The ability to use Apple Intelligence to summarize messages in the Mail app may prove to be one of the most widely used features in the initial launch of Apple's suite of AI-powered capabilities. Lots of us find ourselves on the receiving end of lengthy emails or multi-message conversations. Who wouldn't want a way to eliminate the back and forth and get to the heart of the matter?
That's precisely what the summarize tool allows you to do in Mail. With the tap of one button, Apple Intelligence will skim the message and produce a paragraph summarizing all the key points, whether it's a single email or a chain involving multiple people weighing in.
Like the rest of Apple Intelligence, the summarize tool remains in beta, set to arrive as part of the full iOS 18.1 update in October. But as I found out in when I tried summarizing messages in Mail on my iPhone, the feature looks to be in pretty good shape right now.
The trick is knowing where to find that summarize button. Here's how to do that.
1. Pick a message you want to summarize
From your inbox in Mail, select the message you want to summarize by tapping on it.
2. Tap the Summarize button
The Summarize button is at the top of the message chain, though it may not be immediately visible. If you don't see it, swipe down to reveal the button. When it appears, tap Summarize.
3. Read the summary
It will take a few seconds for Apple Intelligence to summarize your selected message — longer if there are a lot of replies to go through. After that brief wait, your summary will appear, giving you the gist of the message.
Because the Apple Intelligence features are still in beta, Apple is seeking feedback, which you can give by tapping the More button — the three dots just above the summary on the right. A pop-up menu will asking if the summary is accurate or not.
In my experience, the summary lingers for a little bit, but won't stick around permanently. So if you need to refer to it later on, you may need to repeat the summarization process. Fortunately, it's quick and simple enough to do over.
And that's all there is to getting a summary of a message in Mail. If you're ready to try out Apple Intelligence yourself, we can show you how to download the iOS 18.1 public beta on a compatible iPhone. If you've already got Apple Intelligence installed, we can show you how to use the Clean Up tool in the Photos app to remove unwanted objects in your photos or how to create a Memory Movie with Apple Intelligence.
