A major differentiator since Apple’s earliest days has been interface design. Apple has long prided itself not only on creating more beautiful interfaces, but also much more usable ones. The aim has always been to make things more obvious, and also more efficient. So what happened in Mail for iOS 13?

The previous grab shows Mail in iOS 12 (left) and iOS 13 (right). On the left, you have immediate access to options that let you flag, file, archive/delete, reply, and start a new message. It’s not overly complicated, and it looks fine. Also: all these actions are fundamental to rapidly dealing with email. Now, you only get archive/delete and reply. Also, because someone in Apple’s design team – and also whoever signed this off – are apparently sociopaths,  these buttons are offset. Good luck reaching them comfortably with your thumb!

It’s not like things were perfect before. Previously, reply actually gave you options to reply, forward and – bafflingly – print. Now? Basically everything’s shoved under a reply button with an icon design stretched to breaking point. Really, it should be an ‘actions’ button; although if Apple has any sense, its next action will instead consign this disaster of an interface to history, and Mail will be made more readily usable once again.