AI WORLD HQUse Apple Intelligence in Apple Mail to Find Important Emails Faster
Turn on Priority and inbox summaries so the messages that matter rise to the top — free on iPhone 15 Pro and newer, M1 iPads, and Macs
In short: Apple Mail's Priority inbox puts important unread emails at the top of the list, and Apple Intelligence can add short summaries in the inbox preview so you can scan them in seconds. It works on iPhone 15 Pro and newer (also M1 iPads and Macs), needs iOS 18.1 or later, and is free.
If your inbox feels like a noisy hallway — newsletters, receipts, and one thing your manager actually needs — Apple Intelligence in Mail is built to lift the messages that matter to the top and tell you, in a sentence or two, what each one wants. By the end of this guide you will have turned the feature on, found the Priority area, and learned how to skim summaries in seconds. We will move slowly.
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- A device that supports Apple Intelligence: iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, any iPhone 16 model, an iPad with an M1 chip or later (Apple's processor, the brain of the device — first shipped in 2020), or a Mac with M1 or later.
- iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, or macOS Sequoia 15.1 or later. Apple Intelligence first shipped in 18.1, and some Mail features have been added or expanded in later updates, so install the latest version from Settings → General → Software Update before continuing.
- Your Apple account signed in on the device.
- About 5 minutes for setup; the system learns your habits over the first week.
Turn on Apple Intelligence
Open the Settings app (the gray gear icon on your home screen). Scroll down and tap Apple Intelligence & Siri. If you only see Apple Intelligence without the Siri part, tap that instead. Tap the switch next to Apple Intelligence so it turns green. Your device will download a small model in the background — a spinning circle appears until it is done, which can take a few minutes the first time.
If it looks different: older devices won't show Apple Intelligence at all. That is the device telling you the hardware cannot run it, and no setting will bring it back. You will need a newer device to follow this guide.
You'll know it worked when the toggle stays green, the download finishes without an error, and a small Apple Intelligence sparkle appears inside supported apps.
Open Mail and look for the Priority area
Open the Mail app (the blue envelope icon). Look at the very top of your inbox, above the regular list of messages. If Mail has decided you have important unread emails, you will see a section labeled something like Priority, Priority Messages, or Important — Apple has used slightly different names across iOS versions, so the exact wording may shift. The rest of your inbox — newsletters, receipts, promotions — sits below in its normal order.
If it looks different: some users see Priority as a single row at the top with a small number next to it; others see a scrollable area above the regular inbox. If you see no Priority area at all, Mail may not have flagged anything yet, or you may be on a software version that needs updating.
You'll know it worked when a Priority area appears at the top of your inbox with at least one email Mail considers worth surfacing.
Skim the summary preview in your inbox list
Stay in the inbox list — do not open the email yet. Look at the preview line under each priority message's subject. With Apple Intelligence on, Mail sometimes replaces the usual opening sentence of the email with a one- or two-line summary in plain English. That summary tells you, briefly, what the message is about: the action it asks for, the deadline, or who is waiting on whom.
If it looks different: Apple Intelligence will not summarize every email. Short messages, simple notifications, or mail it is unsure about usually keep the regular preview line. If you see no summaries at all, give it a few days — the feature also rolls out gradually by region and language, and it needs a little history to learn your inbox.
You'll know it worked when, under a priority email's subject, you see a short, plain-English sentence that explains the message faster than reading the email itself would.
Open the email only when the preview earns it
Tap a priority email to open it when the preview tells you it is worth your full attention. Read the message like any other email. Apple Intelligence's job is mostly done at this point — the inbox preview told you whether opening it was worth your time. There is no separate AI panel inside the email body that rewrites the message for you; the assistance happened before you tapped.
If it looks different: Mail may also show short notification summaries on your Lock Screen for priority messages — that is the same Apple Intelligence engine doing similar work in a different place. Tap the Lock Screen summary to jump straight to the email.
You'll know it worked when you can tell, just from the inbox list, whether a message deserves your full attention or can wait until later.
Help Mail learn what "priority" means to you
Mail decides what is priority by watching who you actually open and reply to, plus what kind of content you engage with. You can speed this up. Open an email from someone you always want at the top, tap their name or photo near the top of the message, and look for an option like Add to VIP or Add to Favorites. Their future emails will land in Priority more reliably.
If it looks different: menu wording moves between iOS versions. If you cannot find VIP, look for Favorite Sender, Add to Favorites, or a small star icon. On a Mac the option may live in the Message menu bar at the top of the screen rather than inside the email itself.
You'll know it worked when starred or VIP senders reliably show up at the top of your inbox and their future emails count toward the priority picks.
- Looking for Priority on a phone that cannot run Apple Intelligence. The section quietly does not exist on older devices — that is not a setting you are missing, it is the hardware.
- Judging the feature on day one. Apple Intelligence learns from your behavior. The first week the picks may feel random; after roughly a week of normal use they get noticeably sharper.
- Trusting the summary without thinking. The summary is a useful shortcut, not a guarantee. For anything involving money, health, or login codes, open the full message and verify the details yourself before acting.
Open Mail right now, scroll to the top of your inbox, and read only the summary previews of your priority messages for 60 seconds. Mark one you don't need as read and move on. That single pass is the whole workflow in miniature.
❓ Quick questions
How long does this take?
About 6 minutes — the guide has 5 steps, and you can tick each one off as you go.
Which tool do I need?
This guide uses Apple Apple Intelligence — but the approach works very similarly in other AI assistants.
Do I need to prepare anything?
- A device that supports Apple Intelligence: iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, any iPhone 16 model, an iPad with an M1 chip or later (Apple's processor, the brain of the device — first shipped in 2020), or a Mac with M1 or later.
- iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, or macOS Sequoia 15.1 or later. Apple Intelligence first shipped in 18.1, and some Mail features have been added or expanded in later updates, so install the latest version from Settings → General → Software Update before continuing.
- Your Apple account signed in on the device.
- About 5 minutes for setup; the system learns your habits over the first week.
What mistakes should I avoid?
- Looking for Priority on a phone that cannot run Apple Intelligence. The section quietly does not exist on older devices — that is not a setting you are missing, it is the hardware.
- Judging the feature on day one. Apple Intelligence learns from your behavior. The first week the picks may feel random; after roughly a week of normal use they get noticeably sharper.
- Trusting the summary without thinking. The summary is a useful shortcut, not a guarantee. For anything involving money, health, or login codes, open the full message and verify the details yourself before acting.
Keep reading
✦ Original step-by-step guide by AI World HQ's AI editorial team. Written in plain language, reviewed for accuracy.
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