MacRumors

Email apps are a popular App Store category for one simple reason - almost all of us need to access email on our iPhones and iPads. While Apple has its own Mail app built into iOS devices, some people want a more feature rich experience.

Luckily there are plenty of developers out there who are trying to create the perfect iOS inbox, but it's hard to sort through the dozens of email apps available. We dove into the ‌App Store‌ in our latest YouTube video and rounded up a handful of the best email apps we found.

Best Email Apps for iPhone

• Spike
• Polymail
• Airmail
• Spark
• Edison Mail

Spike

Spike, a free app, is a conversation-based email app that used to be called Hop. The app's aim is to turn emailing into more of a message like conversation, organizing the inbox into a chat-style window.

Spike removes email headers, signatures, and more to make the emailing experience chat-like, and it prioritizes emails sent by people while filing newsletters and other automatic emails to other folders. Other features include a unified inbox, email grouping options, quick responses, a unified calendar, and snooze. Spike is unusual and not our first choice, but it's definitely unique and could be what some people are looking for.

Polymail

Polymail, also free, is more of a traditional email app. It has a sleek, clean interface with a useful comment and mention feature that's available on the desktop for teams.

On iOS, Polymail offers useful features like quick tags, read later, and read receipts to let you know what someone has received and read your email. You can also get reminders to follow up on an email that someone has read but not responded to. Other unique features include a calendar invite option in the compose window, one-click unsubscribe, email scheduling, click and attachment tracking, and more.

Polymail is one of the more useful apps if you want to better track who is viewing your emails, but if you don't need that functionality, there may be better apps for you.

Airmail

Airmail, priced at $4.99, started as a Mac app and then expanded to iOS. Airmail is a straightforward email app with a focus on minimalism. There's a single unified "All Inboxes" view for quick email management, but if you swipe from the left, there's access to folders for to-do lists, snoozed emails, and attachments, which is handy for finding specific content.

Airmail keeps it simple with options to reply, delete, and archive when viewing an email, though there are an expanded set of features in the compose window, including tracking, send later options, reminders, and templates. Airmail is compatible with a wide range of other services and apps so you can better integrate the apps you already use with your email app.

Airmail's interface isn't going to appeal to everyone, especially on iOS, but it offers a good cross-platform experience.

Spark

Spark, a free app from Readdle, is one of our top email app picks. Spark offers up a Smart Inbox that presents your most important emails first, saving the junk, newsletters, and less important tasks for later.

Emails are automatically categorized into sections that include Personal, Notifications, and Newsletters, but you can use a single firehose inbox option if you want. Spark has a robust search engine, which makes it easy to find any email, something that we liked about the app.

Spark has tools for discussing and collaborating on emails with your team, and it's one of the few email apps with these kinds of tools. It also offers options for scheduling emails and snoozing emails, plus there are smart notifications so you only get pinged when there's something important to see.

Other Spark features include followup reminders, integrations with other services, and customizable swipe gestures.

Edison Mail

Edison Mail, another free app, is super popular on the ‌App Store‌ for a reason. It has a clean, modern look, customizable swipe settings, and all of the tools that you need for managing your email.

Edison Mail's design is reminiscent of the design of the Mail app, so it fits well on the iPhone, but it offers a richer feature set than the Mail app. There's an included personal assistant that organizes your inbox, sorting out subscriptions, travel emails, bills, receipts, and package emails.

It lets you track packages and sends an alert when something is out for delivery, and it can do other things like send notifications for upcoming flights. Traditional tools are included too, like snooze options, send undo, and one-tap unsubscribe. It also integrates with Face ID, providing another layer of protection for your inbox.

Conclusion

Of all the email apps listed above, which are some excellent options for email management, we liked Spark and Edison the best, with Edison ranking as our top favorite. If you're looking for a new email app to try out, it's worth taking a look at everything on the list.

Did we miss your favorite email app? Let us know which one you prefer in the comments.

Apple is cracking down hard on companies that have been abusing its Enterprise Certificate program, and Google today joined Facebook in losing access to Apple's internal app tools, reports The Verge.

Apple revoked Google's Enterprise Certificate and as a result, none of Google's internal apps are functional. Pre-release versions of iOS apps like Google Maps, Hangouts, Gmail, and more stopped working today, along with employee transportation and cafe apps.

Google, like Facebook, was using its Enterprise Certificate designed for internal employee apps to distribute an iOS app called "Screenwise Meter" to customers.

Screenwise Meter was an app designed to collect information on internet usage, including details on how long a person spends on a site to the apps that are downloaded on a device. Apple does not allow data collecting apps like Screenwise Meter on the App Store, so Google asked customers to download it using an Enterprise Certificate.

By having customers install Screenwise Meter this way, Google was able to bypass Apple's ‌App Store‌ rules. Google was more forthcoming about its data collection policies than Facebook, but it still clearly violated the Enterprise Certificate Program, which only allows these certificates to be used for internal apps for employees.

Facebook was doing the same thing as Google with its "Facebook Research" app, and has also since lost access to its Enterprise Certificate, disabling all of the internal Facebook iOS apps and reportedly causing chaos within the company.

Both Google and Facebook have disabled the apps that took advantage of Apple's Enterprise Certificate program, but that did not stop Apple from revoking their Enterprise Certificates entirely.

Facebook yesterday said that it was working with Apple to reinstate the certificate, and Google is also likely in discussions with the Cupertino company to solve the issue.

Given the size of Google and Facebook and the importance of the Google and Facebook apps, Apple is likely to restore the certificates, but reinstated use may come with much more oversight.

Update: In a statement to Bloomberg, Google said it is working with Apple to resolve the issue. "We're working with Apple to fix a temporary disruption to some of our corporate iOS apps, which we expect will be resolved soon."

Update 2: In a statement to TechCrunch, Apple says it is working with Google to fix the certificate issue. "We are working together with Google to help them reinstate their enterprise certificates very quickly."

Update 3: Apple has restored Google’s Enterprise Certificate so its internal apps now function again, TechCrunch confirmed with a source after a Bloomberg journalist reported the development. A Google spokesperson said they "can confirm that our internal corporate apps have been restored."

A questionable and unconfirmed rumor from Israeli site The Verifier suggests that Apple's iOS 13 update, expected to be previewed this summer at the Worldwide Developers Conference, will drop support for a number of iPhones and iPads.

The site says iOS 13 will be unavailable on the iPhone 5s, ‌iPhone‌ SE, ‌iPhone‌ 6, ‌iPhone‌ 6 Plus, ‌iPhone‌ 6s, and ‌iPhone‌ 6s Plus, all devices that are compatible with iOS 12.

As for iPads, The Verifier believes Apple will drop support for the iPad mini 2, ‌iPad mini‌ 3, iPad Air, ‌iPad Air‌ 2, and possibly the ‌iPad mini‌ 4. The sixth-generation iPod touch is listed as a device that will also be incompatible with iOS 13.

If this rumor is true, and we don't know that it is because The Verifier did not provide details on where the information is from or how it was obtained, it would see Apple dropping support for three generations of iPhones at one time, a move that seems somewhat unlikely.

Apple aims to provide software updates for its iOS devices for as long as possible. Both iOS 12 and iOS 11 offered support for the ‌iPhone‌ 5s and newer, the ‌iPad mini‌ 2 and newer, and the ‌iPad Air‌ and newer. At the time iOS 12 launched, some of those devices were five years old.

Dropping support for everything up to the ‌iPhone‌ 7 would leave iOS 13 compatible only with iOS devices from 2016 or later. Two of those devices, the ‌iPad mini‌ 4 and the sixth-generation iPod touch, are current-generation devices, though they may not be by the time iOS 13 launches as updates for both are in the works.

To cast further doubt on the site's claims, it lists the ‌iPhone‌ 6s as a device that won't support iOS 13 without naming the fifth-generation iPad. Both the fifth-generation ‌iPad‌ and the ‌iPhone‌ 6s use the A9 chip.

The Verifier claims that in addition to dropping support for iOS 13 on a wide swath of devices, Apple will also restrict some iOS 13 features to newer models to "make as many users upgrade to the latest models of iPhones." While it's true there are sometimes iOS features limited to newer devices because of hardware limitations, Apple has a long history of supporting older devices for years after launch.

The Verifier has previously provided semi-accurate info on Apple's plans. In 2017, for example, the site said Apple would bring Group FaceTime to iOS 11. We did get Group ‌FaceTime‌, but not until iOS 12.1 in 2018.

Update: The Verifier has updated the original article to list the lack of iOS 13 support for the ‌iPhone‌ SE and ‌iPhone‌ 6s as "questionable" rather than concrete.

Apple's upcoming fix for the FaceTime eavesdropping bug that was discovered on Monday will come in the form of an iOS 12.1.4 update, according to MacRumors analytics data.

We began seeing a handful of visits from devices running an iOS 12.1.4 update on January 29, the day after the bug was widely publicized and spread across the internet.

Apple on Monday said that a software fix for the issue would come "later this week," but now that it's Thursday, there's not a lot of time left. Apple could still release the update later today, but if not, Friday morning is the likely target launch date.

The FaceTime eavesdropping bug allowed iPhone users to exploit a privacy-invading Group ‌FaceTime‌ flaw that let one person connect to another person and hear conversations (and see video, in some cases) without the other person ever having accepted the call.

The mother of the teenager who originally discovered the bug shared convincing evidence that she contacted the Cupertino company as early as January 20. She did not receive a response from Apple despite sending emails and a video.

It's not clear, therefore, when the right team at Apple learned of the bug and when work on a fix was started. We did not see signs of iOS 12.1.4 in our analytics data prior to January 29, but it's possible Apple was working on a fix earlier than that.

The multi-day wait for an official solution to perhaps one of the worst Apple-related privacy bugs we've seen, however, does suggest that development on iOS 12.1.4 did not start too far ahead of when the bug went public.

Qualcomm today filed a motion calling for a German court to levy fines against Apple for not complying with a December import ban barring iPhone 7 and ‌iPhone‌ 8 models from being sold in Germany, reports Bloomberg.

According to Qualcomm, Apple failed to properly recall the banned iPhones from third-party sellers and continued to sell them in some Apple Stores in early January. Qualcomm in early January posted 1.34 billion euros in security bonds to enforce the ban, and Apple pulled its iPhones entirely from the country the next day.

Qualcomm general counsel Don Rosenberg said that Apple "intentionally" defied the court order and continued to sell iPhones in some stores, and that the company "obviously" doesn't consider itself "bound by the injunction."

"Significant fines must be imposed to put a check on that," he wrote in a statement to Bloomberg.

To prove Apple's non-compliance with the order, Qualcomm pointed towards a December press release that Apple has already been forced to retract. In the press release, Apple said that while the ‌iPhone‌ 7 and ‌iPhone‌ 8 models would be unavailable for purchase at its own retail stores, the devices would be available from carriers and third-party retailers.

Qualcomm and Apple have been embroiled in an increasingly tense legal battle since January 2017. Qualcomm has thus far won sales bans on older devices in China and Germany, rulings that Apple is fighting against.

Over the course of the last month, representatives from both companies were in a Northern California court for the Qualcomm v. FTC antitrust lawsuit. The FTC has accused Qualcomm of using anticompetitive tactics to remain the main supplier for baseband processors for smartphones, an argument similar to Apple's.

The Qualcomm/FTC trial wrapped up yesterday, and we are awaiting a verdict from the presiding judge, Lucy Koh, who also handled Apple v. Samsung.

Nike in January announced the launch of iPhone-controlled self-adjusting basketball shoes, and now another popular shoe brand, Puma, is set to launch its own self-lacing sneaker.

The upcoming Puma Fi, which was able to be tested by Engadget's Richard Lai, has been in development for three years. Puma has experimented with automatic shoe technology before with the laceless Autodisc, and is building on that experience with the new model.

Fi is an all-black shoe with a cordless motor at the top that's designed to fit the shoe around the foot, replacing traditional laces. The motor is attached to blue Dyneema strings (a material used in the fishing industry) that tightens when the motor is activated.

The Fi is powered by a removable battery hidden in a water resistant pocket inside of the shoe, and it can be charged by putting the heel of the shoe on an included Qi wireless charging mat or through a charging case.

According to Lai, the Fi is comfortable and looks and feels like an ordinary sneaker when in use. You can adjust the fit of the Fi with a touch module on the front that supports swipes for tightening the shoe.

The Fi can also be controlled via an iPhone, and there is included Apple Watch support. Using the ‌iPhone‌ controls, you can change the tightness, see battery life, and make small micro adjustments not possible with the on-shoe controls.

With the motor inside, the Fi weighs 428 grams, but Lai said that the weight "wasn't that noticeable" when wearing the shoe. There is a noticeable mechanical noise when operating the shoe, which Lai said "sounds cool."

There are no activity tracking and GPS tracking features in the Fi, but both the Fi and Nike's smart sneaker are just some of the first smartphone-controlled shoes. If the trend catches on, we could see more capable, feature rich iPhone-connected sneakers in the future.

Puma Fi will launch in spring 2020 and it will be priced at $330. Puma plans to launch an open beta program in the future to allow customers to use the sneakers in exchange for product feedback. Those interested should download Puma's PUMATRAC app, where Puma will announce Fi availability. [Direct Link]

Montréal-based law firm Lambert Avocat Inc. has applied for a class action lawsuit against Apple with the Superior Court of Québec, seeking compensation for all persons exposed to a major FaceTime privacy bug that enabled users to eavesdrop on the people they call, according to its website.

The proposed lawsuit seeks compensation for all Canadians who used FaceTime on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 12.1 or later, or a Mac running macOS Mojave 10.4.1 or later, in their possession.

This is the first pending class action lawsuit against Apple we know of in relation to the ‌FaceTime‌ bug. An earlier lawsuit filed by a lawyer in Houston, who claimed the bug allowed an unknown person to listen in on sworn testimony, did not seek class action status according to the court document we reviewed.

Due to the serious privacy implications of the ‌FaceTime‌ bug, there may be more class action lawsuits to follow in the United States and elsewhere.

Widely publicized on Monday, the ‌FaceTime‌ bug allowed one person to call another person via ‌FaceTime‌, slide up on the interface and enter their own phone number, and automatically gain access to audio from the other person's device without that person accepting the call. In some cases, even video was accessible.

We recorded a demonstration of the bug earlier this week:

It was later reported that Apple may have known about the bug for over a week before it made headlines, something New York government officials are investigating. Apple has yet to provide further comment about the bug beyond promising a software update, but we'll be sure to provide updates as we learn more.

Update: MacRumors has uploaded a copy of the application submitted to the Superior Court of Québec.

Apple shipped an estimated 14.5 million iPads in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.

Apple no longer discloses iPad, iPhone, or Mac unit sales in its earnings reports, leaving us with these estimated figures, which can vary quite significantly between research firms. With the iPhone, for example, estimated shipments have ranged from 65.9 million to 68.4 million to 71.7 million for the quarter.

Apple reported sales of 13.2 million iPads in the fourth quarter of 2017, when it was still disclosing unit sales, so the Strategy Analytics data suggests that iPad unit sales have grown nearly 10 percent on a year-over-year basis.

Strategy Analytics estimates that the ‌iPad‌'s average selling price was $463, an increase of just over four percent from $445 in the year-ago quarter. This sounds unsurprising, as Apple raised prices with its new iPad Pro lineup in 2018, with the cheapest model starting at $799 compared to $649 in 2017.

Apple remained the world's most popular tablet vendor, easily topping Samsung's estimated 7.5 million tablet shipments in the quarter, according to Strategy Analytics. Amazon, Huawei, and Lenovo round off the top five with an estimated 5.5 million, 4.6 million, and 2.3 million shipments respectively.

On an operating system basis, however, Android tablets from multiple brands still commanded an estimated 60 percent of the market.

Apple reported ‌iPad‌ revenue of $6.7 billion in the quarter, a 17 percent increase over the year-ago quarter.

Apple has replenished stock of the iPhone SE on its online clearance store for the third time this month. These are brand new, unopened, and unlocked models starting at $249 in the United States. Availability dwindled very quickly in the each of the first two times the ‌iPhone‌ SE was added, so act fast.

Apple is offering the ‌iPhone‌ SE with 32GB of storage for $249 and with 128GB for $299 in Silver, Space Gray, Gold, and Rose Gold. Tech specs include a 4-inch Retina display, A9 chip, Touch ID, 12-megapixel rear camera, and 3.5mm headphone jack.

Prior to being pulled, the ‌iPhone‌ SE was available with 32GB and 128GB of storage for $349 and $449 respectively, so Apple is offering $100 to $150 off. The device was originally released in March 2016 and was popular among fans of smaller smartphones and those who preferred the ‌iPhone‌ 5-like design.

(Thanks, Bob!)

Taiwanese manufacturer Compal Electronics is expected to be a supplier of the so-called iPad mini 5 when the tablet launches later in 2019, according to DigiTimes. This would likely entail final assembly of the device.

Apple has debuted new iPads in March for three consecutive years, including the 9.7-inch iPad Pro in 2016, the fifth-generation ‌iPad‌ in 2017, and the sixth-generation ‌iPad‌ in 2018, so there's a good chance that Apple will unveil the ‌iPad mini‌ 5 and the new 10-inch ‌iPad‌ in a little over a month from now.

Kuo said the new ‌iPad mini‌ will feature an upgraded processor and a lower-cost panel, but few details are known beyond that.

The current iPad mini 4 was released in September 2015. The tablet features a 7.9-inch display with 326 PPI, A8 chip, 2GB of RAM, Touch ID, 8-megapixel rear camera, a Lightning connector, dual speakers, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It is available with 128GB of storage for $399 (Wi-Fi) and $529 (LTE).