How can I disable icons in the Mail app on iOS 18.3?

rztour wrote:

I was able to turn off the contact photos so that, looking at my Inbox no longer shows these category icons next to each email. But when I click to open an email, the icon is there at the top of the opened email.

Don’t want it, and again, my “Show Contact Photos” is toggled off. Now what?

That can't be changed. To me, it's a non-issue. It doesn't interfere with the email. It doesn't show in the list view. It's simply at the top of the email when opened.

I just updated to iOS 18.4 on my iPhone and all other devices. And the contact posters are still not appearing as I had turned them off when this feature first came out.

Are you doing this exactly:

• Open Settings App
• Go all the way down to and tap Apps
• Find and tap Mail
• Look for and TURN OFF Show Contact Posters

KathleenLacey wrote:

Do you guys at Apple not understand the impact on the brain of suddenly dropping big blobs of bright colors with an icon to boot onto a nice clean elegant black and white display? Maybe keep the crayons in the box unless they’re wanted?

When you ask "Do you guys at Apple" it indicates you may think you are writing anyone at Apple here? You're not. You are only speaking with other users like yourself, on this user to user only forum. Apple isn't here and isn't reading for user feedback.

If you want to share thoughts with Apple, you can do so here --> Product Feedback - Apple

As many people as possible should notify Apple if they are unhappy with the change.

Read the top ranking reply, where I explained how to get rid of the contact posters next to the messages.

Thank you for the quick and easy to understand response! I really appreciate it!!! Apple should show you what an update would look like and then you select if you want update to the look of the new version or stay with the old. I shouldn’t have these changes automatically made and then have to research how to get it back. But definitely appreciate having the option to get it back.

Hi @lobsterghost1.

thank you but are you able to help me as I no longer have the 3 dots in the top corner. There is only the icons of the cart etc. if I pull down I have nothing appearing? No dots no search bars?

thanks so much.

Thanks.

it’s a mess though like most updates are. They’ve decided to only show us what they think are the emails we want to see most unless you make the change. So for half a day I was missing a load of work emails.

if it isn’t broken don’t fix it is a decent line to work along

Horrible? No. Different? Yes. As with changes which come along year after year, we have to retrain ourselves, then we wonder how we managed to get along before the new formats came out. Just give yourself time to adjust and learn how the new mail app works.

I had never mind updates for the Mail client ever since I used an iPhone from the 3G days, but 18.3 is the absolute worst Apple has ever done with a design language that complete deviates from its principle thus making it irrelevant to the layout of the desktop Mail client, and of course its previous iOS counter part.

I had managed to revert it back to list view with no icons, but opinion should be heard, if not, one day we will wake up and that will be the permeant change without the option to change back. Please stop making erratic design choices to make it looks like "the other guy", there is a reason why we choose Apple.

dmitriypopov wrote:

I had never mind updates for the Mail client ever since I used an iPhone from the 3G days, but 18.3 is the absolute worst Apple has ever done with a design language that complete deviates from its principle thus making it irrelevant to the layout of the desktop Mail client, and of course its previous iOS counter part.

I had managed to revert it back to list view with no icons, but opinion should be heard, if not, one day we will wake up and that will be the permeant change without the option to change back. Please stop making erratic design choices to make it looks like "the other guy", there is a reason why we choose Apple.

If you want your opinion heard, it won't be heard here on this user to user only forum, which Apple does not read for user feedback. Use this link to share your thoughts with Apple if you want --> Feedback - iPhone - Apple

Another change for the sake of change, that I didn’t ask for!. Fortunately an easy fix.

Can’t wait for the day that I can disable that empty bar at the bottom of my iPad Pro display! Another useless thing I have to deal with.

Sksksksksksksksk wrote:

Appreciate your answer regarding the icons but I can’t stand the small blue dots designating new mail. I want to go back to bolding. Can I?

No, you can't go back to however you thought the unread dots looked before. I honestly don't remember them looking different than they do now under iOS 18.3. So, I did a google search and found this article from December, 2023, which shows the blue dot was exactly as it is now in 2023. People often remember things which might not have been.

Check this out --> https://www.idownloadblog.com/2016/03/03/how-to-show-unread-folder-mail-iphone-ipad/

Appreciate your Google search but from someone who has 4 email addresses that feed into the Mail app, I’ve never had dots next to my emails. They appeared after this latest update and they are tiny gnats on my feed.