Apple Mail Catches Up in iOS 27. I Am Staying on Gmail Anyway.

My verdict: solid updates, and not a reason to switch. Not because Mail is bad, but because I have always used Gmail and I am comfortable with it.

Here is what changes in Mail with iOS 27, according to 9to5Mac. Search gets a new ranking system that Apple says puts the most relevant results at the top, even for messages buried deep in the inbox, and the reviewer says it found messages it used to miss. The suggestions at the top of a message (directions in Maps, a Calendar event, tracking a shipment in Wallet) get a new design and now include third-party apps, with a drop-down menu when several apps offer an action. Smart Reply can draw on your personal writing style, so the suggested replies should sound less generic. Mail also gets “Ask Siri” buttons, and Siri can delete every message from a specific sender in one go. Apple also lists faster message loading and more reliable search indexing. Some of the AI features need an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence, so not every iPhone on iOS 27 gets all of this.

I do not think Apple is bad at any of this. It has its own system, and my impression has always been that it is the more secure of the two. I have not measured that, so take it as an impression. It still does not move me. I am used to Gmail, I like how it works, and four new features do not undo years of habit.

What interests me more is that the mail app itself is not really the question. The question is how it interacts with the person using it. Suggesting useful apps on top of a message is a good detail, but it can go much further: activities that match your profile, personalised reminders, details about the shops you actually visit, relevant news from your area. I do not think one ecosystem is better or worse here. My guess is that both will add these things little by little, and whoever does it first will not keep the lead for long.

If you use Mail because it came with the phone, read the 9to5Mac rundown and try the new search before you decide whether you still need Gmail.