If you just need the settings and you are in a hurry:
- Incoming: imap.mail.att.net — port 993 — SSL
- Outgoing: smtp.mail.att.net — port 465 — SSL
- Username: your full @sbcglobal.net address
- Password: App Password from signin.att.com (not your regular password)
That covers 90% of setups. The rest of this guide handles the 10% — wrong password type, port conflicts, Outlook-specific steps and device-by-device instructions for anyone who needs them.
Setting up SBCGlobal email on a new device or email app requires specific server settings — and the settings changed when AT&T migrated accounts to their Yahoo-powered infrastructure. Many users struggle because they find old SBCGlobal settings online that no longer work.
This guide gives you the verified 2026 settings for every major email client and device, explains why an App Password is now required, and covers every common setup error with its fix.
SBCGlobal Email Server Settings 2026 — Quick Reference
| Setting | IMAP (Recommended) | POP3 (Alternative) | SMTP (Outgoing) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Server | imap.mail.att.net | inbound.att.net | smtp.mail.att.net |
| Port | 993 | 995 | 465 or 587 |
| Encryption | SSL/TLS | SSL/TLS | SSL/TLS |
| Authentication | Required | Required | Required |
| Username | Full @sbcglobal.net address | Full @sbcglobal.net address | Full @sbcglobal.net address |
| Password | App Password | App Password | App Password |
How to Generate an App Password — Required for All Apps
Since 2023, AT&T requires a special App Password for any third-party email client. Your regular signin.att.com password will not work in Outlook, iPhone Mail, Android Mail, Thunderbird or Gmail app. You must generate an App Password first.
- Open a browser and go to signin.att.com
- Sign in with your @sbcglobal.net email and regular AT&T password
- Click your name or profile icon at the top right
- Select Profile
- Go to Sign-in info tab
- Scroll down to App passwords section
- Click Get app password
- Enter a name for the app (example: Outlook 2026, iPhone Mail)
- Click Create
- Copy the generated password immediately — it is only shown once
- Use this App Password when setting up your email client — not your regular password
SBCGlobal Settings for Microsoft Outlook 2026
- Open Outlook and go to File — Add Account
- Enter your full @sbcglobal.net email address and click Connect
- If Outlook auto-detects settings — it may still fail because it uses your regular password. Select Manual setup
- Choose IMAP
- Incoming server: imap.mail.att.net — Port: 993 — Encryption: SSL/TLS
- Outgoing server: smtp.mail.att.net — Port: 465 — Encryption: SSL/TLS
- Username: your full @sbcglobal.net email
- Password: your App Password (not your regular AT&T password)
- Click Connect — Outlook will verify and complete setup
SBCGlobal Settings for iPhone (iOS Mail App) 2026
- Go to Settings on your iPhone
- Scroll down and tap Mail
- Tap Accounts — Add Account
- Select Other (not Yahoo — even though AT&T uses Yahoo infrastructure, select Other for correct settings)
- Tap Add Mail Account
- Enter: Name (your name), Email (full @sbcglobal.net), Password (App Password), Description (SBCGlobal)
- Tap Next — select IMAP
- Incoming mail server: Host imap.mail.att.net, Username: full email, Password: App Password
- Outgoing mail server: Host smtp.mail.att.net, Username: full email, Password: App Password
- Tap Save
SBCGlobal Settings for Android Mail App 2026
- Open your Android email app (Gmail, Samsung Email or any other)
- Go to Settings — Add Account — Other
- Enter your full @sbcglobal.net email address
- Select IMAP when asked for account type
- Enter your App Password
- Incoming server settings: imap.mail.att.net, Port 993, SSL/TLS
- Outgoing server settings: smtp.mail.att.net, Port 465, SSL/TLS
- Username: your full @sbcglobal.net email for both incoming and outgoing
- Tap Next to verify and complete setup
SBCGlobal Settings for Mozilla Thunderbird 2026
- Open Thunderbird and go to Account Settings — Add Mail Account
- Enter your name, full @sbcglobal.net email and App Password
- Click Configure manually
- Incoming: Protocol IMAP, Server imap.mail.att.net, Port 993, SSL/TLS, Normal password
- Outgoing: Server smtp.mail.att.net, Port 465, SSL/TLS, Normal password
- Username for both: your full @sbcglobal.net address
- Click Done
SBCGlobal Settings for Gmail App 2026
- Open Gmail app on your phone
- Tap the menu (three lines) — Settings — Add Account
- Select Other
- Enter your full @sbcglobal.net email address
- Select Personal (IMAP)
- Enter your App Password
- Incoming server: imap.mail.att.net — Port 993 — SSL
- Outgoing server: smtp.mail.att.net — Port 465 — SSL
- Follow prompts to complete setup
Common Setup Errors and Fixes
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication failed | Using regular password instead of App Password | Generate App Password at signin.att.com and use that |
| Cannot connect to server | Wrong server name or port | Verify: imap.mail.att.net port 993, smtp.mail.att.net port 465 |
| SSL connection failed | SSL not enabled or wrong port | Enable SSL/TLS on both incoming and outgoing — use port 993 and 465 |
| Emails not syncing across devices | Using POP3 instead of IMAP | Switch to IMAP — POP3 downloads and removes from server |
| Can receive but cannot send | SMTP authentication not enabled | Enable authentication on outgoing server — use same App Password |
| App Password not accepted | App Password expired or revoked | Generate a new App Password at signin.att.com — old ones expire |
| iPhone says cannot verify server identity | SSL certificate warning | Tap Continue to accept AT&T certificate — it is legitimate |
SBCGlobal Settings by Device — Quick Reference 2026
| Device/App | Incoming Server | Port | Outgoing Server | Port | Password Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outlook (Windows/Mac) | imap.mail.att.net | 993 SSL | smtp.mail.att.net | 465 SSL | App Password |
| iPhone (iOS Mail) | imap.mail.att.net | 993 SSL | smtp.mail.att.net | 587 SSL | App Password |
| Android Mail | imap.mail.att.net | 993 SSL | smtp.mail.att.net | 465 SSL | App Password |
| Gmail App | imap.mail.att.net | 993 SSL | smtp.mail.att.net | 465 SSL | App Password |
| Thunderbird | imap.mail.att.net | 993 SSL | smtp.mail.att.net | 465 SSL | App Password |
| Apple Mail (Mac) | imap.mail.att.net | 993 SSL | smtp.mail.att.net | 587 SSL | App Password |
| Samsung Email | imap.mail.att.net | 993 SSL | smtp.mail.att.net | 465 SSL | App Password |
SBCGlobal Port Numbers — All Options Explained
| Protocol | Port | Encryption | Use When |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMAP Incoming | 993 | SSL/TLS | Standard — use this always |
| POP3 Incoming | 995 | SSL/TLS | Only if app does not support IMAP |
| SMTP Outgoing | 465 | SSL/TLS | Standard — preferred option |
| SMTP Outgoing (alt) | 587 | STARTTLS | Use if 465 does not work in your app |
| SMTP Outgoing (old) | 25 | None | Do NOT use — blocked by most ISPs |
Server settings verified against AT&T official IMAP/SMTP setup documentation as of September 2026. Settings confirmed working with Outlook, iPhone Mail and Android email clients.
The correct SBCGlobal email server settings for 2026 are: incoming IMAP server imap.mail.att.net on port 993 with SSL/TLS encryption. Outgoing SMTP server smtp.mail.att.net on port 465 or 587 with SSL/TLS. Username is your full @sbcglobal.net email address for both. Password must be an App Password generated at signin.att.com — your regular AT&T password does not work in third-party email apps since 2023. These settings work for Outlook, iPhone, Android, Thunderbird and Gmail app.
The SBCGlobal IMAP server setting is imap.mail.att.net on port 993 with SSL/TLS encryption. Authentication is required using your full @sbcglobal.net email address as the username and an App Password generated at signin.att.com as the password. IMAP is recommended over POP3 because it keeps your emails synced across all devices — phone, tablet, laptop and desktop all show the same inbox state.
The SBCGlobal SMTP outgoing mail server is smtp.mail.att.net. Use port 465 with SSL/TLS encryption, or port 587 with STARTTLS if your email app requires it. Authentication must be enabled using your full @sbcglobal.net address as username and your App Password as the password. If emails are stuck in your outbox, verify these SMTP settings are entered correctly and that authentication is turned on.
Outlook keeps asking for your SBCGlobal password because AT&T now requires an App Password for all third-party email clients including Outlook. Your regular AT&T account password no longer works. To fix this permanently: go to signin.att.com, sign in with your regular credentials, go to Profile — Sign-in info — Manage app passwords, generate a new App Password specifically for Outlook, and enter this App Password in Outlook. Outlook will then connect without repeatedly asking for credentials.
Always use IMAP for SBCGlobal email unless you have a specific reason to use POP3. IMAP keeps all your emails on the AT&T server and syncs across all your devices — read on phone, shows as read on laptop too. POP3 downloads emails to one device and removes them from the server, meaning you can only see those emails on that one device. The IMAP server is imap.mail.att.net port 993 SSL. The POP3 server is inbound.att.net port 995 SSL.
To set up SBCGlobal email on a new phone: first generate an App Password at signin.att.com under Profile — Sign-in info — Manage app passwords. On iPhone go to Settings — Mail — Accounts — Add Account — Other — Add Mail Account. On Android open your email app — Settings — Add Account — Other. Enter your full @sbcglobal.net email, use the App Password not your regular password, and set the incoming server to imap.mail.att.net port 993 SSL and outgoing to smtp.mail.att.net port 465 SSL.
SBCGlobal email uses port 993 for incoming IMAP mail with SSL/TLS encryption. For outgoing SMTP mail, use port 465 with SSL/TLS or port 587 with STARTTLS. For POP3 incoming mail the port is 995 with SSL. These are AT&T Mail server ports that replaced the old SBCGlobal-specific ports after the migration. Using incorrect ports is one of the most common setup errors — double-check these values if your email app cannot connect.
Yes. Since 2023, AT&T requires an App Password for all third-party email clients including Outlook, Thunderbird, iPhone Mail, Android mail apps and Gmail app. Your regular AT&T account password only works at signin.att.com in a browser. To generate an App Password: sign in to signin.att.com, go to Profile — Sign-in info — Manage app passwords, click Get app password, name it and copy the generated password. You can create separate App Passwords for each device or app.
- SBCGlobal Email Login 2026 — Sign in guide and password reset
- SBCGlobal Email Not Working 2026 — 10 fixes for common problems
- SBCGlobal Email Setup on Android — Android-specific setup guide
Guide by Robins Antony, Digital Technology Writer, Webova Soft. Server settings verified against AT&T official email setup documentation at att.com/support as of September 2026. Official AT&T support: 800.288.2020.
