A thread of emails on a cellphone functions the same as a desktop or web email application. Most cases group emails into threads. However, you can edit your email preferences to view individual messages. This guide will show you how to manage threads using iOS, Android, or Windows Mobile devices.
Email threading with an iOS device
Many settings can be set up to control email threading in the Apple iOS Mail application. Email threading is automatically turned on.
- Select Mail from Settings.
- Scroll down to Threading.
- There are many options available:
- Organize By Thread This setting controls whether or not threading is enabled in emails. This setting can be toggled off to disable threading. The default setting is “on”, which displays a green icon.
- Collapse Read: This allows you to collapsing messages you have already read.
- Most Recently Message on Top – This option is disabled by default but seems like an excellent choice to enable. Mail may not display the latest message at the top. You will need to scroll through multiple messages in order to locate the most recent.
- Complete threads: This setting group email messages into threads, even if they come from another mailbox.
- You can toggle on any or all the options to enable.
Email threading with Gmail on Android devices
Android Lollipop now uses Gmail as default email app. This is in contrast to the Email Android application. Email threading (also known as the conversation view) can be turned on by default. If it isn’t, follow these steps to enable it.
- Open Gmail, and click on the three line icon in the Inbox.
- Scroll down past your folders to select Settings.
- Select General Settings.
- Select the checkbox next Conversation View.
- To view threaded emails, return to your email.
Email threading for Windows Mobile Devices
Email threading, also known as the conversation view on Windows phones and Windows mobile devices, is turned on by default for Windows mobile devices. These settings can be controlled:
- Open the Mail app, and tap Setting (the gear symbol or three dots) at the bottom left.
- Choose Options in the context right pane.
- To toggle Show messages ordered by conversations, you can turn this feature off or on.
This setting can be adjusted for each email account that you have set up in Mail app.
Email Thread Etiquette
These are some tips for engaging in email threads, especially when there are multiple users.
- Keep it on the topic. Keep it on the topic.
- You should remove any unnecessary images, such as ads or business logos. To avoid cluttering recipients’ inboxes, remove unnecessary images from forwarded emails.
- Copy someone to a reply, or forward if it mentions him name. This can cause a lot of confusion and hard feelings so be careful. If the email thread is private, you will be able to decide if it is appropriate for you to copy someone. However, if you add someone to an existing thread it is usually because of a new issue.
- Notify existing recipients when you add a user to a thread. This is just a courtesy to let all recipients know who is participating in the discussion.
- Clarify your points, especially if they are related to an email that was buried in the thread.
