topic Re: Unable to set "Alternate Email Address" for email account. in Email

Unable to set "Alternate Email Address" for email account.

gmlack — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 23:23:48 GMT

During recent chatter about my email problems I discovered that a password reset email was being sent to the account making the request.

Message link

I had set the recovery account for all of my TalkTalk emails to be a Google mail one some time ago (>1 year?). However, when I now check in MyAccount I see that none of them has an "Alternate Email Address" set. Was it lost in the move to the recent move to the new email set-up?

But, if I do try to set this (in the MailBox Manager section of My Account), I get an error reported:

An unexpected error occurred.

caused by:

n: INVALID_COUNTRY

So, how can I set a valid one??? There seems to be a bug in the form handling, here.

Re: Unable to set "Alternate Email Address" for email account.

Billx — Sun, 30 Mar 2025 00:24:59 GMT

Hi @gmlack

Can you access the new MailBox Manager at https://apps.talktalk.co.uk/myaccount/?#/mailbox-manager

or is it the old MailBox Manager you can access?

Bill

Re: Unable to set "Alternate Email Address" for email account.

gmlack — Sun, 30 Mar 2025 01:08:15 GMT

It's that new MailBox Manager that has the problem.

No idea where the old one is - I suspect it no longer exists.

Re: Unable to set "Alternate Email Address" for email account.

Billx — Sun, 30 Mar 2025 13:11:09 GMT

Hi. @gmlack

Correct. I have not found the old one, as well.

Obviously the new one needs some sort of testing. Most people have not used it yet.

I did some testing in the new one.

So, you are able to log in the the new one?

In the new one all your TalkTalk email addresses are listed, like in the old one, but has many additional settings.

Only the email addresses marked as 'ADMIN' are able operate within it. There can be more than one marked 'ADMIN'.

To change the settings of one of your email addresses,

login to new 'Mailbox Manager', with an alternative TalkTalk email address, but one which has ADMIN permissions, as well.

Once your in 'Mailbox Manager', click 'Mailbox Manager' on the left

Click the email address (whose details you want to change)

Click 'Edit Details', to get the 'Mailbox details' window

Within this 'Mailbox details' window,

there are text boxes to enter 1. Mobile Phone number and 2. 'Alternative Email Address' for the email address we are interested, as were available in the old Mailbox Manager.

However, if this email address we are interested in, is also marked 'ADMIN', it appears that Mailbox Manager will not allow the other ADMIN to change the 'Alternative Email Address' and it DOES give the 'n INVALID_COUNTRY' error.

I don't know if this is intentional or unintentional, by the programmers.

It seems it might be unintentional, and they have to fix it up, pronto, NOW.

In Windows itself, one ADMIN can change some details of the other ADMIN.

In conclusion, you might not be able to change 'Alternative Email Address' right now.

As usual there is no documentation, with this new software.

EDIT: 13:51 On the other hand, it DOES allow one ADMIN the change the password of the other ADMIN, which seems pretty silly.

You might try that, record the new password manually, and then re-login to Mailbox Manager with that email address and the new password. You might get in.

EDIT: 14:06 I've just tested it myself. Even though it allows to change the password of the other ADMIN, it does NOT allow to change the 'Alternative Email Address' of the other ADMIN, which is very silly

It's basically faulty. I will blame the OX people, Open-Exchange. They must be using a lot of AI.

Bill

Re: Unable to set "Alternate Email Address" for email account.

Billx — Sun, 30 Mar 2025 14:13:33 GMT

Hi, @gmlack

I don't know if you have received my previous message.

But yes, you are totally correct.

This new 'Mailbox Manager' app is a shambles, a bit like the OX people's other app.

Perhaps, they can concentrate on using a bit less AI.

Bill

Re: Unable to set "Alternate Email Address" for email account.

gmlack — Sun, 30 Mar 2025 16:09:46 GMT

>>> On the other hand, it DOES allow one ADMIN the change the password of the other ADMIN, which seems pretty silly.

Perfectly reasonable to me. They are actually all ids under the same TalkTalk Account.

And all of mine are noted as Admin. Given that I could unset that, change a password, then reset Admin it makes no sense to prevent me changing an Admin password in the first place.

Earlier in the week I did get to an older(?) password reset page that sent an SMS verification code. But I can't remember how I got there, and can no longer find it.

Re: Unable to set "Alternate Email Address" for email account.

Billx — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 16:06:35 GMT

Hi @gmlack

Re: >>> On the other hand, it DOES allow one ADMIN the change the password of the other ADMIN, which seems pretty silly.

What I meant by pretty silly , is that it's pretty silly to allow an ADMIN to change other ADMIN's password, but NOT allow an ADMIN to change other ADMIN's 'Alternative Email Address'.

In my case, I attempted to change my wife's 'Alternative Email Address', both logging in as myself and logging in as her.

It is not possible. It is very, very silly.

In the meantime, I checked the other newer functions in this Mailbox Manager, and they are working OK.

But I don't really have any use for the newer functions.

Edit: all mine are ADMIN as well

It seems the only issue is the 'Alternative Email Address' issue, which is the most important setting.

Bill

Re: Unable to set "Alternate Email Address" for email account.

Billx — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 23:19:31 GMT

Hi, @gmlack

How's the 'Alternative Email Address' issue going. Have you solved it?

I have solved it, if you are still interested, and are still there.

Bill

Re: Unable to set "Alternate Email Address" for email account.

gmlack — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 23:42:06 GMT

No. I've heard nothing about the issue at all.

So, if you have a solution, please reveal it.

Re: Unable to set "Alternate Email Address" for email account.

Billx — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 00:08:06 GMT

Hi, @gmlack

I am not sure how many TalkTalk email addresses you have, and how many you're having problems with.

Is it the only one with the problem? Are all the other ones working as they should? Is it the only one that has a mobile phone number set as an alternative contact to send a text with a one-time-passcode? Are there other ones with the mobile phone number setting?

Bill

Re: Unable to set "Alternate Email Address" for email account.

gmlack — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 00:13:49 GMT

I have 4 and they all have this problem.

I think that they all have a mobile recovery number set.

Bu I can't check at the moment, as My Account is down for maintenance.

Re: Unable to set "Alternate Email Address" for email account.

Billx — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 00:34:35 GMT

OK. The problem IS with those 4 mobile phone number settings.

But, you can still login to the Mailbox Manager (the new one)?

While you are at it, mark all of them as 'ADMIN'

Check each of those mobile phone settings

and ensure they all have the UK +44 in front of them, and save.

That's it. You will no longer get the 'n: INVALID_COUNTRY' error.

Apparently this has a big effect on the whole of 'Mailbox Manager', and cures most things.

We can now see the connection between +44 and 'invalid country'.

Bill

Re: Unable to set "Alternate Email Address" for email account.

gmlack — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 00:36:29 GMT

Ah, so it's the 'phone number with the invalid country.

Should have though of that, given that no other field has an associated country...

Thanks. I'll try this out later.

Re: Unable to set "Alternate Email Address" for email account.

Billx — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 00:41:25 GMT

Have a good night

Re: Unable to set "Alternate Email Address" for email account.

gmlack — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 11:10:01 GMT

>> Thanks. I'll try this out later.

Yes, that works, Thanks again.

Also it was useful that you'd posted the link to the Mailbox Manager as I couldn’t find it anywhere by looking around in MyAccount! (I've bookmarked it...)

Re: Unable to set "Alternate Email Address" for email account.

Billx — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 11:29:51 GMT

I am very pleased

Yes, these types of links must be bookmarked.