Now, you have several options to choose from if ever you finally
could call it quits with Apple's Mail app for iOS --there's Gmail from Google,
and Inbox to Microsoft's Outlook for iOS. Enter Airmail -- an iPhone version
of an already popular Mac mail client.
With dozens of
customization options, one-tap inbox filters, and the ability to
"snooze" messages, Airmail makes a great alternative to Mail, as long
as you're willing to pay $5 for it. If you are curious enough to find out what
other things this new mail client for Mac can do, learn more about them below.
Customize
the Sidebar
When you launch
Airmail, one of the things you will notice is its slide-open drawer on the left
side of the screen, complete with navigation links to your various account
inboxes, starred messages, sent mail, message labels, and more.
While the drawer of
quick links to your accounts and messages is already a plus, even better is
your ability to customize it. Simply tap on the edit button to move, add, or
hide anything in the sidebar.
You can also tap and
hold a message label in the sidebar to rename it, customize its color, or add
it as "favorite."
Customize
Some New Swipe Actions
Once you're finished
with the drawer, you can proceed in customizing the actions when you swipe a
message in one of your inboxes. There are more than a dozen swipe actions
available under the Settings menu -- from archiving and trashing a message to
giving it a new label, snoozing it (more on "snooze" in a moment) or
filing it into a "to do" list.
Just tap the
three-line "hamburger" button to open the sidebar, tap Settings near the bottom of the screen, tap Swipes, then start customizing both your left and
right swipe shortcuts. Keep in mind that you get to choose two
"actions" per swipe: One that deactivates once you swipe a message
about halfway across the screen, and a second that snaps on after you've swiped
about two-thirds or more across.
Choose
a New Default Browser
Typically in iOS,
tapping on a web link in a message or any other app will either open an in-app
browser or Safari. In Airmail, though, you can decide which browser -- anything
from Safari or Chrome to Firefox or iCab -- gets your business when you tap a
link.
To do this, open the
left side Airmail drawer, then tap Settings, and then go to Default
Browser. From here, you can
go on and take your pick.
"Snooze"
Messages
If you want to avoid
annoying messages, but you'll have the chance to read and respond to later,
there's a smart way on how to deal with them. Instead of letting the message
sit in your inbox marked as unread, you can "snooze" it.
When you do (just add
the snooze feature as a left or right swipe action, or access it by going to
the three-dot menu at the corner of the screen), the message will disappear
from your inbox for however long you see fit -- anything from just a few hours
to the next day, weekend, next week, or any date of your choosing.
You can also tap on Settings, then Snoozes to customize the message(s) as to when they
will reappear on your inbox. For instance, you can set the snooze to
"Later Today" on the message, which means it will reappear on your
inbox between an hour to 24 hours later.
Add
Airmail as a Button Under the Action Menu
When you're surfing
the web in Safari and found a webpage you'd like to share, one way is to tap
the Mail button to send the link via email, which will send the message using
the default iOS Mail app.
If you want to share
links (or photos, or something else) using Airmail instead, try this:
- Tap the Action button (the icon
with a square with an arrow up in the middle, usually located at the
bottom toolbar of Safari and other iOS apps), flick the top row of apps
all the way to the end, then tap More.
- Scroll through the list of
options until you see Airmail -- and when you do, enable it, then tap,
hold, and drag the little three-line handle to move it ahead or behind
other buttons in the list.
Now, you'll see the
Airmail option the next time you tap the Action button; tap it and you're all
ready to share it via email.
