new user didn't receive activation email if they register using Gmail

[iqbalimaduddin]

Hi

In my newly built smf forum, my friend that very much my first user registered new account using Gmail. At first, he told me that he didn't received any activation email from the forum. So i'm checked they admin panel, and didn't see any notification that would inform me if there any new registered user. So i'm went into members section in admin panel and can see my friend username that still yet to activate his account. So i've asked him to check spam folder / junk folder if activation email went there, and he told me there's no email from forum in there.

So i told him that the registration setting has been set into activation email, which mean he need to activate the account using link in the email. So i asked him to wait for another few minutes, just in case the email arrives late. And after few hours, he informed me again that the email are yet to arrive.

Seeing the email that he used is Gmail, so i tried register another account by myself using Gmail account, and the email didn't arrived even after waiting an hour. So i'm register another account, this time using outlook. voila! the activation email arrived with no problem, and notification also mentioned that my account successfully activated. Feels weird, so i'm tried register with another email (mail.com), and again, its succeed.

I'm installed smf for my forum in Cpanel using domain email ([email protected]), which i connect with my Gmail account, so notification of newly installed forum arrives in my Gmail inbox. But testing the installation using Gmail account ([email protected]), the notification didn't arrives.

So i'm checking the Mail setting in admin panel, and seen there's nothing unusual about the setting, which using default setting Mail Type : PHP (default). So i asked my friend to try register using any email except Gmail, and activation email arrives safely.

I'm still looking a way how to fix this problem.

[Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen]

Most likely, gmail is rejecting your emails for one reason or another.
I would start with making sure you use SMTP (as opposed to PHP) and that your webmaster email address is configured to be the same address as you actually use to send out email.
If that doesn't help, then you may need to look deeper in to your mail setup https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/email-security/dmarc-dkim-spf/

[Steve]

In addition, I assume you checked the spam folder in gmail?

[Kindred]

Gmail may be shunting the email even before it gets to spam

[Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen]

Gmail may be shunting the email even before it gets to spam

This is likely even, with any "new" domain used if you don't have absolutely everything configured tightly, like SPF and DKIM, so that gmail can tell who sent it.

[iqbalimaduddin]

In addition, I assume you checked the spam folder in gmail?

yes. I've tried register with all my 6 gmail account, and no email arrives in both spam or junk folder. And if i'm using other account like YahooMail, Outlook, hxxp:mail.com [nonactive] and so on.. the  notification of new registered user in top bar would arrive, but if using Gmail, it didn't arrive.

[Kindred]

Yes, we have already told you why

[iqbalimaduddin]

Gmail may be shunting the email even before it gets to spam

This is likely even, with any "new" domain used if you don't have absolutely everything configured tightly, like SPF and DKIM, so that gmail can tell who sent it.

SPF and DKIM, i'll look into it. Thank you

[iqbalimaduddin]

Thank god. It's settled. So here how it goes

As per suggestion, I went to Mail settings and change PHP (default) into SMTP, and after that tried to register another dummy account using Gmail. Few minutes later, an email arrives in forum email, saying that there's indeed a problem :

Code Select Expand

This message was created automatically by mail delivery software.

A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its
recipients. This is a permanent error. The following address(es) failed:

    [email protected]
    host gmail-smtp-in.l.google.com [xxx.xxx.xx.xx]
    SMTP error from remote mail server after pipelined end of data:
    550-5.7.26 This mail has been blocked because the sender is unauthenticated.
    550-5.7.26 Gmail requires all senders to authenticate with either SPF or DKIM.
    550-5.7.26
    550-5.7.26  Authentication results:
    550-5.7.26  DKIM = did not pass
    550-5.7.26  SPF [mydomain.com] with ip: [xx.xxx.xxx.xx] = did not pass
    550-5.7.26
    550-5.7.26  For instructions on setting up authentication, go to
    550 5.7.26  https://support.google.com/mail/answer/81126#authentication ec23-20020a170906b6d700b00a51d60792eesi109490ejb.477 - gsmtp
So I'm rushing to Mail Deliverability in Cpanel, and saw the notice about the problem (DKIM and SPF), and ask me to contact hosting provider. So I contact them to resolve the problem.

Thanks guys

[Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen]

You're welcome.

[a10]

Just a commnent. Years ago had random trouble getting some emails to recipients, php since the beginning, mail has now been working fine for a very long time, am thinking the host upgraded their php mail setup with proper auth. settings.

A forum mail, after learned what to look for :O)

Authentication-Results:**.com;
   spf=pass smtp.mailfrom=**.net smtp.remote-ip=**.**;
   dkim=pass header.d=**.net header.s=bf2 header.a=*n19-sha256 header.*Rcu;
   dmarc=none header.from=**.net;