Apple updates Mail in iPhone 4.0 with unified inbox, multiple Exchange accounts, threaded messages
As part of the iPhone 4.0 announcement today, Apple introduced an updated Mail app that includes (as rumored) support for a unified inbox (so all your new home, work, etc. email shows up in one place). Also introduced was threaded conversation, multiple Exchange accounts (hello Exchange + Google Sync), and fast inbox switching.
Does that solve all our iPhone email woes?
More after the break!
For those with multiple email accounts whose previous iPhone experience involved tapping into and out of those boxes many, many times a day universal inbox is a hugely welcome addition. As with Calendars, Notes, etc. you can tap a button on the top left, in this case Mailboxes, to back into a selection screen where you can then go into All Inboxes, a specific account’s inbox (which is considered fast inbox switching), or into the complete folder and sub-folder system of a given account (how Mail has worked from iPhone 1.0 to iPhone 3.0).
Once inside, All Inboxes is visually indistinguishable from an account-specific inbox, it simply contains all of their messages.
What is distinguishable are the small carets (technically greater-than symbols) to the right of replies that indicate a message is part of a thread. A number, typically 2 or 3, accompanies the caret to indicate how many replies are in the thread.
Tapping on a message that’s part of a thread doesn’t take you to the message but rather to a second list-view, similar to the inbox itself, but containing only the messages from the thread. Tapping on one of them then takes you to the message. A thread view contains a small vertical bar at the top with the subject of the thread and time of the most recent reply. A button to the top left of the message that’s part of the thread also contains the subject of the thread and lets you back out and see the thread again. The button then switches to contain the name of the inbox so you can back out again, leave the thread completely, and see all your messages.
So yes, the tap, tap, tap of inbox navigation persists, albeit shifted from moving into and out of inboxes to moving into and out of threaded messages.
Although not yet implemented in the current beta, like iPhone OS 3.2 for iPad, you’ll be able to open email attachments in apps. Now there’s no iWork (Numbers, Pages, Keynote) for iPhone yet, and the app Apple used to introduce this function doesn’t exist on iPhone yet either. Interesting.
Lastly, in previous versions of the iPhone OS, when you wanted to abandon an email, you would hit Cancel and get options to Save (store the email in Drafts), Don’t Save (trash the email), and Cancel (go back to writing the email). The naming of these options was likely too confusing so in iPhone OS they’ve been replaced with a big red Delete button (to trash the email), Save as Draft, and Cancel. And yes, you can still cancel a cancel. (iPad, by contrast, still has Save and Don’t Save, but no Cancel since it’s in a popover rather than full-screen menu and you can just tap away to cancel).
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This rocks!
Will multiple Exchange accounts be for mail only, or will they also work for the Calendar? Without the Calendar integration for both, the feature is not quite complete, but the running blogs so far have not been clear.
Whahooo… My Most wanted Feature. Can’t wait for OS 4.0
no sms messages included here ?!?!?!
OMG Unified Inbox! YAYZ!
If unified inbox is optional, I’m okay with it. I don’t like having personal and business email mixed in a view.
Where are the folders or junk filters? Is this what they mean by threads?
What I would love would be the ability to search for which mailbox into which I sort an email. For example, I have dozens of folders and subfolders in Exchange for my work email, and when I want to sort something to a folder towards the end of the alphabet I have to scroll all the way down, past all folders and subfolders (which are all automatically shown). If I could search for the folder/subfolder and sort it that way, it would be a HUGE time saver.
This sucks. I want work to be seperate from my private emails
Would like to have multiple MobileMe account support (wife and myself)
It says there will be “fast inbox switching” I assume that means that the unified inbox is optional, and you can still separate your personal and work emails.
Count me among those who don’t want the unified inbox. I need my work and personal lives kept separate, thanks. Hopefully this will be optional. Pretty psyched about the multiple exchange account thing, though.
Finally! Tapping 4 times to switch inboxes is giving me thumb cramps.
Can any of the developers who have access to this Beta tell us if native push mail from Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server are supported in iPhone 4.0?
Nope, still two mail features I need: mail categories and flag for followup (reminders).
What about DRM mail in Exchange (aka Rights Management), is that included as well?
Still need to sort out that crappy little ding noise to notify you of a new email that you can just hear and add push message for email
Hoping Unified mail is an option. I do not want to be reading work email when off-work, just like my employer and I wouldn’t want to see Yahoo or MobilMe email updates in my Exchange Mail at work. Let my Inboxes be!!
Does anybody know if Exchange Server ActiveSync implementation on the 4.0 OS will set forwarded/replied to flags on messages?
TIA
I’ve discovered a quirk of the existing mail client that hopefully the new one fixes. I have my gmail set up through Exchange, and another IMAP account. When I add the IMAP account, since that doesn’t push, my exhange account won’t push either and only checks mail at whatever interval the IMAP account is set to fetch. When I remove the IMAP account from my phone, the exchange account pushes fine again. Am I doing something wrong?
msatlas -
Have you got the same problem with POP3 accounts? Assuming that it’s not a bug, try: 1. Go to Settings | Mail,… | Fetch New Data 2. Set “Push” to on 3. For your non-push accounts, set the “Fetch” time option to whatever you want 3. Click on “Advanced” and then check to make sure that the various accounts have got the Push / Fetch / Manual options you want
Jim
I am testing it at the moment with mailboxes in two different orgs
There is a joint mailbox and also an inbox seperately for each account has so far worked very well and has saved carrying two mobiles
As someone asked earlier, does it have folders for POP3 accounts and filtering? I get hundreds of emails a day. Filling up the inbox makes this app useless. Does anyone know of a full featured email app for the iPad (not an iPhone app).
Running 4.0 Beta 1: set-up with multiple exchange accounts (work/gmail). You have the option to sync mail/calendar/contacts for both. Filters are available in Contacts/Calendars/Mail to view all or for selected account. Works really well
I’m with those who say Leave My Mailboxes Alone! I’m looking for photos of the entire new mail system on the new iPhones. Not enough photos here to get a clear understanding & the tour/photos at apple didn’t show squat.
The pic you do have is bad news (on apple’s part)!!! ie, putting the big red Delete bar ABOVE the SAVE bar!
If you accidentally touch Delete while you are trying to get to the SAVE bar beneath it, you’re screwed.
If the bars were reversed, with SAVE on top & Delete on the bottom, & you accidentally touch Save while you are trying to get to the Delete bar, NO HARM DONE, you HAVENT LOST YOUR EMAIL, you would merely go find it in Drafts & Delete it.
Dangerous way to place those 2 bars. The SimplyTweet Twitter app has theirs the Exact Same Way as in the photo above & I despise it because one slip of the finger & you just DELETED all your typing vs SAVING IT.
Whoever thinks of this stuff is arse-backwards. Common Sense would tell you SAVE should be on top.
I’ve upgraded to 4.0 OS on iphone 3gs 16gb. My email no longer is pushing any of my yahoo or gmail emails. I have to continuously manually check for any new mail. Setting are on push. Any idea as to when this will be corrected or is there some kind of workaround?
Since upgrading to 4.0 OS I too no longer have mail pushed to all 3 accounts (hotmail, gmail and BT). On the older version this was not a problem. Are Apple planning on putting back or including whatever they did in previous version. It is so frustrating to have to check manually my mail.
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Fastlane hit it right on the head.. now I can just request the gift card, instead of having to driv e 2 hours to Memphis to get money back from the closest apple store, if I get the iPad given to me for Christmas by my distant rich aunt! mwuahahahaI think it would be great plus Howard is ver funny no matter what he talks about I think apple should pay him 200 mil a year he is worth it and apple can afford it they are sellling phones for 600 and 800 that they only cost about 40 bucks to makeId like the apps to have the ability to add things to the lock screen. For example there could be an option in accuweather that allows it to display the current temp on the lock screen. Or maybe IM+ can list which aim buddies are currently online.
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