Get to Your Unread Message the Easy Way in iOS Mail
Some folks are meticulous about never leaving an unread message in their mailbox. Others, perhaps the majority of users, browse through their email messages, picking and choosing the ones to look at. Inevitably, this means an important unread message or two gets shuffled far down in the list. Then you begin the hunt to find that one important email you really need to read and act on. With one change to the Mail app in iOS 10, finding your unread emails has become a lot easier. Let me show you.
To Find Your Unread Message, Launch Mail
The button in the bottom left is new to Mail in iOS 10, and filters your email to only show your unread message or messages.
This might be obvious, but I’ll say it anyways. To get started and locate your unread message or messages, launch the Mail app on your iPhone or iPad. Then, look at the bottom left corner of the screen, where you’ll see a tiny round button with three lines through it. Tap on that button and it will turn blue. You’ll also notice that all of your read messages disappear. Sure, you can set up a smart mailbox for just unread email, but this is much faster and easier, since it only requires one tap.
Enjoy Your Email, Filtered by Unread Messages
Now you can quickly browse through just the email you haven’t looked at yet. In this mode, you can quickly locate that unread message you were looking for and give it the attention it’s due. Once you’re done checking for unread emails, you can tap the blue button with three lines through it to exit the unread email filter. Note that you can still do all of your other Mail actions here, like search and compose new messages. The only difference is that your view of email is filtered to only show you your unread message or messages.
Mail Doesn’t Have to Be Boring
Wading through email is often tedious and boring, but it doesn’t have to be. Learn the tips and tricks of the iOS Mail app to make it less bothersome. Of course, if you need more powerful features, there are plenty of other options for you to consider. Check out these past articles with suggestions for alternate email clients.