Apple Mail is an honest different to Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, Spark, and all the opposite electronic mail shoppers accessible for the Mac. However despite the fact that Apple has been delivering its in-house mail consumer for years and often updates it, it doesn’t come with out criticisms–it could possibly be a significantly better electronic mail consumer if it weren’t for these annoyances.
Half-hearted AI implementation
Since macOS 15.4 and iOS 18.4, Apple Intelligence has been an integral a part of the working system and in addition of Apple Mail, however Apple Intelligence can nonetheless solely “tinker” with electronic mail texts–summaries, sensible replies, writing instruments, and a bit extra. There may be monumental potential for AI options, particularly in electronic mail administration and spam detection. As an alternative of counting on actual synthetic intelligence, Apple Mail continues to depend on so-called “clever” folders for group and spam detection. That’s not sufficient.
Catastrophic spam detection
As a result of Apple doesn’t presently depend on AI for this and has apparently not made any enhancements to the algorithms for “clever” spam detection for years, Apple Mail’s filter operate is disastrous. It virtually doesn’t work in any respect on the iPhone and iPad, and on the Mac, the outcomes are hit or miss.
Lengthy-time Apple Mail customers know the issue: the identical annoying spam messages which have been moved to the spam folder numerous occasions find yourself within the inbox time and again. On the similar time, essential emails disappear into the spam folder for fully obscure causes. That is significantly annoying in the case of actually essential messages, like payments which are due.
Good mailboxes aren’t sensible
Anybody utilizing Apple Mail with clever mailboxes for electronic mail administration rapidly realizes that the “intelligence” is predicated on mere filters. Customers must manually listing standards reminiscent of “sender – incorporates – @nerviger-newsletter.de” as a way to type emails particularly. This was an important innovation in 2005 when Apple Mail 2.0 got here out and launched this function. 20 years later and in mild of the AI revolution, it seems to be previous: Even in OS 26, the “intelligence” is proscribed to creating lengthy if-then lists within the Apple Mail interface.
When you like lengthy, complicated lists, you should use the Good Mailbox operate in Apple Mail.
Foundry
An more and more complicated app
Apple Mail initially goes again to Nextmail, the mail consumer of Steve Jobs’ NextStep working system, which shaped the idea for in the present day’s Apple working programs. Sadly, Apple hasn’t dared to undertake a basic redesign of the UI since then nevertheless it continues to tack on new features. The outcome: Apple Mail is extraordinarily complicated, significantly on the Mac, particularly when a number of mail accounts and sensible and native folders come into play.
To enhance the overview, Apple has regularly launched options reminiscent of mail flags, the VIP folder, and the dialog view. The most recent “masterpiece” was the addition of mail classes, which makes issues much more sophisticated for a lot of customers. Fortuitously, many of those features could be deactivated in order that slightly order could be restored.
Even the settings are complicated. Quite a few menus create much more chaos.
Foundry
What can’t be switched off is Apple’s menu mania in Apple Mail for Mac. There may be the settings menu, which has grown right into a complicated mess through the years. The identical applies to the menu bar, which incorporates dozens of tick bins and the place a small working error can fully wreck the looks of Apple Mail. The that means of the person menu objects generally requires a complicated diploma in software program design.
If that wasn’t dangerous sufficient, there may be, in fact, the context menu, which merely incorporates too many menu objects which are hardly organized logically. There may be not a lot left of Apple’s fundamental thought of straightforward usability right here.
Mail classes
The Mail app on the Mac is so tousled that even issues which are speculated to make it higher trigger much more chaos. Since macOS 15/iOS 18, Apple Mail routinely acknowledges whether or not an electronic mail is essential, incorporates a transaction or information, or whether or not it’s promoting (not spam, as a result of the English phrase right here is “promotions”).
Sadly, the tabs cover all different emails. If you’re within the fallacious tab, it’s simple to miss essential messages. The categorization itself is extra like a lottery than a transparent logic: essential emails all of a sudden find yourself underneath “Promoting,” transactions seem in every single place however not within the correct tab. It’s virtually unattainable to regulate the categorization manually, as emails can solely be assigned to the predefined classes.
Account synchronization limits
Anybody who makes use of a number of electronic mail accounts in Apple Mail will likely be aware of the issue when switching to new units. Mail accounts already arrange on a Mac are transferred to a different Mac, however to not an iPhone or iPad. Conversely, accounts stay throughout the iOS system: When you add a brand new iPad to your iPhone, you will see that the accounts there, however not on a Mac.
That is significantly annoying as a result of mail accounts usually must be painstakingly arrange once more, despite the fact that Apple really offers the know-how to routinely synchronize accounts on all units with iCloud and the keychain.
Account login hiccups
Immediately, Apple Mail needs the password for an account, or the account can’t be acknowledged in any respect throughout setup. That is often as a result of an issue with the mail server, however Apple Mail tends to point out weaknesses, particularly with IMAP accounts from third-party suppliers which are neither Apple, Google, Microsoft, nor AOL.
There are two causes for this: Firstly, the setup interface is reasonably complicated, and secondly, Apple Mail generally appears merely unreliable in the case of configuration. Some accounts can’t be added on particular person units, however then all of a sudden could be added to others. What’s irritating is that customers have little affect over this.
Lacking attachments that may’t load
“Right here’s an essential file!” The issue is that Apple Mail shows the attachment, nevertheless it can’t be opened or downloaded. The one resolution is to ask the sender of the message to ship the information once more individually. Conversely, Apple Mail can even play this sport and ship attachments in such a method that the recipient doesn’t obtain them accurately, or some information are lacking. This has been an issue for years. However whether or not and the way it happens appears to rely on the mix of mail software program utilized by the sender and recipient. In any case, Apple Mail performs its personal function right here.
Improve crash sport
With each new macOS or iOS model, the Mail app additionally receives a brand new model quantity, and this usually causes instability and crashes. Notably dreaded is the message “Updating the Mail database” on the primary begin after an improve. After that, issues are inclined to happen: misplaced emails or attachments, forgotten passwords, and even extreme crashes. Apple Mail is especially delicate right here, so the one actual resolution is often to attend for the primary bugfix launch of the brand new working system model.
This text initially appeared on our sister publication Macwelt and was translated and localized from German.
