When the Mailbox app (free) first debuted in early 2013, it quickly became the most-hyped mobile email client app of all time. Users were queuing up on a virtual wait list by the thousands to try out this intuitive app that promised to help them reach "inbox zero," or at least better manage their email. There are versions of Mailbox for Android, Mailbox for iPad, and Mailbox for iPhone; the iPhone version is the focus here. The initial release lacked several key features and ways of interacting with messages that have since been added. There's still a lot of room for growth, though, and serious email or productivity enthusiasts will quickly spot the app's weaknesses. But Mailbox for iPhone does an excellent job of making email management simpler and quicker, and that certainly counts for something.
The biggest downer is that Mailbox only supports Gmail and iCloud at this time, though other mail services will reportedly be added in the future. As long as you keep in mind that Mailbox for iPhone puts simplicity and ease of use first, you'll thoroughly enjoy it. It does have a few innovative features, namely "snooze," which is a true game-changer. If you're looking for a lot of features, an integrated calendar, or anything else beyond simple, easy email management, Mailbox will be a disappointment. In other words, it's important to have the right expectations.
Simplicity
After installing the free Mailbox app, you need to authorize it access to your Dropbox account, or create a Dropbox account. The app is owned by Dropbox, and it uses Dropbox to sync your preferences. If you are a stalwart opponent of Dropbox, stop reading here and don't consider using this app. There's no way around the Dropbox requirement. If you're still on board, then you'll have to connect Mailbox to your email next, with Gmail and iCloud your only options, as mentioned earlier.
The app's signature feature is how it uses swipe-based gestures for four common email functions. When you see a message in your inbox, you can:
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- swipe it halfway ("short swipe") to the right, which archives the message,
- swipe it all the way ("long swipe") to the right, which deletes the message,
- short swipe it left to snooze the message (more on snooze in a moment), or
- long swipe it left to add the message to a "list."
Each action has its own icon and color (green, red, yellow, and brown, respectively). Within a few minutes of learning these actions, you'll have them down pat. Archiving and deleting are fairly straightforward, but snoozing and adding to a list require a little more explanation.
The snooze feature is the best thing that's come to email in ages. When you snooze a message, Mailbox automatically removes it from the inbox and hides it until a later time that you select. You can snooze messages until later in the day (and you can set exactly what "later" means in the settings) or the next day or until the weekend. Imagine snoozing all non-critical email until after 6 p.m. so that you only focus on the important messages earlier in the day. You won't even be distracted by the presence of unimportant messages in your inbox until you're ready for them. I absolutely love snooze and don't understand why it hasn't been adopted into every single other email client or program on the market. It's genius.
The list feature is less brilliant and more utilitarian. It really only sorts mail into folders. Mailbox automatically creates a few of these folders for you: To Read, To Buy, To Watch. You can create your own lists, too, and you should, as these three are extremely limited. Lists do not include folders or Gmail labels you've already set up, which is kind of odd. It's a minor letdown in my mind, although for anyone trying to simplify their email experience (which is Mailbox's target audience), it could certainly be to their benefit to not carry over an excessive array of options.
Deeper Features
Getting a little deeper with Mailbox, some new features let you create more permanent rules for managing new incoming messages. This feature is called auto-swipe.
The instructions for using auto-swipe are far simpler to understand than, say, the instructions for creating rules in Gmail. To create rules in Gmail, you first have to be an expert in the difference between labels and folders. In Mailbox, you simply open a message, hold down the icon representing the action of your choice from the top menu, and wait for some options to appear. These options include actions such as "delete all messages from sender X" and "always snooze until the weekend mail from such-and-such newsletter provider." Choose your option, and the rule is set, simple as that.
Preferences in the Mailbox iPhone app are fairly straightforward and minimal—again, the emphasis is on simplicity. The preferences lack a few key options that I think most users would like to have, even if they are dead-set on making email simpler. The most notable is push/fetch scheduling. Anyone vigilant about battery life will want some control over how often the Mailbox app tries to grab new messages. Another deeper feature that's a little off is the ability to set up aliases. If you use your Gmail account to send mail from a number of different addresses, you need to set up aliases in the settings. I think this option should appear during the initial setup, rather than be hidden in the settings for later exploration. If you neglect to set up the aliases, your messages simply won't send.
The last feature that's sorely missing is the ability to select multiple messages at once to mark them for deletion or archiving. Mailbox does support multi-touch, meaning you can hold three fingers down on three messages and long swipe them all to the right to delete them, but you can only select at most the number of messages that appear on screen at any given time. On my iPhone 5, that max is five. But more importantly, swiping more than one or two messages at a time is clumsy. Check boxes would go a long way here.
Boxed In?
iPhone users who feel overwhelmed by email and are keen to process incoming mail faster and more consistently will doubtless love the Mailbox app. It's simple, easy to learn, and helps you do something with new messages, which is the only way to get in control of your inbox. But if you're looking for the best email client app, robust with customization options, calendar integration, support for multiple email accounts, or anything other than truly simple email management, you'll be disappointed with Mailbox. As someone who's picky about email management, I think the stock Mail app on iOS is fine. The standalone Gmail app for iPhone (free) is even better if you rely heavily on search functionality. And if you want an integrated calendar, try Seed Mail (free). Both Seed Mail and Gmail are Editors' Choice apps for mail clients on iPhone.
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