Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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The verdict on

Mail

40
User verdict / 100 High confidence Divided

Apple Mail is currently experiencing significant issues with email delivery and loading, spam management, and search functionality, despite some users finding it easy to use and reliable.

4.6★ lifetime (4,310,539) Free to download since 2016 by Apple Inc. updated 6.9 mo ago recent negative 60% 120 reviews across 4 regions
Email Delivery Spam Management User Interface & Experience Search Functionality Missing Features Performance & Stability
5★259
4★47
3★73
2★63
1★508
recent reviews across 4 regions, vs the 4.6★ lifetime average

Recent reviews for Apple Mail indicate a significant decline in functionality, with many users reporting problems receiving and loading emails, managing spam, and using the search feature. While some still praise its ease of use, the overall sentiment is negative, contradicting the app's high lifetime rating.

What users like

  • Easy to use and navigate for some usersR14R15R45R53
  • Effective for organizing multiple email accountsR83R95
  • Provides good security features for verification codesR51R66

What users complain about

  • Frequent issues with not receiving or loading emails, including important verification codesR2R3R13R18
  • Ineffective at blocking spam emails, with some users reporting an increase after blockingR10R25R32R49
  • Search functionality is often broken or inaccurateR46R73R458
  • User interface changes in recent updates are confusing and add extra stepsR4R75R77R394
  • Lacks basic features like viewing email headers or security verification, and printing entire message threadsR11R267
  • Problems with sending photos and other attachmentsR12
  • Issues with account access, including inability to create accounts or change passwordsR17R44R56
  • Slow performance and network connection issues, especially with many messagesR154R256R358R388

Latest update · v1.5

What the developer says changed (the verdict above weighs this against what reviewers report):

Bug Fixes and Feature Enhancements

Recurring themes

Email Delivery negative
Many users report not receiving emails, including critical verification codes, or emails failing to load, making the app unreliable for essential communication. This directly contradicts the developer's notes about 'Bug Fixes'.R2R3R13R18
Spam Management negative
Users are frustrated with the app's inability to effectively block spam emails, with some noting that blocking attempts lead to more spam or that the spam filter simply doesn't work.R10R25R32R49
Search Functionality negative
The search feature is widely reported as broken or highly inaccurate, making it difficult for users to find specific emails.R46R73R458
User Interface & Experience negative
Recent iOS updates have led to a 'hideous new system' for some, with changes making the app less intuitive, adding extra steps, and causing frustration for long-time users. Other issues include difficulty organizing mail and missing 'select all' functions.R4R39R63R75
Missing Features negative
Users point out the absence of basic features such as the ability to view email headers, security verification, or print entire message threads, which are considered essential for a mail application.R11R267
Performance & Stability negative
The app is described as slow to load emails, experiencing network connection problems, and sometimes disappearing from the home screen.R125R154R256R358

Who it's for

This app is for users who prioritize a simple, integrated mail experience within the Apple ecosystem and have not encountered the widespread issues reported recently R14R15R45. It is not for users who require reliable email delivery, effective spam filtering, robust search functionality, or advanced features like email header viewing R3R11R25R46.

Evidence note: The recent reviews skew heavily negative (60.1% negative), which contrasts sharply with the lifetime rating of 4.64. The evidence for positive aspects is present but less detailed and frequent than the negative feedback. The developer notes are vague ('Bug Fixes and Feature Enhancements') and are directly contradicted by ongoing user reports of bugs, particularly with email delivery and search.

Frequently asked

Is Apple Mail reliable for receiving emails?
Recent reviews indicate that Apple Mail is often unreliable for receiving emails, with many users reporting issues with emails not loading, not being received at all, or significant delays, including for important verification codes R2R3R13R18.
How effective is Apple Mail at blocking spam?
Apple Mail is reported to be ineffective at blocking spam, with users frequently complaining that blocked emails still come through, and some even suggest that blocking increases the amount of spam received R10R25R32R49.
Does Apple Mail's search feature work well?
Many users report that Apple Mail's search feature is broken or performs poorly, often failing to find emails even when the correct keywords are used, making it difficult to locate past correspondence R46R73R458.
Are there issues with the user interface after recent updates?
Yes, several users express frustration with recent iOS updates, stating that the new interface is confusing, requires relearning, and adds extra steps to previously simple tasks, leading to a less user-friendly experience R4R75R77R394.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R14] 5/5 · US Best Mail App: Definitely my go to mailing app. It has never given me any issues. I definitely always recommend everyone to use for their default mailing app
  2. [R15] 5/5 · US Soo good!: This app is super nice, speak, AND fun to use! Unlike Gmail, apple mail is very nice🙂‍↔️👌🏻
  3. [R45] 5/5 · US Love this app: Easy and simple
  4. [R53] 5/5 · US Easy to use: 8 out of 10 good for easy access and the most important part is that the user has access to all your data on their device so they have access for free access and access for the entire user experience and the user is not only the person who has access and control of their phone and internet connection and internet connectivity is not only good to you but to everyone who has a mobile co
  5. [R83] 5/5 · US Oh yeah: It helps me organize my emails together
  6. [R95] 5/5 · US iOS Mail: Great app! Lets me keep up with my 15 accounts with different providers.
  7. [R51] 5/5 · US Awakened Perspective: So much amazing work done to make this project successful, thank you for the design and security you made this app amazingly
  8. [R66] 4/5 · US Good for security services: If your someone like me and you need to use something like a password to block out people that might try to steal your phone the mail is the exact same to if you get a verification code it just means you need the male to ensure your there
  9. [R2] 3/5 · US Mail is so far the worst app: I suddenly stop getting any emails I don’t know what happened I just stoped getting emails bus it is go so it gets 3 stars
  10. [R3] 1/5 · US Hate the new outlook: Won’t load one of my accounts and won’t let me see mail in my saved folders.. so frustrating
  11. [R13] 1/5 · US Never received my emails: Always having problems with receiving emails never with Google only with Apple
  12. [R18] 4/5 · US I can’t receive a code: I can’t receive a code
  13. [R10] 1/5 · US e-trickery and too ill to act on it: Emails go to another name. Scam Spam text messages daily, even with Apple updates. Phone calls Read Only invasive. Untrustworthy Siri.
  14. [R25] 3/5 · US Ongoing Headache: I’ve yet to get my app to chime for new email. Which I guess is good because of all the stupid spam emails I get. Which comes to my next headache…this app will NOT block spam emails when you block them. It seems like the more I block the worse it gets. Frustrating. I’m about to stop using it. And there’s no help in sight.
  15. [R32] 1/5 · US Pintrist: Sending me at lest 100 emails
  16. [R49] 1/5 · US Email: New email is difficult to delete junk/spam without doing it individually
  17. [R46] 3/5 · US SEARCH DOES NOT WORK: Edit: search is still not working. I search for ‘survey’ and it locates emails with ‘form’. Not any better than not working at all like before. After last update, the search no longer works. I put in the name or word I am looking for on all my emails and nothing comes up.
  18. [R73] 1/5 · US Where is it?: Can’t find an email with tickets to fireworks. Wife finds her copy boards it back still can’t find it and you ask what I’m thinking.
  19. [R458] 3/5 · GB Search is very poor: For basic emails this is ok but try and search for an email and it is absolutely terrible! Switched to outlook now found the email within seconds.
  20. [R4] 1/5 · US Hideous new system.: Congrats Tim Cook! I have been using Apple products since 1992. You and your young techies, and the decreasing quality of support have ruined Macs and my phone for me. I now officially hate Macs and am not fond of the way the company has gone. What a shame. And that newest phone update? Do you really think I have nothing better to do with my life than relearn every aspect, and
  21. [R75] 2/5 · US Worse with every iOS update: Someone please teach Silicon Valley the phrase "if it isn't broken, don't fix it." Why, why, WHY, does every company insist on "improving" things in the worst possible ways? I fought upgrading my iOS for this reason. I finally upgraded to the current version of iOS 26 and instantly regretted it. For some reason, they changed this reasonably sleek and easy-to-use app in
  22. [R77] 1/5 · US What is happening Bru: I can’t see any new notifications no matter who sends it and the stupid categories barely help it only creates barriers; the simplicity in the old model made this app actually useful, now it’s just a big clutter of an app that doesn’t let me know what’s going on.
  23. [R394] 3/5 · GB So complicated and unreliable: Hate this new phone will not buy apple in the future I just get used to doing something new and you change things again really fed up.
  24. [R11] 1/5 · US Elephant in the room: My iPhone has an amazing set of security and privacy features. The inability to view email headers and security verification in the app is inexcusable to the point of this not being implemented would be SEEMINGLY INTENTIONAL. All these smart engineers and “whoops we forgot this very basic thing with the single most used app”, lol, yeah right. Further, the masking of the from
  25. [R267] 3/5 · GB Couple of basic problems: Full of features but issues with a couple of basic functions make it frustrating to use. 1. Cannot print a whole message thread. The print option is not shown when viewing emails in a thread. It would be useful for record keeping to print the whole thread to a PDF file. 2. ‘Reply To’ an email uses the wrong address if the email has been forwarded. It replies to the forw
  26. [R12] 1/5 · US Photos: I am trying to send pictures to people off my phone, but nothing is being sent
  27. [R17] 1/5 · US Not safe: Hard to use I can’t change passwords
  28. [R44] 1/5 · US Bad: This app is so weird and confusing, I don’t have the settings app because someone hacked my phone and deleted it so I can’t add any new emails or gmails to the app.
  29. [R56] 1/5 · US WHY: I can’t make an account no matter what I do?
  30. [R154] 3/5 · US Problem with network connection: Frustrated with system.
  31. [R256] 3/5 · GB Good but..: When there is soo much messages your network cuts you off. I had over 1000+ messages and my internet was bad but on my laptop there was only 1 e-mail and the internet was good and they share the same network
  32. [R358] 3/5 · GB slow: when I try to sign in to my email account it always says signing in but doesn’t sign in and takes ages
  33. [R388] 3/5 · GB Generally good(?): That’s my opinion only, as I said generally good however it has again in my opinion drawbacks. One of which is slow to show in folders sent mail or Cc’ed, as I also use outlook from Microsoft that accepts and registered them almost immediately I accept I could view sent folder. It can be annoying though.
  34. [R39] 3/5 · US Not user friendly: Instructions needed to use and organize the Mail Box
  35. [R63] 1/5 · US Select all function not on IPad…: I’m i’m trying to delete my junk mail and it won’t let me select all to make it easy.
  36. [R125] 3/5 · US Disappeared from home screen: Everything was great till the app suddenly disappeared from my home screen and I can’t get it back

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store