iOS 18 Mail app AI features may include smart replies, tone change

A new report suggests Apple may announce a number of iOS 18 Mail app AI features during WWDC.

These include the option to automatically create Smart Replies to emails, as well as the ability to draft a reply yourself and then ask Siri to change the tone – for example, ‘make this sound more professional’ …

AppleInsider cites sources familiar with the work, which is said to be codenamed Project Blackpearl.

One of the reported changes is much more powerful search functionality. This is said to be able to search contacts, locations, and locally-stored documents in addition to the text of emails themselves.

Smart Replies is another.

Mail, Messages, and Siri will also receive a new “Smart Reply” feature, which will give users the option to reply with an instant AI-generated response to an email or message. Siri will gain the ability to utilize Apple’s AI in order to create replies at the user’s request.

The description makes it sound like this is primarily geared to business use, such as customer support reps dealing with high volumes of emails on similar issues.

Drafting your own reply and then asking for the app to improve the text is also said to be supported. Three options are described, though these are likely only examples rather than a definitive list:

Managing a busy inbox could also get easier, with the AI scanning their content in order to put them into different categories for you:

• Commerce
• News
• Other
• Promotions
• Social
• Transaction

We’re expecting iOS 18 Siri to have the ability to summarize text, and the report says that this feature will be available for emails, messages, notifications, notes, and social media posts – as well as longer-form text and news pieces.

We’ll of course be bringing you live coverage from WWDC.

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