gmail
If you have a Microsoft account (Hotmail, Outlook, Live.com, MS 365) please follow these steps Connect your Email using Microsoft


2. Read the failure message

Often the failure message is quite explicit and will give you a clue as to what has caused the problem. For example, the message in the screenshot above indicates that there may be a security issue on the account (almost always a password issue.)


3. Double check all the SMTP credentials on the screen are correct

Take particular care that your password is correct. The password is case-sensitive, and check for additional spaces. If you make any changes, click/tap "Test & Update" to re-test the connection. 


Note: The password is for your email account and NOT your Pet Sitter Plus password (unless you use the same password for both.)


4. Passwords

Often we will try to help a client to connect via SMTP and nothing seems to work. After following the standard procedures, we advise the client to change their email password and re-enter the new one. This often solves the problem and highlights that the client thought they knew their email password but probably did not. If you are failing to connect to SMTP, try changing your email password so that you can be 100% sure you are using the right password.


Tip: Sometimes people update their email password and simply forget that they need to go back to Pet Sitter Plus and re-input their new password to keep SMTP working.


5. Use a different browser

Sometimes our browsers are set to "remember" our passwords and to "auto populate" them. This can cause an issue if your browser is changing the password to an old one which is no longer valid. To test this, use a different browser – or a different computer that you don't typically use – and if you get a successful login this shows that it is a password issue. You can then clear your cache to ensure this is no longer a problem.


6. The most common port/security settings are 465/SSL and 587/STARTTLS

You could try using these settings if the connection is failing with the ones you are using. Ask your email provider if they support email settings other than the ones you are using and try those.


7. If your email account is new, make sure it is verified

Some email accounts will not allow the use of SMTP if they are not yet verified.


8. Contact Support

If you are still having difficulty getting a successful result, then please contact Pet Sitter Plus Support.

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