How to schedule and cancel an email in the Mail app on iPhone and iPad

As much as we love or hate email, there's no denying it — email is a necessity for both work and personal lives. It's the best way to reach a coworker or long-lost family or friends. And our iPhones have a built-in Mail app that lets us communicate with others all over the globe.

In iOS 16, the Mail app is getting some significant improvements that will align it with some of the best third-party email apps. The new features allow us to schedule emails, undo a sent email, and even "snooze" an email to a later time that is more convenient for us to respond. You can use these cool new features if you have iOS 16 on your iPhone or iPad. It's a big improvement over the days when saving an email as a PDF was a huge deal.

Here's how to schedule and undo sending an email in the Mail app in iOS 16.

Apple occasionally offers updates to iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS as closed developer previews or public betas. While the betas contain new features, they also contain pre-release bugs that can prevent the normal use of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac, and are not intended for everyday use on a primary device. That's why we strongly recommend staying away from developer previews unless you need them for software development, and using the public betas with caution. If you depend on your devices, wait for the final release.

How to schedule an email in the Mail app in iOS 16

Have you ever wanted to email someone but didn't want to disturb them because they're in a different time zone and could be sleeping? Or perhaps you want to ensure that a work email is seen first when you know the recipient will be at their desk? That's when the new scheduling feature comes in handy and is easy to use.

1. Launch the Mail app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Compose in the bottom right to start a new message.
3. Type in a contact for the To: field.
4. Make sure you send from the correct email address if you have multiple emails.
5. Type in your email subject.
6. Type in your email message.
7. Press and hold on the Send button to bring up a contextual menu.
8. Select when you want to send the email. Your options are as follows:
   • Send Now (default if you just press the Send button)
   • Send 9:00 PM Tonight
   • Send 9:00 PM Tomorrow
   • Send Later. This is the option you want to pick if you need to set a custom time with the date and time picker.
9. Tap Done if you were in the Send Later screen.

Voilà! Your email will now be sent at the time that you selected.

How to view and manage scheduled email messages in the Mail app in iOS 16

If you have scheduled a few emails, you may decide that you want to make some changes after it's been scheduled. Thankfully, there's a way to view all the email messages you have waiting to be sent out.

1. Launch the Mail app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Navigate back to the Mailboxes screen if you're not already there.
3. Tap the Send Later box.
4. Tap a scheduled email to view it. A banner at the top lets you know when the email will be sent.
5. Optionally, you can tap Edit to make changes, including scheduled time, or tap the Delete button in the bottom left corner to trash it.

How to unsend an email in the Mail app in iOS 16

You just sent an email, but then you realize you forgot something, like a necessary attachment (we've all been there). The new Unsend Email feature gives you only 10 seconds, so you need to be quick.

1. Launch the Mail app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Compose in the bottom right to start a new message.
3. Type in a contact for the To: field.
4. Make sure you send from the correct email address if you have multiple emails.
5. Type in your email subject.
6. Type in your email message.
7. Tap Send to immediately send the message.
8. At the bottom of the screen, tap Undo Send.
9. Make the necessary changes to the email before sending it again or discarding it.

The Undo Send feature works by delaying your message by 10 seconds. This is unlike the Undo Send functionality in Messages in iOS 16, which gives you up to 15 minutes to edit or unsend.

How to use Remind Later to snooze an email in the Mail app in iOS 16

A popular feature in a lot of the greatest third-party email apps is the ability to "snooze" a message to remind yourself of it later. It resurfaces a particular message to the top of your inbox so you don't forget about it. Now the feature is in the native Mail app with iOS 16.

1. Launch the Mail app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Find an email message that you want to resurface for later.
3. Swipe right on the message to reveal the Mark As Read/Unread and Later options.
4. Tap Later.
5. Select when you want to be reminded. Your options include Remind me in 1 hour, Remind Me Tonight, Remind Me Tomorrow, or Remind Me Later…. The last option allows you to pick a custom date and time.

Once you pick a later time, it will be moved to a separate "Remind Me" box, similar to the scheduled messages.

Managing your email is easier than ever

These new tools in the Mail app give you the best iPhone and iPad experience when it comes to managing your hectic inbox. For example, scheduling emails means no more disturbing recipients in the middle of the night with work things, and undo send lets you attach those necessary attachments you always forget about.