Turn Off Follow Up Email Suggestions in Mail App

If your Mail app keeps suggesting follow-up reminders for emails you haven’t replied to, you can turn that feature off in a few clicks. This guide shows you how to disable follow-up suggestions on both iPhone/iPad and Mac, so your inbox stops nagging you about unanswered messages.

What You’ll Need

• An iPhone, iPad, or Mac with the Mail app (iOS 16 or later, iPadOS 16 or later, or macOS Ventura or later)
• Access to the Settings app (on iPhone/iPad) or Mail settings (on Mac)

Step-by-Step

On iPhone or iPad

1. Open the Settings app on your device.
2. Scroll down and tap Mail.
3. Under the Threading section, look for Follow-Up Suggestions.
4. Toggle the switch next to Follow-Up Suggestions to the off position (the switch will turn from green to gray).
5. Exit Settings. The change takes effect immediately – you won’t see follow-up suggestion banners on your email threads anymore.

On Mac

1. Open the Mail app on your Mac.
2. From the menu bar at the top of the screen, click Mail and then select Settings (or Preferences in older macOS versions).
3. Click the Viewing tab.
4. Look for the checkbox labeled Show follow-up suggestions.
5. Uncheck the box to disable follow-up suggestions.
6. Close the Settings window – your change is saved automatically.

Common Mistakes

• Toggling the wrong setting: On iPhone, some users accidentally toggle “Show Mail Tips� or “Show Contact Photos� instead of “Follow-Up Suggestions.� Make sure you’re in the Mail settings and the correct section.
• Looking for the option in the Mail app itself: On iPhone/iPad, the toggle is not inside the Mail app – it’s in the system Settings. On Mac, it’s in Mail’s Settings/Preferences, not in the app’s main interface.
• Forgetting to update your device: If you don’t see the Follow-Up Suggestions option at all, your device may be running an older version of iOS, iPadOS, or macOS. Update your device to the latest version to get this setting.
• Turning off all suggestions instead of just follow-ups: Some users disable “Siri Suggestions� or “Mail Tips� thinking it will stop follow-ups, but that doesn’t affect the follow-up feature.

Tips

• If you only want to disable follow-ups for certain accounts, you can’t do that directly – the setting is global. However, you can mark emails as “Not Follow Up� individually by swiping left on a message and tapping “More,� then selecting “Not Follow Up.�
• On iPhone, you can also turn off “Follow-Up Suggestions� for a specific email thread by tapping the “Follow Up� button that appears at the bottom of the thread and choosing “Don’t Follow Up.� This is a per-message override.
• If you later change your mind, just follow the same steps and toggle the setting back on.
• On Mac, you can also use the “Mark as Not Followed Up� option from the Message menu if you want to remove a single follow-up suggestion without disabling the whole feature.

Troubleshooting

I don’t see the “Follow-Up Suggestions� option on my iPhone.
Make sure your device is running iOS 16 or later. Go to Settings > General > Software Update to check for updates. If you’re already up to date, try restarting your iPhone – sometimes settings options don’t appear until a restart.

I turned it off, but I still see follow-up suggestions.
First, verify the toggle is actually off (gray). If it is, try restarting the Mail app (swipe up from the bottom and swipe the Mail app away). If suggestions persist, check if you have multiple email accounts – the setting is global, so it should affect all accounts, but a glitch can occur. Restart your device to force a refresh.

On Mac, the checkbox is unchecked but I still see suggestions.
Close and reopen Mail. If that doesn’t help, quit Mail completely (Cmd+Q) and reopen it. Also, make sure you’re looking at the correct Mail account – the setting applies to all accounts, but if you have a very old version of macOS, it might not be supported.

The option is grayed out on my Mac.
This can happen if your Mac is managed by an organization (e.g., work or school) that restricts certain settings. Contact your IT administrator. Otherwise, try signing out of your email account and signing back in, then check the setting again.

I’m using an older version of iOS – can I still disable follow-ups?
If you’re on iOS 15 or earlier, the follow-up suggestion feature doesn’t exist, so you won’t see it. If you’re on iOS 16 but don’t see the option, update to the latest iOS 16 or 17 version.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are follow-up suggestions in Mail?

Follow-up suggestions are banners that appear at the top of an email thread when you haven’t replied to a message that the Mail app thinks needs a response. They remind you to follow up on emails you may have missed.

Will turning off follow-up suggestions affect other Mail features?

No. Disabling follow-up suggestions only stops the follow-up reminder banners. Other features like smart mailboxes, VIP lists, and message filtering remain unchanged.

Can I turn off follow-up suggestions for just one email account?

No, the setting is global – it applies to all accounts in the Mail app. However, you can mark individual emails as “Not Follow Up� to exclude them from suggestions.

Does this setting sync across my Apple devices?

No. The follow-up suggestion setting is per-device. You’ll need to turn it off on each iPhone, iPad, and Mac where you use Mail.

How do I re-enable follow-up suggestions later?

Simply go back to Settings > Mail (on iPhone/iPad) or Mail > Settings > Viewing (on Mac) and toggle the Follow-Up Suggestions switch back on.

Why does Mail suggest follow-ups for emails I’ve already replied to?

This can happen if the reply was sent from a different email address or if the Mail app hasn’t detected the reply properly. Marking the email as “Not Follow Up� will stop that specific suggestion.

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