Apple Mail doesn't automatically apply rules !!!
I use Apple Mail Rules on iCloud to make sure that the rules apply over the iOS Mail app and MacOS Mail app. However, Most of the time, i wake in the morning getting 20+ emails all in the inbox when they should've been into "College" or "Online Shopping" folders etc. Some rules seem to work fine, but others not so much, which got me thinking that maybe that problem is on my side, but when i right click on an email i see an option that says "Move to "blah blah" folder, which means there's nothing wrong with my rules, but even then when i click "Apply Rules" nothing happens.
MacBook Pro 13”, macOS 10.15