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Guide

Troubleshooting

Solutions to common problems.

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Decryption problems

“No matching private key found”

The message was encrypted to a key you haven’t imported.

  • Ask the sender which public key they used to encrypt the message
  • Check that you have the corresponding private key imported in iPGMail
  • If you have multiple keys, the sender may have used an old or different key

“Bad passphrase”

The passphrase you entered doesn’t match your private key.

  • Passphrases are case-sensitive — check Caps Lock
  • Watch for common typos: 0 vs O, 1 vs l, etc.
  • Try typing the passphrase in a notes app first to verify it’s correct

Important: If you’ve forgotten your passphrase, there is no recovery option. You’ll need to ask the sender to re-encrypt the message to a different key.

“Invalid or corrupt PGP data”

The file or text isn’t recognized as valid PGP data.

  • The file may have been damaged during transfer — ask the sender to resend
  • It may not be a PGP-encrypted file at all
  • If copying from email, ensure you copied the entire block from -----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE----- through -----END PGP MESSAGE----- exactly
  • Check for extra whitespace or line breaks that may have been added

Key import problems

“Invalid key format”

The key file isn’t in a format iPGMail can read.

  • Ensure the key is in ASCII-Armor format (.asc extension)
  • The file should start with -----BEGIN PGP PRIVATE KEY BLOCK----- or -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
  • Binary key formats (.gpg) are supported but must be valid PGP data
  • Re-export the key from your original PGP software with ASCII armor enabled

Key doesn’t appear after import

You imported a key but can’t find it in your keyring.

  • Check both Private and Public tabs — the key may be in the other section
  • Pull down on the key list to refresh
  • If importing a private key, the public key is extracted automatically — check the Public tab

Can’t find a key on keyservers

Searching keyservers returns no results.

  • The person may not have uploaded their key to a public keyserver
  • Try searching by email address, key ID, or name
  • Ask them to share their key directly via email or AirDrop
  • Check if they use Keybase instead — try the Keybase search option

Sending problems

Emails not sending with custom SMTP

Messages fail to send when using a custom mail server.

Authentication failedWrong password, or you need an App Password. Gmail, Yahoo and iCloud all require them — see the setup guide.
Connection refusedWrong server or port. Verify SMTP settings; try port 587 (TLS) or 465 (SSL).
Connection timeoutNetwork issue or blocked port. Check your connection — some networks block SMTP ports.
Certificate errorSSL/TLS mismatch. Ensure the port matches the encryption type (587 for STARTTLS, 465 for SSL).

Recipient can’t decrypt my message

You sent an encrypted message but the recipient can’t open it.

  • Confirm you encrypted to the correct public key
  • Ask them to verify their key fingerprint matches what you have
  • They may have multiple keys — ensure you’re using their current one
  • Their key may have expired — ask them to send you an updated key

App problems

Forgot app PIN

You can’t access iPGMail because you forgot the 4-digit PIN.

  • Delete and reinstall the app
  • You’ll need to re-import your keys from backup

Note: Your keys are not lost — they exist wherever you originally exported them from. Re-import from your computer or other backup.

iCloud sync not working

Keys aren’t syncing between your devices.

  • Ensure iCloud is enabled in iPGMail settings on all devices
  • Check that you’re signed into the same iCloud account on each device
  • Go to iOS Settings → Your Name → iCloud and verify iPGMail has iCloud access
  • Try toggling iCloud off and on in iPGMail settings

App crashes or freezes

  • Force quit the app and reopen it
  • Restart your device
  • Ensure you’re running the latest version of iPGMail from the App Store
  • If the problem persists, contact support with details about what you were doing when it crashed

Still need help?

If your problem isn’t listed here: