Apple iOS 18 is here and promises users ‘more ways than ever to customise your iPhone’.
But beyond new AI features, there are other major changes to Apple’s Mail app.
As an email marketer, now is the time to get up to speed with what's new with iOS 18.
So whether you use EcoSend or any other email platform, here is everything that will impact how Apple users will interact with your email campaigns from now.
iOS 18 Changes Announced In September 2024
In an Apple Event held on September 9, 2024, new details came to light about what to expect on iOS 18.
So we’ll start with these updates first.
Apple Intelligence - Making It Easier For Users To Quickly Read Their Inbox
Instead of only seeing the first lines of an email, users will now be able to view summaries that convey the most useful information.
For email marketers, this will shift the focus from just having an impactful subject line. Now, users will also judge the contents of your email based on the summary of information provided.
Notifications will also include a quick overview of what the message is about, rather than just seeing who the message is from.
Any notifications classed as priority will also be displayed more prominently so that users will be alerted about any important information.
iCloud Mail Cleanup
While Mail on iOS is not the same as iCloud Mail, there are also some changes coming to iCloud Mail that email marketers should be aware of.
Users will be given new tools to clean up their inboxes, including the introduction of time-based rules for removing old messages.
While these new features are designed to enable users to have a clutter-free inbox, they will inevitably also reduce CO2 emissions. That’s because CO2 is produced to send, receive and also store emails.
Few people realise their old emails add to their carbon footprint. With Apple encouraging users to delete unwanted emails, this will actually help the environment.
The official release date for iOS 18 is Monday, September 16. However, iCloud Mail changes may not be added for a while after the iOS updates.
Email Client Share For 2024 - Why You Should Care About The Apple Mail iOS 18 Changes
If you do any kind of email marketing, then something you need to know is that Apple Mail currently holds the market share (48.33%).
In other words, Apple Mail has more users than other major players including Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo Mail.
Inevitably, this makes changes to how users will experience Apple Mail on iOS 18 even more important to understand and ultimately get ahead of now the updates are live.
So let’s take a look at the major differences iOS 18 will bring to the inboxes of iPhones, iPads, iMacs and Apple Vision Pro.
On Device Categorisation
The first big feature of Apple Mail on iOS 18 is that Apple will give users 'a new way to stay in control of managing incoming email' through a new feature called device categorisation.
Industry statistics suggest the average person receives 121 emails per day. Typically, we are used to seeing all incoming mail as one long list, apart from messages that have already been filtered as spam.
As a result, our inboxes can feel cluttered and overwhelming. Too many emails being sent to us may also mean we miss important messages that are lost in all the noise.
Going forward with iOS 18, emails will now automatically be sorted into four main tabs:
Primary
Transactions
Updates
Promotions
The changes are designed to help users stay up to date across all of their mail types.
As the name suggests, the ‘Primary’ category will show emails that the user considers the most important to them, such as emails from personal contacts or anything containing time-sensitive information.
All other commercial emails will fall into the other categories depending on whether they are order receipts, newsletters or general promotional content.
Digest View For Businesses
Digest View is a new feature that will corral all emails sent from a business to make it even easier for users to view your content.
Users will be able to quickly scan snippets of emails and also see any new updates from the sender.
The changes will mean that instead of having one email on their screen, users can see a longer list of emails from the sender. Digest View will give users the ability to maximise or minimise certain elements of any message sent depending on their needs and interests.
As well as making email campaigns easier to follow, Digest View also emphasises the need for marketers to build a solid profile, as multiple emails can be viewed at once as one long thread.
Previously, users would have had to exit the email and search for another if the email they opened was not the one they were looking for, or even if they just wanted to view the latest message from the sender. In iOS 18, everything will now be viewable on one screen thanks to Digest View.
Users Will Have The Ability To Recategorise Their Mail
What we already know about Apple Mail on iOS 18 is that email messages will be sorted into the categories Primary, Transactions, Updates and Promotions.
However, users will also be given the option to recategorise their mail depending on their preferences.
For email marketers who send high quality and relevant campaigns, user recategorisation opens up the possibility of users moving commercial emails into the ‘Primary’ tab.
If so, these campaigns have the potential to gain higher open and click-through rates. Ultimately, this could make some email campaigns far more successful due to increased engagement across all key metrics.
Viewing ‘All Mail’ Will Still Be An Option
Despite the addition of new email categories that can be automated or user-controlled, Apple’s Mail app will still give the option of viewing all emails in one place.
For email marketers, there will still need to be a consideration of crafting effective subject lines and achieving high email deliverability rates. The difference is that viewing all mail in the traditional sense may not be guaranteed, depending on how the user decides to configure their mailbox.
To cater for the new look of user inboxes, marketers may want to expand their A/B testing to include different mailbox view options.
Apple Intelligence
Another huge announcement for WWDC24 is the introduction of Apple Intelligence.
Apple Intelligence is set to put ‘powerful generative models right at the core of your iPhone, iPad and Mac.’
While AI tools such as ChatGPT have existed for a while now, Apple Intelligence promises to add personal context to AI, so that users can be provided with more helpfulness and relevance. User privacy will also be better protected.
Various features announced as part of Apple Intelligence have relevance for email marketers in terms of email content creation and how users may engage differently with your campaigns.
For instance, Apple Intelligence will have new writing tools allowing users to compose emails based on tone. Also, iPhone users will be able to prioritise notifications (including email or promotional messages) so that they do not receive unnecessary distractions.
There is a lot to digest with Apple Intelligence but to summarise, it is set to change how email users receive and reply to emails.
Apple Mail iOS 18 FAQs
Still have questions about iOS 18, including what the changes will mean for your email campaigns? Let’s answer some of the top queries.
When Is iOS 18 Coming Out?
It is expected that iOS 18 will begin rolling out in September 2024. Having been announced in June 2024, this gives email marketers around a few months to familiarise themselves with the changes, including how Apple Mail will start displaying promotional content differently than before.
What Phones Are Supported By iOS 18?
According to the latest reports, the iPhones which will be supported by iOS 18 include iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and iPhone SE (second generation or later).
Will iOS 18 Have AI?
Yes. Apple stated in their WWDC24 keynote presentation that while the company has long relied on AI tools to build and develop its products, users will notice more AI features when iOS 18 rolls out. Namely, the AI features relate to the key capabilities of language, images and user actions.
Apple Mail Changes: The Key Takeaways For Email Marketers
Apple iOS 18 is offering a major refresh to the way that users will experience the Mail app.
Promotional emails will be categorised in different tabs, meaning the days of seeing all emails in your inbox in a long list will be over for some users, depending on how users decide to organise their messages.
Apple is also giving users far more control over how they can filter and easily delete all messages sent by a company. As a result, mass email blasts that also lack segmentation are set to become even more ineffective.
What will be especially important is to establish a brand profile through email. With Digest View especially, users can view all messages sent by a company as small snippets. Impactful branding combined with quality email content will encourage more users to want to view your campaigns in Digest View.
Overall, iOS 18 brings lots of potential for email marketers to grow, so long as they focus on producing high quality campaigns with the new changes in mind.
Before the iOS rollout, email marketing already generated an average of $42 for every $1 spent. Therefore, understanding and implementing the necessary changes for iOS 18 users will prove instrumental in boosting any return on investment for email marketing in 2024 and beyond.
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