The Mail app running on iOS, with categories shown on-screen.
(Image credit: Future)
If you’ve had an email account for any length of time, you’ll know how quickly your inbox can become cluttered and unruly. Trying to locate that important appointment or the latest demand from your boss can be a struggle when you’re overwhelmed with coupons, newsletters, social media updates, and receipts.
Fortunately, this is one area where Apple Intelligence can be a real lifesaver. Apple’s AI system includes all sorts of useful features for iPhones, including a better way to sort your emails. Specifically, Apple Intelligence can automatically sort your messages into relevant categories without you having to lift a finger.
These include Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions. Primary is your main inbox, and it’s where you'll find personal messages and time-sensitive emails. Transactions houses confirmations, receipts, and shipping alerts, while Updates contains news, newsletters, and social updates. Finally, Promotions stores coupons and messages relating to sales.
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In the below guide, we've broken down how to navigate Mail categorization on your iPhone, as well as how to turn off the feature if you're (understandably) not a fan of Apple's automatic tidying-up.
Tools and requirements
Apple’s Mail app
iOS 18.2 or later
An Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone
Quick steps
In the Transactions, Updates, or Promotions categories, open an email to get a “digest” view of all messages from that sender
You can change a sender’s category by tapping the Reply button and selecting Categorize Sender
To disable categories, tap the … button, then select List View
How to use the digest view
Digest view presents a sender’s emails in a list, allowing you to browse backwards and find past messages from them without having to use the search function.
1. Pick a category
The Mail app running on iOS, with categories shown on-screen.
(Image: © Future)
Tap one of the category icons at the top of the screen. This will automatically shift to the section you have selected.
2. Digest view
When you view an email in any category other than Primary, Mail will show a “digest” view of messages from this sender.
3. Sender info
The sender appears in a box at the top, with a note on how many messages you’ve received from them. You can scroll back through past messages to see more from the same sender.
4. View all messages
There’s a small up/down arrow near the top of the page. Tap this to change from the selected category to all messages from this sender.
5. Not for Primary mail
Note that this digest view doesn’t appear in the Primary category.
How to change a sender’s category
Apple Intelligence usually puts emails in the right categories, but if you find that it's got something wrong, you can manually move a message to the correct place.
1. Reply
The Mail app running on iOS, with categories shown on-screen.
(Image: © Future)
In the Primary category, open a message and tap the Reply button (it’s a leftward-facing arrow in the bottom toolbar).
2. Categorize Sender
From here, select Categorize Sender in the list of options, then tap a category from the list. Alternatively, instead of tapping a category, you can select Automatically to let iOS decide which category to use for you.
3. Alternative method
Things work a little differently if you are trying to change the category of a message in the Transactions, Updates, or Promotions sections. Instead, tap a message in one of these categories to open it.
4. Finish up
Tap … in the top-right corner, then select Categorize Sender. Now choose a category from the list or pick Automatically to let iOS handle the categorization on your behalf.
How to disable Mail categories
Categories not your thing? It just takes a couple of quick taps to disable them and get back to a traditional inbox view.
1. Disable all categories
The Mail app running on iOS, with categories shown on-screen.
(Image: © Future)
Regardless of which category you are in, tap the … button in the top-right corner, then select List View. This will disable all categories.
2. Restore categories
To restore categories, tap … again and choose Categories.
3. Show all mail
You can also view all your mail in an uncategorized view without having to disable categories. Simply tap the selected category at the top of your screen. For instance, if you are in the Transactions category, tap Transactions again. This will reveal a previously hidden All Mail category on the right-hand side of the categories list.
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Freelance Contributor
Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.