problems sending email to contacts with special characters

[kikorras]

Hi all,

OK, let's see if I can explain the problem: Some of my contacts have names with special characters (Spanish

 

[Crashdamage]

This is not a problem with your phone email client, it's a rejection by the email server. Common problem with such addresses. Not much you can do except be sure you're using email addresses known to have worked previously.

 

[Unforgiven]

What email app are you using? This will help if what I am thinking is the case.

This sounds like a character encoding issue. The stock gmail app encodes in UTF-8 and should work with any language / special character. If it is encoded in anything else it will send funky characters to the receiving email server, thus the rejection. It may be a setting in the app for default character encoding. I've checked the apps on my phone and don't see the setting on them. I suppose it could be a server setting as well. I'll dig some more when you let me know which email app you are using.

 

[Crashdamage]

This sounds like a character encoding issue. The stock gmail app encodes in UTF-8 and should work with any language / special character. If it is encoded in anything else it will send funky characters to the receiving email server, thus the rejection.

Special characters *should* work but many email servers refuse to cooperate. For example I had a business contact named Xxxx.O'Brien@xxx.com and no matter what I tried I could not get an email to him from any phone or computer. His server always rejected it, even though it would allow him to send email with that address. Finally, his company IT guy convinced him to swallow his Irish pride and change his address to Xxxx.OBrien@xxx.com.

It may be a setting in the app for default character encoding. I've checked the apps on my phone and don't see the setting on them. I suppose it could be a server setting as well.

The stock vanilla Gingerbread email client doesn't have a setting for encoding nor does Enhanced Email. I think K9 might but I don't have it installed to check.

 

[Unforgiven]

I think K9 might but I don't have it installed to check.

Thanks chanchan, I agree quotes in email often cause problems (cause problems in a whole lot of areas) but in his example the tilde is what led me to character encoding. I used to dev for a website in 50+ languages and the admin initially set it up with localized encoding. When I took it over that changed quick. One encoding in, one encoding out. Chinese was the language that pushed me over the edge.


I checked all the settings I could find in K9, but didn't see anything. There are a lot of settings in that puppy and I am just getting used to it, so the likelihood of my missing it is pretty high.