Setting up a forwarding rule is only half the job. Arbyn checks that it's actually working before your support address counts as connected, and shows you exactly that status in Settings → Email.
What it does
After you save a support address, Arbyn shows a badge next to it: Forwarding verified, or Not confirmed. This isn't a guess. Arbyn only shows "verified" once it has actually received a real email routed through your forwarding rule. Until that happens, your support address stays unconfirmed, even if you're confident the rule itself is set up correctly.
Where to find it
Settings → Email, second section, "Your support address." The badge sits next to the section title, and a Send test button appears underneath whenever your address isn't verified yet.
How it works
Arbyn confirms your forwarding two ways, and either one is enough on its own:
Send a test. Click Send test, and Arbyn emails a short verification message to your support address. If your forwarding rule is live, that message travels out to your support inbox and gets forwarded straight back to your Arbyn inbox, where Arbyn detects it and flips the badge to verified automatically. Nothing to check manually; the page updates once it arrives, usually well under a minute.
Or just email it directly. You don't have to wait for, or even use, the test button. Send any real email from your support address to your Arbyn inbox address (shown in the first section of this page), and Arbyn detects that too and marks you verified. This is a genuine fallback, not a lesser option; some merchants prefer it because it doesn't depend on a test message routing correctly through spam filters along the way.
Either way, once verified, Arbyn shows you exactly what it received: the real subject line and sender of the message that confirmed it, never a placeholder.
Why Send test needs the forwarding rule to already exist
This trips people up: clicking Send test before your forwarding rule is set up does nothing visible. That's expected, not a bug. The test message has to travel all the way out to your support inbox and get forwarded back; if nothing is forwarding it, the test simply goes nowhere, and nothing ever arrives to verify. Set up your forwarding rule first (see the previous article), then send the test.
Good to know
"Not confirmed" doesn't mean broken. It means Arbyn hasn't yet received a message proving the forwarding rule works, which is expected right after you first set it up. Send a test, or wait for a real customer email to prove it.
You're rate-limited to one test per minute. Clicking Send test again immediately asks you to wait; this only stops accidental double-sends, never a deliberate resend a minute later.
Editing your support address resets verification. If you change the address in Settings → Email, Arbyn clears the verified status, since the new address hasn't yet proven its forwarding works. You'll need to verify again; this is expected, not a sign anything broke.
You're never blocked from using Arbyn while unverified. Your chat widget works independently of email entirely, and even on email, an unverified badge only affects the status shown to you: mail can still be arriving fine if your forwarding rule is correct, verification is Arbyn confirming that for you, not gating anything.
FAQ
I set up forwarding, and it's still stuck on "Not confirmed." What's wrong? First, double-check the forwarding rule is actually saved in your email provider, not just started; some providers, Gmail especially, require a separate confirmation step before forwarding activates. Then click Send test and wait a minute or two. If nothing arrives, try emailing your Arbyn inbox address directly from your support address instead, that's a completely independent check.
How long does verification usually take? Seconds to a couple of minutes in most cases, since the test message just has to round-trip through your forwarding rule. If it's been longer than a few minutes, something in the forwarding setup likely needs a second look.
Can I skip verification entirely? Yes. Verification confirms forwarding is working, it doesn't gate whether Arbyn processes email. If your forwarding is genuinely working, Arbyn picks up and answers real customer emails whether or not you've ever clicked Send test; the badge just won't say "verified" until it detects proof.
Does verifying again hurt anything if I already know it's working? No. Sending a test, or emailing your inbox address directly, is always safe to repeat; it only ever confirms, it never disrupts anything already in place.