Ipad email screen, remove annoying list of emails across bottom of screen

You appear to make reference to the “Shelf” - this being a new feature of the now revised iPadOS multitasking environment. 

iPadOS permits you to have multiple “instances” of the same App - each instance being self contained. The shelf, when triggered, shows a thumbnail of each running instance of an App - or open page within it.

For example, if you have three running instances of Mail, or individual open messages, you will see three thumbnails that correspond to each running instance or open email - plus a button to open another. Simply tapping a thumbnail will switch directly to that open page. Each App has its own corresponding shelf.

This article from Appleinsider has a useful explanation of this new feature along with many of the updates to multitasking:

https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/08/12/how-to-master-multitasking-on-ipad-and-ipad-pro-in-ipados-15

The iPad User Guide is also a rich source of frequently overlooked information. The Guide is available both online using a web browser (such as Safari), or as an Apple Books download:

iPad User Guide - Apple Support

https://books.apple.com/book/id1567104892

You should note that the shelf is an integral component of the multitasking User Interface. It cannot be disabled.

I had the same issue and took me a while to figure out what was going on.

I was able to remove them by clicking on them individually and canceling or deleting them. Some are old drafts saved in the system and some for me were multiple email window emails I had never closed. After dealing with them individually and eliminating them I do not get them popping up anymore. If I do see them it will actually be useful to remind me to either finish what im working on or to delete it if it is not needed anymore.

Hope this helps.

Smr1111 wrote:

I find “the Shelf” a complete distracting waste of time- please tell me how to durable this pointless feature.

To quote directly from my reply of 3rd January… “the shelf is an integral component of the multitasking User Interface. It cannot be disabled”.

Apple do invite submission of constructive comment and feature request via their Product Feedback portal:

Feedback - iPad - Apple

Actually, I did this and they were absolutely gone and have not come back. I think that you may have some DRAFTS that you may need to go into your mailbox and delete. Any thumbnails that come back later, would be instances where you closed and opened the mail app while working on an email, etc. Anything that triggers a new instance to be created. The thumbnails that are deleted by swiping up, do not return.

Ok. I have figured this out. All you have to do is swipe UP on each thumbnail and they will go away. A simple gesture and they are gone.

You should be able to ‘swipe up’ each one to remove them.

So far as I can tell what Pirate_Jenny is referring to is not Shelf, which is a way to easily switch between apps. What frustrates her and me both are these little thumbs that show up in Mail and, say, YouTube, with previously visited pages. I HAVE looked in both the Guide and Tips and can’t find any reference to them. (Not saying they aren’t listed there somewhere but simply that I can’t find them.) They are way more annoying than useful and there should be a way to turn them off.

”Fixed” by turning OFF spellchecker. 😟

Yes, swiping up does remove them, but only temporarily.

I am 89 and having problems with all this new multitasking, it’s messing up my screen with a lot of junk that I do not need.

thanks for explaining why I have these things, but I never added them.

it is terrible for me.

That has occurred to me also. I’ve been using Apple since 1988 conquered many iterations and appreciate most but the term “over-engineered” often comes to mind. Wonder what Steve would say? 💭

I have noticed that the thumbnails recede when I begin to read or compose emails.

Yes, thanks. I noted that yesterday, but the thumbnails do come back, or new ones are being created. I would like to turn off what was no doubt thought to be a feature. Some may find it useful, others like myself, not so much. 😉

maribeth209 wrote:

I hate them. I would like to completely disable them forever.

By contrast - many Users find the advanced capabilities of iPadOS multitasking to be invaluable. While the ability to selectively disable multitasking features might be an attractive proposition for some, please don’t presume that your view is universal for all.

Apple do invite submission of constructive comment and feature requests via its Product Feedback portal. This might be the most appropriate channel through which to direct your input with regard to multitasking - and its implementation.

Product Feedback - Apple

Since installing iOS 15.6.1 annoying little boxes come up at bottom of email. There is a plus sign to add, but no way to PERMANENTLY remove. They are of no use to me but are very annoying so I am repeatedly tapping to put them out of sight. Is there something I can do in settings to get rid of them?