Are you able to receive emails regularly in WordPress?
eg. when someone posts a comment on your blog or when a new user registers for your site?
I have this same problem – I know WPMU is sending me emails for other things, but BuddyPress related items do not get sent.
On new user registration, the final part of the registration process says “You have successfully created your account! To begin using this site you will need to activate your account via the email we have just sent to your address.”
No email sent to either new user or admin, and new user isn’t in list of users in admin panel.
ok, I have identified the culprit – the install giving me problems is one that I did the one-step install from my hosting admin that uses SimpleScript. I just did another test install manually, and everything works as it should.
but this creates a new problem: I have a live site w/ over 350 users, and that too was originally installed last September w/ SimpleScript. Those initial users were able to sign up, but somewhere along the way, that process broke.
So the question is this:
Can I do a manual re-install of WPMU over an existing install from SimpleScript? is it just a matter of uploading/over-writing the WPMU files? I’ll replicate my live site & database in a test directory, disable all plugins, and give it a whirl, and post my results here.
oh, btw, incase you’re wondering, I’m hosting on BlueHost. Their supprt is usually really good until it comes to WP and SimpleScript stuff, even though they’ve integrated it into their control panel.
ok, here’s the results:
1. created a full mirror of my live site in a test directory, including a separate copy of the database.
2. de-activated all plugins, including buddypress
3. chose a non-buddypress theme in admin
4. ftp’d a fresh copy of wpmu to the directory – surprisingly, this didn’t break anything.
5. Before re-activating any plugins, I successfully registered, all activation / notification emails worked fine.
6. re-activated BuddyPress
7. tried to register a new member, and now I have nothing – no activation / notification emails.
Am I wrong to conclude this is a BuddyPress issue?
Unfortunately I have the same problem as the two of you. I am running fresh installations – newest WPMU and BP.
It was running all fine.
Now I (admin) get no email notifications at all – users do not receive any either. The activation emails are not being sent. The WPMU ones are not sent out either.
I am using a catch-all email on my email host to be able to sign up with different emails on the same domain.
First thing I was thinking was whether BP or WP was thinking all this signup from the same email domain was SPAM and therefore closing down signups from my IP or whatever.
I have searched for answers and found this: https://mu.wordpress.org/forums/topic/13039
Apparently some hosts do not allow automated emails to be sent out.
(However, if my host do not allow this, how come it worked fine for two weeks?)
Only plugin I have installed is the cets-blog-defaults. I have tried to deactivate it, but it does not help.
This is really frustrating 
I ran into a similar issue recently on a BP site I was working on.
I used this plugin:
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/configure-smtp/
with a Google Apps email account.
I was unsuccessful with that.
But the bigger question is: why do the activation emails stop when BP is activated?
I’m thinking that there’s some foul-up over the various upgrades since I installed this back in September 09, as when I do a fresh manual install on the same server/domain in a test directory, everything works fine.
I’m wondering if backing up wp-content folder then deleting everything and re-installing a fresh WPMU/BP to existing database then re-installing avatars, images and various plugins etc. will do the trick.
@ruthlessbookie
My response was to Ann Christie.
Try manually installing BP. SimpleScripts isn’t the best way to install WP(MU)/BP.
Yes, make sure to backup your DB as well if you want to keep your content!
r-a-y – I’m in the process of trying that now – will report back.
I’m hoping that this thread will help anyone else in the future who made the mistake of using one-click installers for BP.
@ Ann Christine – if you’re on Blue Host, make sure your email address settings in admin are from the same domain as the site – this is something they changed recently, and didn’t bother to tell anyone.
@r-a-y : thanks – I tried with the plugin you suggested, also using a gmail account, however it does not work. The issue you were having, was it also with the latest BP installed?
Do you think it is a hosting issue I am experiencing?
@ruthlessbookie : Ahhh, I didnt think of that – domain is hosted by One.com – however I will try to change my admin email, of course that could be causing the trouble!
I will keep fingers & toes crossed!! ;P
@Ann Christine
Did you configure the SMTP plugin correctly?
Here are some instructions:
http://ericlbarnes.com/how-to/wordpress-and-google-apps/
The email bug on the BP site I was working would not send any BP email to a GMail account, but would send to all other email addresses. I thought it was semi-related to the issues you and ruthlessbookie were encountering.
I feel like I’m on the verge of solving this problem, but there’s so much deprecated code between my various BP upgrades and my theme that was designed before the switch to parent/child. I have a new theme that works great (based in part on DetoX), but I wish I could just isolate the email activation issue.
The ironic part is I only run a main blog, users don’t get the blog option – so I really would be better off porting this from WPMU to WP, but after tons of attempts, can’t seem to make that happen yet.
so…
I’ll keep trying to figure this out, and hopefully someone else who has solved this issue already will chime in with some words of wisdom.
@r-a-y
– I ticked the Send e-mail via GMail
– SMTP host was then automatically set as smtp.gmail.com
– port set automatically to 465
– Use SMTPAUTH ticked
– Username and passwd filled in.
It does not work. I looked at the link you provided and tried to untick the “send e-mail via Gmail”, did not help…
Turns out my problem was caused by my hosting company. I finally got a competent supporter who informed me that I could only run the single WP on One.com, not MU
Looking for some other Hosting Company now.
Thanks for all your help!
Ann – if you’re doing a fresh install, I recommend BlueHost.com , just dont fall for the one click install thing
so far, I’ve still not been able to get wpmu activation emails to work with buddypress activated – de-activated, wpmu sends all the emails. I’m really confused about this, and a bit surprised that I’m the only one who seems to be experiencing this issue.
although I’m still unable to solve the core issue of the problem, I discovered a plugin that solved the problem:
https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/mail-from/
THANK YOU @ruthlessbookie. I just set up a fresh install of the latest WP single and BP 1.2.2.1 on bluehost. Tried registering a new user – no activation email sent. Was about to throw something through a wall after spending 3 hours on this and at least it’s working now after using the “mail-from” plugin. Jeez. Shouldn’t have to do that, and I wish I understood the core issue… but thanks again.
It’s not a BuddyPress issue, it’s that your server does not support SMTP or at least wp_mail() in its normal form.
@ruthlessbookie – glad to hear you also solved your problems. Just out of curiosity – does your host run with safe mode ON?
I signed up with two different hosts. One promised me that it would work for sure – however lots of issues turned up here, directories issues etc. The other one works just PERFECT.
Thank you *so much* for suggesting mail_from, ruthlessbookie. It solved my problem when nothing else seemed to work. I’m running WP / single user, and tried every suggestion I found:
What did not work:
– disabling everything except BP (notifications worked fine with BP off)
– setting up SMTP plugins with gmail
– setting up SMTP with my own host (hostmonster)
– installing the BP update
What DID work:
– mail_from plugin — Whoo hoo!
So glad there’s a solution. Will take a look at xmsmmgrs’s suggestion next. Thanks!
I also want to thank ruthlessbookie. That plugin finally did the trick. This problem was driving me nuts.
I use Bluehost and will check with them per Andy’s suggestion above. But this must be an issue with a lot of folks. Is there a way to make sure it will work is a host doesn’t support smtp.
