The iPhone messaging application is not immune to Apple’s intelligence. In fact, the new AI features are automatically activated once you have updated the appropriate version of iOS and Activate Apple Intelligence. BAM, your mail is now sorted in different reception boxes. Apple uses its AI chops to automatically classify emails in different compartments, separate your transactions, updates and promotional emails from your main contacts. It is not customizable, but you are at least free to recategorize an email which is clear in the bad tab.
Apple Intelligence’s summary function is also at the front and center. Apple will try to summarize an email or a wire in a single line just below the subject.
If you find these features boring or unnecessary, they can be easily disabled. If you like to see all your emails in a single list view, as if it has been for more than a decade, there is an easy way to go back. And if you have the impression that the emails are distracted, you can also quickly get rid of them.
The features of the Apple Intelligence category are part of The iOS 18.2 updateWho is currently available as a beta developer, and will soon be deployed as a relatively more stable public beta option. You will probably not have to worry about them for the moment, at least if you only update once the features are at their final step. But if you have an iPhone 15 pro or more, you may already see mail summaries, as they have released in iOS 18.1. In iOS 18.1, there were also priority messages, where Apple tries to float the emails that it deems the most important at the top of your reception box.
How to deactivate AI categories in the iPhone messaging application
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
There is a way to have your cake and eat it too. Let’s say that you like new categories, most of the time, but you may want to display all emails as one list from time to time. In this case, a simple right shift on the category tab bar will reveal the hidden All mail Tab, where you can read all your emails in peace.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
If you want to completely deactivate the functionality, press the three points Menu button at the top of the application and switch to the List display. While you are here, you can also deactivate the Show priority Option to hide the Apple Intelligence priority messaging area.
How to recategorize emails in the iPhone messaging application
Maybe you want to keep the categories tabs, but from time to time, you find that AI is not completely sorting your email. In this case, you can manually recite an email-new emails from the same sender will even appear in the tab in which you move it.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Open an email and press the Answer Lower toolbar button. Swipe up and choose Categorization. Now choose the category to which you want to go. From the next screen, confirm using the Continue option. Now, all the new emails of this sender will appear in the newly chosen tab.
How to deactivate AI summary previews in the messaging application
These small summaries of Apple intelligence are perhaps the least harmful to all the characteristics of the AI. When you have a long message, or if it is an email concerning a banking transaction or an update for delivery, Apple will use AI to show you the most important information directly from the view of the reception box.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Go to Parameters > Applications > Email and deactivate the Summarize messages of messages functionality. Now when you come back to the mail application, the small summary glimps have left.
This parameter does not deactivate the summary button that you will see in the upper toolbar when you read an email. I found that it can be very useful when you browse a long e -mail, and it’s quite discreet – you need to click the button before seeing a summary. The only way I found it to turn it out is by completely deactivating the Apple Intelligence, which you can do under Parameters > Apple Intelligence & Siri > Apple Intelligence.