Can I revert to the Mail App after the iOS 18.2 update

mike719 wrote:

Newer does not mean better! Just because you change something doesn’t mean you’re improving it. Please send an update so we can choose which way we want mail to show on the app

Amazingly, you have that choice already! It doesn’t require an update! And how to do that has been posted in this thread dozens of times! To save you the trouble of reading:

To remove the icons in the list view:

• Open Settings
• Tap Apps
• Tap Mail
• Turn off Show Contact Photos
• Optionally, turn off Summarize Message Previews

To turn off Categories:

• Open the Mail app
• Tap on an inbox
• Tap on ⋯⃝ in the upper right
• Tap to check List View

These 2 steps will return the Mail app to the way it previously worked.

To remove the icons in the list view:

• Open Settings
• Tap Apps
• Tap Mail
• Turn off Show Contact Photos
• Optionally, turn off Summarize Message Previews

To turn off Categories:

• Open the Mail app
• Tap on an inbox
• Tap on ⋯⃝ in the upper right 
• Tap to check List View

These 2 steps will return the Mail app to the way it previously worked.

anita106 wrote:

did not do a thing

What issue are you trying to solve? The classification system, which tapping the 3 dots lets you switch to the previous list view, or the contact icons next to emails in the list, which you disable in Settings/Apps/Mail?

“Different” and “Terrible” are not the same thing. Apple has added features already available in gmail, outlook, MS Exchange, AOL and many other email apps. If you don’t like these new FEATURES you can turn them off.

To remove the icons in the list view:

• Open Settings
• Tap Apps
• Tap Mail
• Turn off Show Contact Photos
• Optionally, turn off Summarize Message Previews

To turn off Categories:

• Open the Mail app
• Tap on an inbox
• Tap on ⋯⃝ in the upper right 
• Tap to check List View

These 2 steps will return the Mail app to the way it previously worked.

I can understand not wading through the 12 pages of this thread, where this has been explained many times, so here it is:

To remove the icons in the list view:

• Open Settings
• Tap Apps
• Tap Mail
• Turn off Show Contact Photos
• Optionally, turn off Summarize Message Previews

To turn off Categories:

• Open the Mail app
• Tap on an inbox
• Tap on ⋯⃝ in the upper right 
• Tap to check List View

These 2 steps will return the Mail app to the way it previously worked.

Tap the 3 buttons on the right, then select List View. It will display Mail the old way.

Well, actually, “they” did give you a way, and it’s been there since September, 2024:

To remove the icons in the list view:

• Open Settings
• Tap Apps
• Tap Mail
• Turn off Show Contact Photos
• Optionally, turn off Summarize Message Previews

To turn off Categories:

• Open the Mail app
• Tap on an inbox
• Tap on ⋯⃝ in the upper right 
• Tap to check List View

These 2 steps will return the Mail app to the way it previously worked.

You can get rid of those way too large, distracting icons by going to SETTINGS->APPS->MAIL then scroll down to Message List & you can turn off all of the new stuff there & get back to how it was, restoring your sanity!

my apologies for "adding to the thread". I assumed the newer posts were in the first pages and older in the higher page #s. After page 3 I thought I was just going farther back, I was wrong. Thank you every one for the tips, list view and turning off "organize by thread" and/or "complete threads" has me back to the old/good way!

The following helped:

1) Change to List View (all inboxes)

2) Settings > Apps > Mail > Show Contact Photos / toggle off.

3) Settings > Notifications > Mail > Customise Notifications > change from "Unread Message in Primary" to "All Unread Messages"

Turning off the “show contact photos” in the mail app settings really does work to get rid of the ginormous icons next to each and every email. Also figured out how to disable the automatic categorization that is now on by default and makes it impossible to find emails by simply scroll through the list chronologically.

Click on the 3 dots in the app, select list view then go to the mail app in settings and turn off show contact photos. And it will be back to the way it was.

Allow_Revert_Options wrote:

The new update is terrible at “categorizing” emails and the layout is awful. I hope whoever came up with this terrible update to mail gets permanent and agonizing hemorrhoids so they know what this pain in the butt feels like. Terrible….absolutely TERRIBLE change.

Well, you can complain about it, or you can change it back to just a message list, as explained dozens of times it’s the thread you added to without reading it first. Any Inbox, tap the 3 dots upper right, then List View. Your choice.

Toggling the contact photos off though settings and under mail returns it to how it used to look. Much better. Thank you!

yeah it is absolutely atrocious. tried and true systems that function simply and effectively don’t need a bunch of suggestions and ai intrusion.

click the three dots, put in list view. as below. go to settings, mail, and turn off the ai junk and contact photos and summarize message previews.

works just like the old one.

these developers don’t get it. no one wants to change the way they do simple tasks.