the Hidden Feature in iOS : Apple Mail's 'All Mail' Inbox Gets Official

Apple’s iOS 18.5 update has been in beta testing for the past few weeks, and while many expected significant changes, the update has remained fairly minimal in its scope. However, this week’s release of new betas has uncovered a subtle yet noteworthy enhancement in the Apple Mail app—something that many users may not have even known existed. Let’s take a closer look at this hidden feature now being exposed to the public.

iOS 18.5 Beta: Exposing the All Mail Category in Apple Mail

The iOS 18.5 beta introduces a small, but significant change to Apple Mail. While the update doesn’t overhaul the Mail app drastically, it does bring a long-hidden feature into the open: the All Mail inbox category.

For context, Apple Mail has undergone a series of updates and redesigns over the past year. With the release of iOS 18.2, Apple introduced several features to Mail, including inbox categorization, contact photos, and digest views. This was followed by macOS 15.4 and iPadOS 18.4 updates, which brought similar changes to Mail on the Mac and iPad. Now, with the iOS 18.5 beta, Apple continues refining the user experience by exposing an option that has been quietly tucked away in the app.

The All Mail Category: Why Was It Hidden?

In previous versions of iOS 18, Apple Mail included a fifth inbox category called “All Mail,” which was kept hidden from the user interface. While users could access this category by swiping left on the row of categories in the Mail app, there was no visual indication that it even existed. This hidden feature has long been a source of confusion for users who wondered why Apple chose to hide it in the first place.

If you looked at the category row in the Mail app on iOS 18.4 or earlier, you’d notice the following categories:

– Primary

– Transactions

– Updates

– Promotions

But if you swiped left on this row, you’d discover the elusive “All Mail” view. It was an odd design choice to keep this feature hidden, especially given its potential usefulness for users who prefer a more consolidated view of their inbox.

What’s New in iOS 18.5 Beta?

In iOS 18.5, Apple has now made the All Mail category visible as an official fifth inbox view. The category appears just after the Promotions tab, with its icon partially obscured but visible enough to show that another category is present. You can also scroll through Mail’s category row horizontally, which is particularly useful when using the app in Split View on an iPad.

Although this update may seem like a minor tweak, it’s one that many users, including myself, believe should have been implemented when the Mail redesign first rolled out. With this update, users can keep their category view active while easily switching to the consolidated All Mail view when necessary.

Before this change, the only way to achieve a similar all-in-one inbox was to disable the categories entirely by switching to List View. Now, with iOS 18.5, users can keep the categories they prefer and access All Mail without the hassle of losing that organization.

What Undercode Says:

Apple Mail’s redesign and subsequent updates over the past year have certainly been divisive. On one hand, the overhaul to the inbox categories in iOS 18.2 and the following changes in macOS 15.4 and iPadOS 18.4 offered new ways to manage emails, but on the other hand, some users have felt that the changes were more about design than function. The hidden All Mail feature was one of those design quirks that felt unnecessary and left many wondering why Apple kept it under wraps.

Now that Apple has made the All Mail view more accessible in iOS 18.5, it feels like a long-overdue refinement. The inclusion of this feature as a visible option ensures that users can consolidate their inboxes without having to sacrifice the benefits of category organization. This change seems like a simple one, but it goes a long way toward improving user experience. By making All Mail more accessible, Apple might be able to keep users who preferred the simplicity of a unified inbox, while still allowing the benefits of category-based sorting for others.

What stands out here is Apple’s continued push to refine the user interface and usability of its apps, especially Mail, which is crucial for millions of users daily. It’s clear that Apple is listening to feedback and making thoughtful tweaks rather than drastic changes, which will likely be appreciated by users who are more accustomed to subtle, iterative improvements than sudden overhauls.

For users who’ve been frustrated with the complexity of iOS Mail’s categories, this feature will be a welcome change. By providing more transparency and control over the inbox layout, Apple Mail is becoming a more versatile tool for email management.

Fact Checker Results:

Hidden Feature: Apple Mail’s All Mail view existed previously but was hidden from the main interface.
User Feedback: Feedback suggests users have been frustrated with the Mail redesign and the hidden nature of the All Mail category.
iOS 18.5 Update: The iOS 18.5 update makes the All Mail category visible and accessible for a more streamlined user experience.