The latest upgrade to the iPhone Mail app includes additional category-based sorting tools to optimize your inbox. However, these changes aren’t for everyone. If you’re more of a “long list of emails” kind of person, rest assured; you can disable these categories and return your Mail app to its natural state.
From how they work to how you can customize or disable them completely, this tutorial will walk you through everything you need to know about mail categories so you can have an inbox that’s right for you.
What mail categories does the iPhone offer?
- With the introduction of iOS 18.2, Apple added categories to the iPhone Mail app. Emails are automatically organized into four groups today:
- Primary: The most important emails according to your iPhone.
- This file contains purchase confirmations, delivery updates, and transactional communications like that.
- Updates include newsletters, subscription renewals, and social media alerts.
Promotions: Specials, discounts, and ads.
These categories help you organize your email and focus on what’s important. For example, emails under the “Promotions” category are grouped together with less focus, giving your “primary” emails a front-row seat. Opening an email in the Deals, Updates, or Promotions category will reveal the “Digest View” tool. This groups emails from the same sender into a single thread, delivering a cleaner view. Swipe down and you’ll see all of that sender’s past messages.
But what if this doesn’t work for you? Maybe you want more control over how things are organized, or you want all of your emails in one place. Let’s go over your options.
See all your mail in one view: How
By default, mail categories require you to open each category to view your messages. However, there’s an easy way to bypass this and see all of your emails in one list:
- Use the Mail app.
- At the top of your mail list, under the colored category icons—blue for Primary, green for Transactions, red for Promotions—you can access them.
- This will deselect the active category, revealing the “All Mail” area.
These days, all your emails—from any category—will appear in one consolidated view. It really is that simple!
READ MORE: Apple iOS 18.2 Features: Apple Delays These iPhone, iPad, and Mac Features Again..
Hint-Pro Tip:
This is a great interim solution if you want to keep using categories but occasionally need a complete picture of your inbox.
How does one turn off mail categories in general?
Do you long for the simplicity of the previous Mail app, where everything was shown in one continuous list? To permanently disable mail categories, follow these steps:
- Open the Mail app.
- Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner.
- Select List View from the drop-down options.
Once you do this, all your emails will appear in a single list, just like the Mail app you remember before Apple introduced categories.
This alternative is ideal for anyone who prefers to see all their messages at once without sorting, or who finds categories to be a hassle.
Tailoring Categories for Enhanced Control
If you want more precision but still enjoy the idea of your categories, you can change how your Mail app groups messages. Emails occasionally end up in the wrong category; here’s how to fix that.
Relocating emails to a new category
- Find the email you want to categorize.
- Use the three-dot menu for emails in other categories, or the reply arrow (for emails in the primary category).
- Select the sender from the menu.
- Select the category you want future emails from this sender to appear in.
Emails from the sender will automatically move forward and appear in your chosen category.
Ungroup emails from the same sender
By default, emails in the Transactions, Updates, and Promotions categories are grouped together by sender. While this creates a cleaner inbox, it can mean that you miss out on important individual messages. To ungroup messages:
Pro tip:
Try grouping just one category and see if it helps your experience if you’re unsure about turning off coordinated emails.
Count the Icon Badge (Literally!)
Normally displayed on your Mail app icon, the badge shows the total number of unread emails. But with categories turned on, the badge by default only shows unread emails in the primary category.
If you want a true count across all categories:
- Go to Settings > Notifications > View Mail.
- Customize notifications by tapping
- Under Badge Count, select All Unread Messages.
This change ensures your Mail app icon updates to reflect unread emails in all categories. Use the same process and select Unread Messages in Primary to go back to counting unread emails in Primary only.
What about categories on iPad and Mac?
Currently, Mail categories are only available on iPhone. While Apple’s official preview shows a rollout to other devices, iPadOS 18.2 and macOS 15.2 don’t yet include this capability.
If you use an iPad or Mac and would like to enjoy these capabilities, look for an upcoming operating system upgrade.
Customize Your Inbox to Match Your Process
A deeply personal tool that’s essential to our daily existence is email. Whether you prefer a categorized, grouped inbox, or a single, organized list of emails, the iPhone Mail app offers settings to suit your preferences.
One thought on “How to Disable Mail Categories on iPhone”