As we told you about earlier, for iOS. Adds support for the iPad, including iPad Pro, syncing of settings and accounts, and watchOS 2 support among other things. Needless to say, it’s a major update that vaults it clear to the top of third-party email offerings on iOS.But what if you’ve been holding out and have just now decided to give Spark a chance? If that’s the case, then you should definitely check out this breakdown of 50 different tips for new Spark users. Like I always say, even if you’re a veteran user, chances are you may still learn a thing or two.For an overview of Spark and the new version 1.6 release, be sure to have a look at our. That post will help you determine if Spark is right for you. Once you’ve finished reading, come back here for a look at many of the awesome features that Spark makes available.I understand that this post is very lengthy, so if you wish to have an abridged version of all 50 items covered here, then have a look at our video walkthrough below.
![]()
The video runs down all of the primary talking points, and gives new Spark users a good idea of what to expect and what the app is capable of doing. Video walkthroughAdding accountsGo to: Settings → Mail Accounts → Add Account.Spark lets you add a mix of Google, Exchange, Yahoo, iCloud, Outlook, or other IMAP account types. All accounts can be easily combined into a single unified inbox.
1Password integrationWhen adding new accounts, you may tap into the credentials stored within 1Password by utilizing the lock button in the upper right-hand corner of the login window. Syncing settings and accounts via iCloudGo to: Settings → Sync Settings via Cloud.One of my favorite things about the latest Spark update is its ability to sync both settings and accounts via iCloud.
![]()
This makes it possible to set up new devices with Spark virtually hassle free.You will still need to verify at least one email address on your account before Spark will let you proceed with syncing. This is a good thing, however, as it can help protect your data if your iOS device happens to fall into the wrong hands. Setting default email addressGo to: Settings → Mail Accounts → Default E-mail Address.The default email address is the address used when composing new emails. It’s also possible to have Spark utilize the most recently used address.
Of course, you can always change the from address on the fly when composing new email. Refreshing the inboxAlthough Spark supports push email from sources like Google, it’s still possible to perform a manual refresh by pulling down on the inbox panel. Using the Smart InboxThe Smart Inbox is one of the premier features in Spark. It essentially allows you to divide the inbox up into multiple sections to help prioritize importance. When using the Smart Inbox, only new emails appear at the top of the inbox. New email is further broken down into hierarchical sections, beginning with personal emails, notifications, and newsletters — in that particular order. Viewing message detailsTapping on the subject line, name of the sender, or details button within an email will reveal the message details. Details contain information like From and To address, subject line, time, and message type.
Message Detail actionsAdditional actions can be performed on message detail fields by tapping on them. For example, when tapping on the sender’s email address, you’ll see options for Copy, Compose, Add to Contacts, Save, and More. Changing Message TypeYou can change the type of a received email by tapping the details button below the subject line, and tapping the message type. You can select between three message types: Personal, Notifications, and Newsletter. If an email arrives that you believe has the wrong message type, use the message details to reassign it with the proper type. Composing emailComposing a new email is easy; just tap the compose button in the bottom right hand-corner of the interface. Minimizing emailTo minimize an in-progress draft, tap the ‘x’ button in the upper-left hand corner of the compose window, and then tap the Minimize button.
Oh, and if you are a Mac user and think this won't apply to you, think again! No problem, we are going to create some more folders. Unread mail; Mail flagged for follow up; Important mail; Mail from specific. The mail in the folders still only exist in your inbox, not a separate folder within the inbox. Outlook for Mac - Business. Unread folder (just like windows version), not a smart folder at the bottom of the list. Create a password. Which folders to look at it thereby only seeing unread mails from folder that you choose.
Swiping between emailsYou can easily swipe between emails in the inbox. This is a great way to navigate through a batch of new emails quickly and efficiently. As you swipe, the email being currently viewed is highlighted with a light blue tint in the inbox’s list. Pinning emailsPinning is the equivalent of marking an email as important.
Tap the pin button above the message details to quickly pin an email. Pinned emails will appear at the top of the Smart Inbox, and are also available as a Sidebar item and/or Widget. Snoozing emailsLike the, Spark lets you snooze emails.
Snoozed emails will be removed from the inbox until a later time. Tap the snooze button in the upper right-hand corner of an open message to get started. Customize SnoozesGo to: Settings → Snoozes.Spark lets you customize snooze availability and specific snooze intervals. Using SwipesOne of my favorite Spark features is the ability to configure four different swipes gestures that correspond with various actions. By using swipe gestures on email in the inbox, you can execute one of the following actions:.
Mark as read/unread. Delete. Archive. Move. Move to. Pin. Snooze.
Move to Spam. Save to Evernote, Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, OneDrive. More (iOS Share Sheet)Customizing swipesGo to: Settings → Personalization → Swipes.Spark features left short, left long, right short, and right long swipe gestures. Each swipe can be configured via the app’s settings.
Changing notification preferences per accountGo to: Settings → Mail Accounts, and tap on the account that you wish to configure.You can change the notification preferences for individual email accounts on a per-account basis. Notification preferences let you decide between keeping all notifications, using smart notification curation, or disabling notifications altogether. Smart notifications only send alerts when receiving email from known sources, keeping automated emails, like newsletters, at bay.
Setting signaturesGo to: Settings → Signatures.Spark lets you add multiple signatures, and assign a default signature to a specific email account. Changing signatures on the flyWhen composing an email, you can swipe between configured signatures on the fly, or you can tap the ellipses button in the bottom right-hand corner of a signature to further manage closing sentiments. Customizing badgesGo to: Settings → Badges.Notification badges can be a huge source of annoyance and distraction, so it’s great to see options inside of Spark’s preferences for managing how badges are displayed. Spark lets you disable all badges outright, or only show badges when receiving email from specific accounts. Attaching photosIt’s easy to attach photos to an email you’re composing by tapping the photo button in the upper left-hand corner of the compose window. Use the list button at the top of the photo picker to filter photos by album. Attaching filesNext to the photos button, you’ll find a traditional paperclip button for attaching items to email.
Since iOS doesn’t feature a traditional filesystem, attachments can be made by tapping into services like iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, or OneDrive. Searching using natural languageSpark features awesome searching capabilities that allow you to quickly hone in on a specific email that you’re looking for. By incorporating natural language search, you can use search queries like this: Emails with jpeg attachments from yesterday. Saving search queriesTap the star button next to a search query to save that search for future usage. When you perform a new search, you can easily tap into search history or saved searches.
Mass archiving and deletingBy using the drag handles at the bottom of an inbox list, you can quickly archive or delete all emails in the list. Managing multiple inbox itemsTap and hold on any email within an inbox to jump into edit mode. While in edit mode, you can select multiple emails and quickly mark as read/unread, move, archive or delete.
Using Quick RepliesYou can use quick replies with emails that feature a personal message type. Quick replies allow you to reply to an email in brisk fashion using a single tap. It goes without saying that quick replies work great when used on Apple Watch. Adding Custom Quick RepliesGo to: Settings → Quick Replies → Add New.Spark lets you add additional custom quick replies, which allow you to create your own text snippet with corresponding emoji icon. Changing background colorGo to: Settings → Background Color.Spark ships with three different background colors: Dark Sky, Dark Blue, and Light Blue. Background colors influence the Widget and Sidebar area, as well as the status bar.
Customizing the email viewer and default browserGo to: Settings → E-mail Viewer.By default, Spark makes it so that the primary toolbar action contained within emails is the archive option. You can easily change this to display the delete or both the archive and delete options if you wish. You can also configure what happens when an email is archived or deleted, and select the default browser. In case you’re wondering, Spark supports Safari View Controller, and all of the benefits that it brings to the table. Using WidgetsGo to: Settings → Personalization → Widgets.Widgets allow you to quickly access specific Spark features. With Widgets, you can access Spark’s calendar.
Although there are definite overlaps with Sidebar items, Widgets can be easier to access on the fly. Using the SidebarGo to: Settings → Personalization → Sidebar.The Sidebar contains shortcuts to the Smart Inbox, Attachments, Snoozed email, and more. You can further customize the Sidebar shortcut cards via the Sidebar preferences. Changing sound preferencesGo to: Settings → Sound Preferences.Not feeling Spark’s own sound library?
You can use the Sound Preferences to switch back to standard iOS sounds. Viewing multiple email attachmentsWhen viewing one of several attachments within an email, tap the attachment button in the upper right-hand corner to open the handy attachment picker. Viewing a list of attachments across all accountsTap the Attachments shortcut in the Sidebar or in the Widgets list to access all attachments across all accounts. View Recently Seen emailTap the Recently Seen shortcut in the Sidebar or in the Widgets list to have a look at recently viewed email. Setting up Smart FoldersGo to: Settings → Personalization → Widgets (or Sidebar) → Add new → Smart Folder.You can configure Smart Folders, which act as email filters, via Spark’s preferences. Like search, Smart Folders utilize natural language to hone in on specific emails. You can further tighten the scope of a Smart Folder by configuring the accounts used within the search query.
Searching for emails via SpotlightSpark features accurate email searching directly from iOS 9’s Spotlight search interface. Changing Notification ActionsGo to: Settings → Notification Actions.Spark lets you customize the primary and secondary actions that appear when interacting with banner or Lock screen notifications. Options include Mark as Read, Archive and Delete. Connecting servicesGo to: Settings → Connected Services.Although standard iOS share sheet support is there, you can interact with various services directly from Spark’s interface when using connected services.
Using the Calendar WidgetThe aforementioned Calendar Widget is only available as a Widget, not as a Sidebar item. Spark’s calendar interfaces taps into the already existing calendar accounts on your iOS device, and lets you schedule events, create invites, respond to invites, and more. Saving emails as PDFsTap the Share button when viewing an email, and tap the Save as PDF button to create a great-looking PDF that can be copied directly to iBooks. Managing privacy settingsGo to: Settings → Privacy.Privacy settings let you disable remote image loading, and prevent notification actions from being performed on an incoming email without verifying your device’s passcode. Mark multiple messages readTap the mark button in the upper right-hand corner of an inbox group heading to quickly mark all messages within that group as read.
Undoing actionsMost actions executed within Spark, such as archiving an email, can be undone using the Undo button that appears briefly at the bottom of the interface. Just be sure to act fast. How to add an email aliasGo to: Settings → Mail Accounts → Tap the account that you wish to set up an alias for.Aliases can be easily added or removed from Mail Account settings. How to delete an email account in SparkGo to: Settings → Mail Accounts → (tap the account you wish to remove) → Remove Account.Removing an account from Spark is simple and straightforward.
IPad (and iPad Pro!) support is hereAs I noted in our initial, iPad support was my most anticipated new feature in the latest Spark 1.6 update, and it doesn’t disappoint. Along with general iPad support, Spark natively works with the super-sized 12.9″ screen of the iPad Pro. Wrangling email while using Split View for side-by-side multitasking is productivity bliss on such a large screen. Manage email on Apple WatchNot only can you receive email notifications directly on Apple Watch, but Spark’s latest update adds support for watchOS 2. This means that the app now runs natively on Apple Watch, and as such, is noticeably faster.
Along with support for the iPad Pro, this is one of the primary reasons that I’ve decided to go with Spark as my full time email client. The futureSpark isn’t perfect, but it’s one of the best solutions for managing email on iOS. It’s also backed by a company, Readdle, that isn’t a risky startup. That bodes well for the long-term viability of such an app. After Sparrow, and now Mailbox, I said I would never give my heart to another third-party email client again, but Spark, with so many options and features in tow, is good enough that I decided to give in.Readdle hasn’t been shy about the fact that it’s working on a Mac version of Spark, and if it can pull it off, that will be what truly pushes this client to the next level.
As it stands now, Spark is one of the best email experiences available on iOS, and I wholeheartedly recommend you.
While Apple Mail, which comes with Mac OS X, is a great email client for most users, some of us may feel that emails have become more of a hustle than they are helpful. Does it sound familiar to you? Today, we will be talking about simple Apple Mail tips and tricks to make your life easier and improve productivity.
Tip #1: Filter unread messages
If you need to focus on unread emails only, please open the Mail App on your Mac. Then look for the small “Filter” button at the top of the message list in any mailbox. If you are using iOS, then tap the button in a lower left corner. The button looks like a series of lines atop one another. Once you enable the “Unread” filter, you'll only see the unread messages. Click on the button again if you want both emails unread and read to be shown in the inbox.
Tip #2: Use flags to mark messages
Our inbox is often full of emails, but as a rule, only a few of them need further attention. Not to search for these emails manually, simply mark important messages with flags to access them quickly at any time. To do so, right-click on the email. Then the pop-up menu with a list of flag colors will appear. These flags come in different colors like red, yellow, orange, green, blue, gray, and purple. Use any flag color to mark an email type. For example, you can mark the message that requires your response within 24 hours with a red flag. Green flags might indicate tasks that you've already completed.
Tip #3: Set up a smart mailbox to categorize your messages
In the Apple Email application, you have two types of folders. They are regular folders in which you can select and manually drag emails. And smart folders (mailboxes) which filter and collect emails based upon rules you set up. Go to the Menu bar, click Mailbox -> New Smart Mailbox. You can base your mailbox on the subject, the recipient, date received, etc.
Tip #4: Setup frequency of inbox updates
The Mac's mail application automatically synchronizes the messages and checks for the new ones every five minutes. If you need more frequent or infrequent updates, you can choose from every 1 minute, 5, 15, 30, 60 minutes, and even set the frequency manually. Go to Preferences, click on the General tab -> Check for new messages and select the frequency.
Tip #5: Enable/disable image preview in Apple Mail
Anytime you receive an email with an attached image or PDF you will be presented with a preview of that files. Although this is an excellent feature for most of us, the Apple Mail becomes slow in working. Want to speed it up? Quit Mail App, launch Terminal and paste the following command string:
defaults write com.apple.mail DisableInlineAttachmentViewing -boolean yes
or
defaults write com.apple.mail DisableInlineAttachmentViewing 1
Then relaunch the Mail Application.
Tip #6: Add annotations and highlights to attached images
Sometimes we need to add text and comments to the image we are going to send as an attachment. Of course, you can edit the image using different software, but did you know that you can do the editing right from the Mac Email? Compose the message and add the attachment to it. Click on the attachment, select the drop-down menu in the upper-right corner, then choose “MarkUp.” You will be presented with a list of tools like vector draw, shapes, text, line color, etc. Draw, write, or highlight the picture as desired, then click on “Done” when finished.
Tip #7: Use Apple Mail search and search operators to find the message quickly
Email search is often tedious and messy. Most email clients offer a set of search operators that will help you define any search query precisely. For example, you want to find an email “from Natalie Polly with attachments,” so you have to use the “from:” and “has:attachment” search operators. With Mac Mail, you can search how you feel it, by using your own words. Just type “Email from Natalie Polly with attachments” to get exactly the correct results.
![]() Tip #8: Keep track on important threads in Apple Email App
The VIP feature is extremely important for those who suffer from email overload. So if you want to highlight important messages not to lose them among less important stuff, find the email from the individual that you wish to make a VIP and click on it. Then you will see a drop-down menu. Look for the “Add to VIPs” option.
Tip #9: Block spammers
Get rid of annoying emails by blocking and removing all messages from certain senders automatically. The procedure is pretty simple: Mail -> Preferences -> Rules -> Add rules. Add the email address you would like to block. Tip: In the description field, use something like “Block [email protected]” to help you recognize the rule from the list of other Apple Mail filters.
Tip #10: Find a folder with stored messages from Apple Email client
Have you ever wondered where Apple Mail stores your messages? It would be useful to know where this folder is located in case you will need to copy your emails to a different computer or back them up. Follow these steps:
1. Open a new Finder window2. From the main menu select “Go” item3. Select the “Go to Folder…” menu item (You can also use Command-Shift-G)4. Type ~/Library/Mail/V5 or ~/Library/Mail/V2 (for older Mac OS X Mail versions)5. Select “Go” or “OK.”Tip #11: Create group lists
If you need to send email to a group of specific recipients, you can manually copy and paste the entire list of addresses, but it is inefficient. Instead, you can use the built-in Contacts program that comes with your Mac. Go to the “File” at the top-left and select the second option which is “New Group.” Call it whatever you want and go back to “All Contacts.” Then drag and drop the recipients into the new group you’ve just created. Now open the email program, create a new message, type the name of your group in the “To” field, hit the comma and you'll see all those people's email addresses.
Tip #12: Receive opening notifications
Verify that your email has been delivered with a read receipt. On Macs, unfortunately, there is no option in the Mail client to add a read receipt. However, you can force it to turn on through the Terminal. To find it, go to Finder -> Application -> Utilities. Then type in the following command: defaults write com.apple.mail UserHeaders '{'Disposition-Notification-To' = 'Name <email@address>'; }' Do not forget to type in your name and email address. Press Return. From now on, Mac Mail will send a read receipt with every email that you send. If you want to disable this feature, be sure to use this command: defaults delete com.apple.mail UserHeaders. That will turn off read receipts.
Tip #13: View the source of a message
This feature can become handy in case you want to identify forged senders or avoid a suspicious phishing effort. To see the entire source code, go to View option -> Message -> Raw Source.
Tip #14: Import Outlook contacts to Mac Mail
Transfer contacts from Outlook to the Contacts Application in your Mac. First, you need to export Outlook contacts to a .csv file. Go to the “People” page (see the lower left corner). On the toolbar, choose Manage -> Export contacts. Save the file in .csv format. Now that your contacts have been copied to a .csv file, you can import them to the Contacts App. Open Contacts, select File -> Import from the menu. Then locate and highlight the csv file. Click “Open.”
Tip #15: Add Google contacts to Mac Mail
Sync your Gmail or Google Apps contacts with the Contacts Application for your Mac computer. This is a great way to always have offline access to your Gmail or Google Apps contacts. So after you open up the Contacts App, just go into Contacts -> Preferences. From there, make sure you click on the Accounts tab and select the plus sign at the bottom. Make sure you choose the CardDAV option in the drop-down menu, and in the user name section enter in your Gmail or Google Apps account. For example, [email protected]. Then in the password section enter in your Gmail or Google Apps password. And for the server address section, enter in google.com, and click “Create.” After you are done, your contacts will begin syncing from your Google account to your Mac computer. Any new contacts that you make on your Mac will sync with your Google account and vice versa.
Tip #16: Add Mac Mail HTML signature
Have you ever got an email from somebody and you saw one of those really beautiful signatures down in the bottom of their email? Maybe it's got their photo or logo. Have you ever felt a little bit jealous? So if you still have the blank email footer whenever you create a new email message, let’s add a beautiful email signature that people can be jealous of, which is what everybody wants and likes. Perhaps you think that getting a professional HTML signature with images, logos, clickable links, etc. requires good coding skills. Of course, there is some truth in it, but modern email signature creators like Newoldstamp can do the job for you. So once you have the ready-to-use signature file saved to your device, go ahead and open up Apple Mail, then from the top toolbar select Mail -> Preferences. In you Preferences window, you’ll see a number of tabs across the top. Select “Signatures” and then on the left window side select the email account that you want to install your Mac Mail signature for and click the plus icon. Then give your footer a name like “My New Beautiful Signature,” uncheck “Always match my default font.” Open up Finder and navigate to where your signature is saved. Then go ahead and open it with either Google or Chrome or Firefox (do not use Safari because it can ruin the formatting). Press Command + A to select all and then Command + C to copy the signature. Switch back to Apple Mail and paste your signature by pressing Command + V.
Tip #17: Create Calendar events from Apple Mail
Quickly and easily add appointments and events found in email messages to your calendar. When you mouseover an item (date and time), a dotted grey outline will appear. Click the down arrow on the right to make the prospective item pop up in your calendar. You will be able to modify the event's name, location, etc. Click “Add to Calendar” once you are finished.
Tip #18: Use Apple Mail Shortcuts
Want to send emails quicker? See the image below for the list of Apple Mail shortcuts. To create your own keyboard shortcuts click the Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Application Shortcuts. Then click the plus button to add a new combination.
Tip #19: Create email templates in Mail Application
If you need to write the same email message over and over again, save it as a template for later use. With Mail open, go to create a new message. And what you type in this message is going to become your template. Once you have everything filled out, go to File -> Save as Stationery. Then give it a name like “My Apple Mail Template” or something like this. Next time just start a new message and look for the Stationery icon in the upper right corner, click on that to see the list of folders. Look for the folder called “Custom.” There you’ll find the template you saved.
Tip #20: Save emails in one file
If you need to have multiple emails in a single file, highlight the emails you want to save by holding down the Shift key. Hold down Command to select disparate messages. Then choose File -> Save As… from the menu. Save.
Tip #21: Read PDF docs straight from the Apple Mail
Did you know that only one-page PDFs are shown inline in the message text, and the files with two or more pages are displayed as icons? However, you can right-click on the preview and select “View as Icon” or “View in Place” to switch between icon and inline viewing modes.
Tip #22: Change messages sorting order
If we look right above the middle column in the Mail App, we’ll notice a menu called “Sort By Date.” In this menu, we’ll see different sorting options like “Newest on top,” “Sorting by size,” “Unread first,” and many other options to choose from.
Tip #23: Customize Mac Mail toolbar
Customize the Mail toolbar as per your preferences, remove the buttons you don't need and add the ones you often use. So how do you do that? Double click on any message to open the Mail window. Then right-click on any blank mail window and then choose “Customize Toolbar” from the drop-down menu. To add, drag an item to the toolbar. A green icon indicates you are adding it. To remove the button, drag it from the toolbar. Visual and sound effects indicate it has been removed. To rearrange items, simply drag an item to a new location in the toolbar. To change how items appear, click the “Show” pop-up menu and choose the option you want.
Tip #24: Preview links from messages in Apple Mail
Not sure if the link you get in a mail is safe to open? Apple Mail allows previewing URLs directly in the app. Just hover over the link within the message until you see the grey box with a triangle in it. Then click this box to preview the link in a side window.
Tip #25: Add Apple Mail attachments via Dock
And the last fantastic trick for today is the option to send a new email with an attachment really fast by dragging the file you want to attach over the Mail’s Dock icon. You don't even need to open Mail! Cool, right?
You might also likeStart Now and Create Signatures |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
January 2023
Categories |