In iOS 18.2, Apple introduced a completely new Mail app. It introduced mail categorization, a fresh coat of paint, contact photos/company logos for conversations, a new system for grouping messages, and more. It all sounded good when it was unveiled at WWDC, but now that I've spent some time using it, I'm having some doubts.
Mail Categorization
One of the most important features of the new Mail app is categorization, which breaks down your emails into different categories: Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions.
This all sounds good in concept, as it will clean up your inbox and the Primary tab will contain everything that's important. However, in practice, a lot of things were incorrectly categorized, and I found myself switching to the All Mail tab most of the time to see everything without having to deal with the inaccurate sorting.
And yes, you can choose to re-categorize senders if you don't like how Apple has decided to sort them. However, I find it a bit tedious compared to simply turning off categorization entirely.
How to Disable It
Apple has thought that categorization might not be to everyone's taste, and has provided an easy way to turn it off.
Click the three dots in the upper right corner of your inbox, and you can switch from categories to a list. This provides an “All Mail” experience while preserving profile photos and other design elements of the new Mail app.
This setting also applies to inboxes, so if you want to have categorization for all inboxes but a list for others, you can do that.
Priority Notifications
Top comment from Sawyer
All mail should be the first tab and default setting. Now, when you open the app while already inside an inbox, you’ll want to make sure you’re looking at the right inbox (if you have multiple accounts) and the right category/all mail.
View all comments
Luckily for me, Apple already has priority notifications in the Mail app, which does a much better job of quickly highlighting what’s important without feeling like I’m potentially missing out on emails due to less-than-perfect categorization. This feature has definitely saved me a couple of times. Obviously, this feature requires an Apple Intelligence-enabled device (iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, iPad mini 7, and M1 and later Mac/iPad) — but it’s my preferred method of seeing what’s important.
Apple will also soon expand priority notifications to all Apple Intelligence-enabled devices in a future iOS 18 release, allowing you to keep track of what’s most important across all of your different apps — not just Mail. But that's not all.
What do you think of the new Mail app in iOS 18.2? Let us know in the comments below.
Follow Michael: X/Twitter, Bluesky, Instagram
