The beta version of iOS 18.5 has been available for testing over the past few weeks, but the updates remain fairly minimal. Nonetheless, this week’s iOS 18.5 betas brought a noteworthy enhancement to Apple Mail, revealing a significant hidden feature.
The All Mail category was hidden, but iOS 18.5 reveals it
Apple Mail has seen several important updates in the past year:
- The Mail app experienced a comprehensive redesign in iOS 18.2, bringing inbox categorization, contact images, and a digest view, among other features.
- This redesign was extended to Mac and iPad just last month, with macOS 15.4 and iPadOS 18.4.
- Now, with the iOS 18.5 beta, Apple continues to refine the Mail app experience for users.
Previously, I mentioned that the refreshed Mail app introduced a new in-app setting that allows users to disable contact images in the inbox. While this option was available in the Settings app, its inclusion in the Mail app makes it much more accessible for users wanting to revert to the traditional inbox appearance.
The latest betas, developer beta 2 and public beta 1, also present another modification for Mail: the unveiling of a previously concealed feature.
Ever since the redesign of Apple Mail, the new inbox categories have included one completely hidden option: an All Mail view.
It has always puzzled me why Apple chose to conceal this feature entirely.
When using the Mail app on iOS 18.4 or earlier, you would see just four categories displayed at the top of your inbox:
- Primary
- Transactions
- Updates
- Promotions
However, there has always been an accessible fifth option: the ‘All Mail’ view. The only way to reach it was by swiping left across the categories, despite the lack of any visual cue indicating its existence.
Finding out about ‘All Mail’ might persuade users to keep categories enabled
In the current iOS 18.5, Apple is officially making the All Mail view visible as a fifth category in the inbox.
On my iPhone 16 Pro, the All Mail icon is positioned just right of Promotions, partially out of sight but revealing enough gray to indicate its presence.
You can also observe it while scrolling through the horizontal category bar in Mail, which I need to do on my iPad in Split View.
Overall, while this may seem like a minor update, it’s one that I believe should have been implemented when the new Mail design was launched.
Previously, most users were unaware of the All Mail option, leading them to only get a similar inbox view by disabling categories entirely through List View.
Now, in iOS 18.5, users can maintain their categories and the advantages they offer while conveniently accessing All Mail when they prefer a consolidated view of their inbox.
Were you aware that the All Mail view was an option in Mail? Share your thoughts in the comments.
