Enhance your email management with Apple's innovative Mail Categories in iOS 18.2 and beyond. This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough of setting up and maximizing these features on your iPhone.

Apple's updated Mail Categories (Apple)

Updating to iOS 18.2 or Later

Begin by ensuring your iPhone is running iOS 18.2 or a more recent version:

• Navigate to Settings
• Select General
• Choose Software Update
• Tap Update Now
• Input your passcode and accept the terms
• Allow the installation process to finish

Software update steps for iOS 18.2 or later (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

Utilizing Mail Categories on iPhone

The Mail app in iOS 18.2 and later automatically organizes messages into specific categories for improved accessibility.

Category Breakdown

• Primary: Personal and urgent communications.
• Transactions: Order confirmations, receipts, and shipping updates.
• Updates: News, newsletters, and social media notifications.
• Promotions: Deals, coupons, and sales information.

Important: Time-sensitive emails within Transactions, Updates, or Promotions will also appear in Primary.

Using Mail Categories on iPhone (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

Implementing the New Mail Categorization

After updating to iOS 18.2 or later, follow these steps:

• Launch the Mail app.
• Locate the four categories: Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions.
• Select a category to view its emails.
• Swipe right to left to access All Mail for a combined view.
• The default view is Categories. Tap the three horizontal dots to confirm or switch to List View.

Steps for using the new Mail categorization (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

Prioritizing Emails in Primary

To ensure crucial emails appear in Primary:

• Find a desired email (e.g., CyberGuy newsletter) in your inbox or other folders.
• Tap the leftward arrow.
• Select Categorize Sender.
• Choose Primary and then Continue.

Prioritizing emails in Primary (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

This trains the Mail app to correctly categorize similar emails in the future.

Key Takeaways

Apple's Mail Categories optimize email organization through automated sorting. While adjustment may be necessary, regular checks and customization will enhance inbox efficiency. Patience and personalization are key to achieving an organized email experience.