What changed with iiNet, Westnet and TPG email?
If your iiNet or Westnet email has stopped working, Outlook or Thunderbird keeps asking for your password, or a payment notice from The Messaging Company has arrived, you are not alone. It is understandable to worry about an address you have relied on for years, especially if you are deciding whether to keep paying or start using a different provider.
TPG Telecom decided to stop providing email hosting across iiNet and related brands, including Westnet. Customers who accepted the offer to move their eligible account became customers of The Messaging Company, an Australian company that now hosts that email service. Your email app, internet connection and email-hosting subscription are separate things: The Messaging Company provides the mailbox, while your internet provider supplies your internet connection.
If your account was successfully transferred, you can generally keep using the same email address while the account remains active and you maintain the required subscription. The exact terms can depend on the original provider and your account. The old iiNet/TPG migration opt-in is closed; it is not a new sign-up offer, and an address that was not transferred may not be recoverable.
Why am I paying for email now?
Some customers originally received an email mailbox as part of an internet plan or as a separately billed ISP service. After the hosting change, The Messaging Company provides a separately billed email subscription. Its current plan and payment options can change, so check The Messaging Company's current pricing rather than relying on an old notice or an amount quoted elsewhere.
Paying The Messaging Company for email does not itself pay for your broadband, and paying your broadband provider does not necessarily pay for your email subscription. Before cancelling a related iiNet or TPG service, check the terms that apply to your particular address as well as the status of your email subscription.
If you receive a payment notice, verify it before paying. The Messaging Company lists noreply@themessaging.co as an address it uses for account notifications, but a sender name alone is not proof that a message is genuine. If uncertain, open its official webmail yourself and check your account, plan and next renewal date. See The Messaging Company's trusted websites and senders for its current details. Do not send your password or card details by email.
Why has my email stopped working?
A repeated password prompt does not always mean your password is wrong. The account could be suspended, your mail app may have an old saved password, or its incoming or outgoing server settings may no longer match what the account needs. First check which service is handling your mailbox now.
- In a browser, type webmail.themessagingco.com.au yourself and try signing in with your full email address. This helps check whether the mailbox works outside Outlook, Thunderbird or your phone app.
- If webmail opens, check the Inbox, Spam and other folders. Search for the missing messages and check whether a mail rule moved them.
- Check the transfer confirmation. The Messaging Company says it sends an email when an account has transferred. The iiNet/Westnet/TPG opt-in and main transfer took place in 2023–24 and that original opt-in is closed. Other providers have made separate, later transfer offers; their eligibility, dates, payment arrangements and setup instructions are not a reopening of the old TPG offer. Use the notice for the specific email address and wait for its transfer confirmation before assuming the move is complete.
- Check your account status and renewal details through the official webmail or account portal. An overdue subscription may be suspended, and an email app can show this as a password or connection error.
- If you have received a specific notice asking you to update mail settings, follow the instructions for your email app in that notice and The Messaging Company's current guide. Its transfer guidance says most customers do not need to change settings, and only customers specifically notified about a required change should do so.
The Messaging Company's current general IMAP, POP and SMTP details are in its mail server settings guide. However, outgoing-server changes can be specific to a notice and email application. Avoid changing a working incoming setup just because an older online guide lists different settings.
For a newly transferred account, the password you used before transfer may continue to work. If you later changed the email password in The Messaging Company webmail, that email password is separate from the password you use to sign in to your old ISP account. In an email app, check that the full email address is used as the username and update any saved password only when you know the current email password.
A note about POP, IMAP and missing messages
IMAP keeps mail on the email service and synchronises folders across your devices; The Messaging Company recommends it. POP usually downloads messages to a particular computer; depending on its settings, it may remove them from the server or leave them only in a local Outlook or Thunderbird data file. POP generally does not synchronise all folders between devices.
This matters during a changeover. A server-to-server transfer can only include mail that is still on the provider's server; messages already downloaded by POP may be stored only on your computer. Removing a POP account or its local data file can make those messages difficult to access. Before deleting or recreating an account, check webmail and the mail app, and make a backup of locally stored messages and contacts. The Messaging Company's guidance warns that POP users are responsible for backing up mail removed from its server.
If only some messages appear to be missing, check Spam, other folders, email rules, subscribed IMAP folders and the app's sync range. A message may be on the server but not downloaded to Outlook yet.
Can I keep my old address, or should I move?
If your address was transferred successfully, keeping it can reduce disruption: your existing contacts can continue to reach you, and you do not have to update every account straight away. You will need to keep the required email subscription active and follow the terms that apply to an address using the old provider's domain.
An address such as @iinet.net.au, @westnet.com.au or @tpg.com.au uses a domain controlled by its original provider. It generally cannot simply be moved to Gmail, Microsoft 365 or another email host as the same address. If you change providers, you will usually need a new email address.
Moving to an address you control independently, or to a business-owned domain, can make future provider changes easier. But plan the move before cancelling the old email service: save messages and contacts, update important accounts and tell people which address to use. You can keep both addresses active for a transition period if your current account and subscription allow it. Do not assume the old address or mailbox can be recovered after it has been deleted.
How The IT Workshop can help
The IT Workshop helps Perth home users and small businesses with the computer and email side of the change. Depending on what is accessible and how your account is configured, we can help troubleshoot Outlook or Thunderbird, check the settings on your computer and devices, investigate where messages are appearing, and plan a move to a new email service. We can also help copy saved messages or contacts where the source data is available and the format allows it.
We cannot restore an email account or messages that the email provider has permanently deleted, and we do not control The Messaging Company's billing or account systems. If the problem is a subscription, transfer eligibility or a provider-side outage, The Messaging Company is the email host and may need to resolve it.
For an overview of our email and Outlook support, see our services page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my iiNet or Westnet email address?
If you accepted the original transfer and The Messaging Company completed it, you can generally keep using the address while its account remains active and the required subscription and terms are met. The old opt-in has closed; an address that was not transferred may not be recoverable.
Why am I now paying for email?
Email hosting is now supplied by The Messaging Company as a separately billed service. Check its current plan and pricing information for current details.
Why does Outlook keep asking for my password?
Possible causes include an outdated saved password, incorrect mail settings, or a suspended email subscription. Try signing in to webmail first to help narrow down whether the issue is with the mailbox or the app.
Will I lose saved emails if I change providers?
Not necessarily, but check where the messages are stored before making changes. IMAP mail is generally synchronised with the server; POP may have downloaded messages to one computer only. Back up local mail and contacts before deleting an account or changing its setup.
Can I transfer my existing address to Gmail or Microsoft 365?
Usually not as the same address, because the old ISP domain belongs to that provider. You can move to a new address, then plan to copy available mail and update the accounts and contacts that use the old one.
Can The IT Workshop help with the changeover?
Yes. We can help with email apps, computer and device configuration, accessible saved mail and contacts, and planning a move to another service. Get in touch with The IT Workshop to discuss what you need.
Provider and account information checked against iiNet's changeover information, TPG's email changeover information and The Messaging Company's current FAQ, transfer settings guidance, password guidance, missing email guidance and POP data and backup guidance.