With the release of iOS 18.2, Apple unveiled a completely redesigned Mail app. This new version incorporates features such as email categorization, an updated visual design, contact images or logos for discussions, and a revamped system for organizing emails among other improvements. While all of this sounded appealing during its debut at WWDC, after using it for a while, I’ve started to have some reservations.
Mail Categorization
A standout feature of the new Mail app is its email categorization, which sorts your messages into different categories: Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions.
This system seems beneficial in theory, as it could help streamline your inbox, ensuring that the Primary tab holds all your important emails. However, in practice, I noticed many emails were miscategorized, which often led me to the “All Mail” tab just to access everything without having to navigate through inaccurate sorting.
Although it is possible to recategorize senders if the sorting isn’t to your liking, I find that process more cumbersome than simply disabling the categorization feature altogether.
How to Disable It
Apple recognizes that not every user may appreciate the categorization feature and has included a straightforward method to turn it off.
Simply click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the inbox, and you can switch from Categories to List View. This will give you an “All Mail” layout while still retaining the profile images and design elements of the revamped Mail app.
This setting can be adjusted per inbox, so if you prefer categorization for some inboxes but want just a list view for others, that flexibility is available.
Priority Notifications
Fortunately, Apple has also integrated Priority Notifications within the Mail app, which effectively emphasizes important emails without risking the chance of missing out on messages due to suboptimal categorization. This feature has proven to be quite useful on several occasions. However, it requires an Apple Intelligence-capable device (iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, iPad mini 7, and M1 or later models of Macs/iPads) to function effectively, and it’s how I prefer to keep track of what matters.
Apple is planning to rollout the Priority Notifications feature to all Apple Intelligence-capable devices in a future iOS 18 update, enabling users to track important messages across various applications beyond just mail. However, this update has yet to be released.
What are your thoughts on the new Mail app introduced in iOS 18.2? Share your opinions in the comments section below.
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