Apple’s latest software updates—iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4 Sequoia—have brought a significant change to the native Mail app on iPhones, iPads, and Macs. The app now automatically organizes incoming emails into predefined categories, a move that has left many users puzzled as important messages seem to vanish from their inbox.
With this redesign, Apple Mail introduces four automatic categories: Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions. While this might sound like a helpful way to reduce clutter, the automatic sorting has led to concerns. Emails are no longer stored exclusively in the main inbox, and if users aren’t aware of the new system, messages can be easily overlooked.
The Primary category is meant for high-priority or personal messages, while Transactions includes things like order confirmations and shipping updates. Updates typically cover newsletters and general announcements, whereas Promotions contains marketing messages—not spam, but legitimate advertising such as online store offers.
Interestingly, these new categories are not intended as spam filters. Emails flagged as spam or phishing are not filtered out entirely. In fact, some phishing attempts, especially those designed to look urgent, may still appear in the Primary category, sometimes marked as “time-sensitive”. This has raised eyebrows among users, who worry that harmful content could slip through more easily due to the automated system.
Although Apple has tried to guide users by adding tooltips and integrated instructions that explain the new categories, not everyone has noticed them. For those already in a panic over missing emails, these subtle hints are easy to miss.
Previously, the categorization system was available only in English on iPhones since iOS 18.2 and limited to English-language emails. With the rollout of iOS 18.4, Apple has expanded the functionality to all supported languages, making it more universally available—but also exposing more users to potential confusion.
To regain a full view of all incoming emails, users must manually swipe across the category bar from right to left—using a finger on touch devices or a mouse/trackpad on desktops—to access the All Mail section. Alternatively, users can switch back to the classic list view. This option is found by tapping the three-dot icon, which opens a menu where users can choose to disable categories entirely or see how many messages have been sorted into each group.
For now, Apple offers no way to permanently turn off the category system entirely from the settings. The only workaround is switching views, which may not be intuitive for everyone. As a result, users are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the new layout to avoid overlooking critical messages.
Apple’s intention was to simplify email management, but the automatic classification appears to be causing more trouble than anticipated—especially for those who rely heavily on their inbox and expect to see every message at a glance.