When Mailbox launched back in 2013, it provided iOS users with a fresh new alternative to the utilitarian stock iOS Mail app. It’s swipe actions and deep Dropbox integration (somewhat expected given that Dropbox acquired them just one month after their February launch) made it a favorite among those who wanted to be able to do more, faster with their email. Personally, I was able to finally achieve Inbox Zero for the first time by using Mailbox’s snoozing and quick archiving actions. Being able to take back my overflowing inbox was one of those rare moments of tech nirvana.
With Dropbox streamlining its business model, they announced in December of last year that they would shut Mailbox down in February of 2016. For you devoted Mailbox users, today is Mailbox-pocalypse. As of February 26, users can no longer log in to Mailbox and the app will only display a landing page explaining that the app has been discontinued.
But don’t panic! For all you swipers and snoozers, there are several free alternatives like Spark (which I don’t have a lot of hands-on with, but appears to be extremely customizable) and Outlook (which has some nice features, but isn’t quite as flexible). You could also use Inbox by Gmail, which has a minimal interface and swipe and snooze features. The Google team is great about offering up new options based on user feedback, but it still isn't as customizable as Mailbox.
If you're willing to shell out a bit of cash, though, you can get the best, most Mailbox-like experience with Airmail. I talked about the iOS app a bit in my previous Airmail article and, after further use, it’s continued to be an infinitely capable mobile email client. It has a very similar interface to Mailbox, full Dropbox integration, and tons of customizable swipe actions.
To customize the swipe actions to be more like Mailbox, you’ll need to dig into the settings and move a few things around. First access Settings, then scroll down to and select Swipes.
Select Left Swipe to access the full list of swipe-able actions. To mimic the Mailbox swipe actions, you’ll want to deselect Archive and select Move to instead. Then reorder the list by clicking Edit and moving Snooze so that it’s before Move to in the actions list. Click Done and return to the Swipes list.
To configure the right swipe actions, you’ll just need to deselect Action List and select Archive. They’re already in the correct order, so there’s no additional tweaking needed.
To hook Airmail up to Dropbox, go back to the main Settings menu and select Services. Turn on the Dropbox slider. When it takes you to the Dropbox app to approve Airmail’s access, click Allow.
To snooze emails like you can in Mailbox, there’s no additional setup needed. Airmail’s stock snooze settings are nearly identical. However, if you’d like to tweak those further, the Snoozes menu has all the options you need.
And that’s it - your workflow in Airmail should now be nearly identical to Mailbox. Happy swiping!
