Apple’s new Mail Categories in iOS 18.2 and later are here to help you take control and make managing your email a lot easier. Let’s dive into how you can make the most of these new inbox features on your iPhone.

Credit: Apple
How to update your software to iOS 18.2 or later
First things first, let’s update your software to iOS 18.2 or later:
- Open Settings
- Tap General
- Select Software Update
- Tap Update Now
- Enter your passcode and agree to terms
- Wait for the installation to complete
GET ORGANIZED: NEW IOS 18 CALENDAR FEATURE
Using Categories in Mail on iPhone
In iOS 18.2 and later, the Mail app enhances email management by automatically sorting messages into distinct categories. This feature is designed to help you quickly find and manage your emails.
Categories overview
- Primary: Contains personal messages and time-sensitive information.
- Transactions: Tracks confirmations, receipts, and shipping notices.
- Updates: Includes news, newsletters, and social media updates.
- Promotions: Displays coupon and sales emails.
Note: If a message in the Transactions, Updates, or Promotions categories contains time-sensitive information, it will also appear in the Primary category.
IOS 18’S NEW TEXT FORMATTING AND EFFECTS IN MESSAGES
Using the New Mail categorization feature
Now that you’re all set with iOS 18.2 or later, let’s explore how to use the new Mail Categorization feature:
- Open the Mail app on your iPhone.
- At the top, you’ll see the four new categories: Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions.
- Tap on any category to view emails sorted specifically for that section.
- If you want to see all your emails together, swipe from right to left at the top to reveal the “All Mail” option.
- Once you update to iOS 18.2 or later, the default will be the “Categories” view. If you tap the three horizontal dots in the top right corner of your inbox, you’ll see it is set to Categories.
- If you prefer not to use categories, tap the three horizontal dots again and select List View.
SECRET TRICK TO SEND A TEXT MESSAGE AGAIN WITH IOS 18’S NEW “SEND LATER” FEATURE
Ensuring important emails land in Primary
To make sure important emails, like the CyberGuy newsletter, land in the “Primary” category:
- Scroll through your inbox and locate and tap any email from the CyberGuy Newsletter.
- If you don’t have one handy, check your “Junk” or “Promotions” folders.
- Tap the leftward arrow.
- Click where it says “Categorize Sender.”
- Tap Primary.
- Then, tap Continue.
This simple action helps signal its importance. Once you manually move an email to the Primary category, Apple’s Mail app will learn from this action.
How to change the mailbox view back to what it was before the iOS 18.2 update
If you’re not a fan of the new categorization feature in the Apple Mail app on iOS 18.2, you can easily opt out. Here’s how:
- Open the Mail app.
- Tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
- Select “List View.”
This will disable the category views and show all your emails in a single list.
If you ever want to switch back to the categorized view, you can follow the same steps and select “Categories” instead.
Kurt’s key takeaways
Apple’s new Mail Categories feature aims to streamline your email management by automatically sorting your messages. While it can be incredibly helpful, it may take some time to adjust and fine-tune. Remember to periodically check other categories to ensure important emails aren’t misclassified. With a bit of patience and customization, you can transform your inbox into a more organized and efficient space.
Have you found the new email categorization feature helpful, or do you wish you could go back to the way things were? Let us know in the comments below.
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5 comments
Apple’s AI fails in mail and SIRI interpretations of commands. Every time I ask for directions, SIRI insists on sending the location a text rather than getting directions. And mail categories is better described as hiding, not categorizing. My reaction in every new Apple feature is trying to figure out how to turn it off.
Get rid of categories. Bad idea.
Wish I could go back to the previous version. Don’t like this one at all.
Hi Cynthia, please see the section at the bottom of our article on how to go back to the previous version.
I don’t like this version and can’t stand the organization badges. I want my old version back.