The beta for iOS 18.5 has been undergoing testing for a few weeks now, but the changes introduced have been minimal so far. However, this week’s new iOS 18.5 betas unveiled an enhancement to Apple Mail that reveals a significant hidden feature.
The All Mail category was previously concealed, but iOS 18.5 brings it to light
Apple Mail has experienced considerable updates over the past year:
- The Mail app received a major redesign in iOS 18.2, featuring inbox categorization, contact imagery, digest view, and additional enhancements.
- This redesign extended to the Mac and iPad platforms just last month with macOS 15.4 and iPadOS 18.4.
- Now, with the iOS 18.5 beta, Apple is further refining the Mail app experience for its users.
Previously, I noted that the revamped Mail app added a setting to disable contact images within the inbox. While this option was available in the Settings app before, its integration directly into Mail simplifies the process for users seeking to restore the classic inbox appearance.
The latest betas, including developer beta 2 and public beta 1, introduce another change for Mail by unveiling a previously concealed feature.
Since the new inbox design was launched, one category that remained hidden was the All Mail view.
It has always been puzzling why Apple chose to completely conceal this feature.
In the Mail app running iOS 18.4 or earlier versions, only four categories are visible at the top of the inbox:
- Primary
- Transactions
- Updates
- Promotions
However, a fifth category, ‘All Mail’, has been accessible all along. Users could find it by swiping left along the categories, despite there being no visual cue indicating its existence.
Revealing ‘All Mail’ could motivate users to retain categories
With the release of iOS 18.5, Apple is now making the All Mail category visible as an official fifth inbox category.
On my iPhone 16 Pro, the All Mail icon is positioned directly to the right of Promotions, partially hidden but providing enough of a hint to indicate another category’s presence.
Users will also encounter it when scrolling through the Mail category row, which is necessary for me when using Mail on my iPad in Split View.
While this may not seem like a monumental change, it is one that I believe Apple should have implemented when the new Mail design was first introduced.
Previously, since the majority of users were unaware of the All Mail feature’s existence, their only option for a similar inbox view was to disable categories altogether and switch to List View.
Now, in iOS 18.5, users can enjoy the advantages of categories while easily accessing All Mail whenever a more consolidated inbox list is desired.
Were you aware of the All Mail view in the Mail app? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
