Apple introduced an updated Mail app for iPhones while announcing the iOS 18 update at its annual developer conference, WWDC 2024. With iOS 18, Apple Mail will be able to categorise the inbox to filter out promotional emails and newsletters. The updated interface of the default iPhone app looks similar to Google’s Gmail’s app and offers multiple categories such as Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions. Apart from this, Apple Intelligence will also offer features for Apple Mail to help users proofread, summarise and rewrite their mails.


Apple Mail new features: Availability
The updated Apple Mail app will be available with the iOS 18 update. The developer beta of iOS 18 is available through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com starting today, and a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com. iOS 18 will be available later this year in autumn as a free software update for iPhone Xs and later.


Apple Mail new features: How will it help users
With iOS 18, the inbox in Apple Mail will be organised into categories, such as promotions, newsletters and transactions. This feature aims to separate routine emails, which iPhone users don’t want to delete or mark as junk, from their main inbox.

This new approach is similar to a tool available in Gmail which also categorises emails into groups like Primary for personal and time-sensitive emails, Transactions for confirmations and receipts, Updates for news and social notifications, and Promotions for marketing emails and coupons.


However, Apple has enhanced this format with a new priority view that highlights the most relevant emails at any given time. For instance, if you’re about to catch a flight, your booking confirmation will be displayed prominently.

Moreover, there’s a new Digest view that consolidates all relevant emails from a business, allowing users to quickly scan for important information.

The updated Apple Mail is also set to bring multiple helpful AI features. The newly-introduced Apple Intelligence will assist users with proofreading their emails or rewriting them to sound more professional. Additionally, iPhone users will also be able to request it to add summary bullet points at the top of a long email. This will make it easier to convey key points efficiently.