Miss the old Apple Mail app look? Here's how to get it back

Summary

iOS 18.2 changes the look of the Mail app, but you can easily revert to the old design by following simple steps.
By changing the mail app back to List View, and disabling Show Priority, it will look more like the old-style.
Apple will introduce an option to disable contact photos in the Mail app in iOS 18.5, but you can disable them now in the Settings app.

When iOS 18.2 dropped, I quickly discovered that my family members and friends had also downloaded the update, as I suddenly received a flood of messages asking, “How do I fix the mail app?” Upon installing iOS 18.2 on my iPhone, I noticed the new look of the Mail app in about 10 seconds flat and immediately switched it back to the old design — and I haven’t looked back.

What’s all this fuss about exactly? Well, with iOS 18.2, Apple added a new AI-powered priority mailbox feature and new categories that help sort your email inbox for you. While these additions may prove helpful to some, they aren’t particularly my cup of tea, as I prefer sorting my email inbox myself. Luckily, if you want to revert to the old-style and functionality of Apple’s Mail app, you can easily do so.

Apple iPhone 16

This year’s iPhone 16 line blurs the line between the “Pro” and the base-level iPhone by offering a new camera button and the Action Button, alongside the A18 chip.

Brand: Apple
SoC: A18 (3nm)
Display: 6.1-inch 2556 x 1179 pixel resolution Super Retina XDR, 2000 nits, 60Hz
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
Ports: USB-C

Apple has big plans for its 20th anniversary iPhone, but tariffs cast a shadow

Apple reportedly has “bold” plans for its 20th anniversary iPhone, while tariffs raise concerns for the foreseeable future.

How to fix Apple’s Mail app

Get the old-style back in seconds

Apple Mail app revert back to old style.

Fortunately, Apple has made it very easy to revert the Mail app to its previous appearance. Just follow these straightforward steps.

1. Open Apple’s Mail app.

2. Tap the three dots in the top right of your Inbox.

3. Select List View.

4. Uncheck Show Priority (this will only pop up if you have Apple Intelligence).

By switching your Mail app to List View, it will resemble its layout before iOS 18.2 by getting rid of the email categories Apple added. Unchecking Show Priority will also disable Apple Intelligence’s AI-powered email sorting feature.

Unfortunately, the only aspect that doesn’t disappear by adjusting these two settings is the new icons that Apple introduced in the Mail app beside your emails. These new icons are boring and pointless, and they don’t even display the logos of the websites from which you’re receiving emails. For instance, if you’re subscribed to any of Pocket-lint’s newsletters (which I highly recommend, by the way), it won’t even show Pocket-lint’s logo next to the email in the Mail app, which for me, somewhat undermines the purpose of having icons in the Mail app. It’s a weird design choice by Apple.

Apple has acknowledged the feedback regarding icons in the Mail app, and with iOS 18.5, it will offer an additional option to disable contact photos right from the Mail app. iOS 18.5 is currently in developer beta and is expected to launch in the coming months, possibly by the end of May. If you don’t want to wait until then, there is an option available in the Settings app to disable them. Here’s how.

1. Go to Settings.

2. Select Apps.

3. Choose Mail.

4. Disable Show Contact List.