Need a replacement for Apple Mail

It's been a long time since email standards have only stored mail on the client.

The latest RFC standard for POP3 (the mail client standard that stores messages client-side) was last updated in 1996. Just about everyone has moved to IMAP, which stores messages server-side, with synching and caching to a client (which also allows multiple synchronous access to a mailbox, so multiple devices can access mail at the same time (e.g. your Mac, iPhone, iPad, etc.)

That's not to say POP3 is dead - some mail providers still support it and, indeed, so does Apple Mail (the client), but for the most part it's considered deprecated.

All is not lost, though. While poorly documented, Apple Mail does have search filtering abilities, you just have to know how to use them

For example,

To see any message containing the words either 'Uncle' or 'Fred':

if you want to see only messages that contain 'Uncle Fred' use the search syntax:

To see any message from Uncle Fred (as opposed to messages talking about him):

To filter by date, you can add the 'date' tag. To show messages from Uncle Fred from 2022, use:

The date can be narrowed using standard m/d/y notation (or d/m/y if that's your thing):

This will show Uncle Fred's messages from January 2023 only

If you want to use a range of dates, use:

This will show all messages from Uncle Fred from 1/1/2021 through 12/31/2023 - note that the search tag uses '-2024' meaning 'up to 2024', and therefore does not include messages from 2024. To include messages from 2024, just use next year (e.g. 'date:2021-2025'). For some reason, this format does not accept m/d/y dates.

For speed, Apple Mail will use the local cache of messages to display the initial list, reaching out to the server for any additional messages it doesn't have cached, meaning you don't have to save them all on your machine all of the time.

There are also other tags you can use to filter to vs. from addresses, or specifically message content.

So maybe Apple Mail does fit the bill after all. It is also available via your web browser, if that's your preference. I'm not sure why you think it isn't.

> How long does mail stay on the iCloud mail server?

As far as I'm aware, indefinitely. I have emails going back 10 years, which is probably about the last time I actively bothered cleaning out my inbox.

I have 139,000 emails in my iCloud Inbox, alone. Using the 'date:2015' tag, I can filter these emails faster than I can blink

> where's the knob that keeps the server from being at times overwhelmed and poky

Who's your mail provider? If you're using iCloud, I sincerely doubt you can run any query that will overwhelm Apple's mail server infrastructure.

> where's the connection fast enough to maintain recall, synch with drafts, etc.

I dunno, but my home network connection certainly doesn't choke. What I can tell you is that searching an IMAP mailbox containing 139,000 messages is going to be WAY faster than searching in a 139,000 POP3 mailbox due to the way the messages are stored (database vs flat file), which is one of the other advantages of IMAP.

> try to compose a note with 4 pictures over 3 minutes without losing at least one

because the link is not fast enough to keep updates in synch.

I have no idea what you mean by this. Composing messages its generally done client-side, so it doesn't matter what server connection or protocol you're using (unless you're trying to start the message on one device and edit it on a second...?)

Pat Schaefer wrote:

My biggest issue is how long the notes are kept.

Until you or your ISP deletes them.

With POP it was just on my computer until I deleted.

POP

With IMAP I am expecting somewhere to tell the server how long to keep the notes.

IMAP stores messages in the server and caches copies locally, unless you download the file from the server.

If stored on the server, the messages are preserved until you delete them, or until the mail provider deletes them.

If messages stored locally, the messages are retained until you delete them.

I just searched again and can find no where it says Apple deletes notes after a given amount of time.

GOOD and as you claim.

Mail providers can delete messages based on whatever the mail provider policy might be.

Apple as a mail provider will store ypirnstuff for as long as you have sufficient iCloud quota, and have an active Apple ID account.

On the other hand, I can find no where it says it will keep them forever or until I delete them from the server,

Apple retains the data until or unless the iCloud quota is no longer available, or until the Apple ID is no longer available.

and can find no place to set a Delete after this time.

Apple has no such knob.

Clarification, something in writing from Apple would be welcome

I am from Missouri, the Show Me state ; )

That’s your job.

Your reading: Legal - iCloud - Apple

To be clear, I would welcome an Apple Mail POP option

Use IMAP.

POP was and is and will be a mess, just as soon as more than one mail client is involved.

in addition to the correct answer above: if you enter text in the search box and then check in the information displayed below as you input the search query, you can also get and select keyword search suggestions shown.

Very general info: Search for email in Mail on iPad - Apple Support

There’s an image showing the search suggestions here: https://www.macrumors.com/guide/ios-16-mail/

Camelot wrote:

> try to compose a note with 4 pictures over 3 minutes without losing at least one

because the link is not fast enough to keep updates in synch.

I have no idea what you mean by this. Composing messages its generally done client-side, so it doesn't matter what server connection or protocol you're using (unless you're trying to start the message on one device and edit it on a second...?)

Which would usually mean the local ISP network is either very slow ormwith very high latency, or that the local wired or Wi-Fi network is wobbly.

The proverbial buck always and forever stops with the owner of the effort. This whether discussing staff or contractors, or outsourcing staff or services, or business continuity risks, or otherwise. You can cover some risks with insurance for instance, but the insurer can still implode.

For a recent instance of catastrophic data loss, recoverable only because the customer had a backup located on another provider, Google Cloud and UniSuper.

To create archives of your iCloud data: Archive or make copies of the information you store in iCloud - Apple Support

I wish you well on your quest to learn first-hand why most folks aren't using POP, too.