Written by Marcus Roth, Senior Director of Email Marketing, Automation, and Content at Simplicity Lone Beacon.
If your advisory sends regular newsletters to clients and prospects, like we do at Simplicity Lone Beacon for our clients, then Apple’s recent iOS 18.2 update will change how your emails are received—whether you like it or not.
The newest iOS update introduces a new tabbed inbox structure in Apple Mail, automatically sorting incoming emails into categories: Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions. While this update is meant to improve organization for Apple users, it presents new challenges for financial advisors who rely on email marketing.
Where Do Your Newsletters Go Now?
Under Apple’s new system, newsletters—including those sent by financial advisors—will automatically be placed in the “Updates” tab instead of the Primary inbox. This applies to every financial advisor, every insurance professional, every mortgage broker, and, well, every business sending newsletters to Apple Mail users.
This means:
✅ It’s not just happening to you—this applies to every newsletter across the country.
✅ You can’t fight it—Apple determines the categorization, and there’s no way to “game” the system. And if there is a loophole, Apple will likely close it fast.
✅ Your open rates may drop—since newsletters won’t land in the Primary tab, your clients and prospects may not see them as quickly.
How Big Is Apple’s Impact on Email?
Apple Mail is the most popular email client in the world, with over 55% market share (https://www.litmus.com/email-client-market-share). That means more than half of all emails are read on an Apple device—iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
For financial advisors, this shift is significant, but Apple appears to be slowly making this feature available to its newest phones, instead of a wide full release. Statcounter estimates iOS 18.2 adoption to be below 6% a month after its release.
What This Means for Financial Advisor Email Marketing
For many financial advisors, newsletters are a core part of client communication—providing market updates, educational content, and invitations to webinars or events. With Apple’s forced categorization, we must adapt and understand the new normal.
The most important takeaway? This change puts a focus on writing better subject lines.
Here’s why:
📌 Prospects aren’t checking their “Updates” tab as often as they do their Primary inbox.
📌 Your email must stand out immediately if you want it to be opened.
📌 If the subject line doesn’t grab attention, your email will be ignored.
How Simplicity Lone Beacon Optimizes Newsletters for iOS 18.2
Since we can’t control where Apple places emails, here’s what we can do to improve engagement:
🔹 Write Killer Subject Lines – Your subject line needs to demand attention. Instead of “Market Update: February Insights,” try “The Fed Just Made a Big Move—Here’s What It Means for You.”
🔹 Optimize the Preview Text – The first line of your email should reinforce your subject line. Many advisors waste this space with a message like, “Having trouble viewing this email?” Instead, make it valuable: “Markets are shifting fast—are you prepared?”
🔹 Encourage Clients to Check Their “Updates” Tab – in your personal emails to your clients and prospects, consider adding a simple note to your signature block:
“Apple’s latest update automatically moves newsletters like this to the ‘Updates’ tab. If you don’t want to miss market insights and retirement strategies, be sure to check that tab regularly!”
🔹 Resend Important Emails – If your email contains a major market update or ties into a major firm initiative, we’ll consider a re-send email 24-48 hours later with a fresh subject line: “Did You Miss This? Your Market Update Inside.”
🔹More Disguised Emails – Emails that look and feel like “handwritten” emails have a strong chance of being seen as a primary email for placement. The trick here is to not overuse the technique or it might blow the disguise’s cover. At this point, time will tell.
The Bottom Line: This Is the New Normal
There’s no way around it—Apple Mail’s inbox changes are here to stay. Every financial advisory firm sending newsletters will experience the same shift, so, the silver lining here… the playing field remains level.
However, those who adapt will win. If your competitors fail to adjust, their newsletters will be ignored, while yours—backed by strong subject lines and engagement strategies—will still reach the right people.
If you’re a financial advisor looking for guidance on how to increase email engagement despite Apple’s changes, let’s connect. With the right approach, you can continue driving appointments, deepening client relationships, and growing your business—no matter how the email landscape evolves.
About the Author: Marcus Roth is Simplicity Lone Beacon’s Senior Director of Email, Data, Automation & Content. Marcus has unique experience in B2B and B2C start-up companies ranging from enterprise-level market research of Artificial Intelligence to self-defense eCommerce products. His experience in AI market research brought him, and his research, to INTERPOL, The United Nations, and Harvard University.
