How to Remove Contact Photo and Category Icons in Mail on iPhone in iOS 18

With iOS 18, Apple introduced a refreshed Mail app design that includes new category icons and contact photos displayed next to each email. If a contact has a saved photo, it appears as their profile image; otherwise, the first letters of their first and last name—like “SK” for Serhat Kurt—are shown instead, as shown below. While some users may find this visually helpful, I personally prefer a cleaner, more minimalistic UI without unnecessary distractions. In my experience, these contact icons add clutter without adding much value, making the Mail app feel more crowded than before.

Another major change in iOS 18.2 is the automatic email categorization feature, which sorts your emails into different categories to help you manage them more efficiently:

• Primary: Personal messages and time-sensitive information.
• Transactions: Order confirmations, receipts, and shipping notices.
• Updates: News, newsletters, and social media updates.
• Promotions: Deals, coupons, and sales emails.

While this categorization system is meant to make email management easier, it also comes with additional icons that appear in the Mail app. If you turn off categories (see the steps below), these category icons will be replaced with contact photos. However, if you disable contact photos, it will also remove category icons in List View, giving you a much cleaner email interface.

If, like me, you find these extra visuals unnecessary, I’ll show you exactly how to turn them off.

How to Remove Contact Photos in Mail on iPhone

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and select Apps.
3. Tap Mail from the list.
4. Under the Message List section, toggle off Show Contact Photos.

This will remove both contact photos and category icons from your Mail app in List View, creating a cleaner, more minimalistic inbox.

Bonus: How to Turn Off Mail Categories

If you also want to turn off the automatic email categorization:

1. Open the Mail app on your iPhone.
2. In an inbox, tap the More button at the top of the screen.
3. Select List View to disable category sorting.

This way, you can regain full control over your inbox layout without any extra icons cluttering the screen.

See also:

• Mail App Painfully Slow to Download Emails in iOS 18 on iPhone or iPad? Here’s What’s Happening, How to Fix
• Mail Error: Network Error (POSIX 96)
• How to Turn Off the Email Ding on Mac