Time to look for a macOS 15.2 Sequoia Mail.app email client replacement application

[pm-r]

Well, I've been using a Mac for 35 years now and enjoyed using email with various email client applications, Eudora was one of the best, but the latest Mac OS X 15.2's Mail application with more than three strokes against it has got to go, and I would appreciate hearing of replacement suggestions.

1. Besides, it's atrocious very hard to read and very poor GUI tool bar interface but I find very hard to read with this light gray, small icon interface in the appreciated suggestions to fix it just didn't work out for me. This is a screenshot of the best contrast and enlarged icons. I could create on my 2020 27" iMac running macOS 15.2 Sequoia:




2. I have always used email list view with columns for attachments, flag colour and other options at all indicators specific to each email. That was until this latest version that comes with macOS 15.2's Mail app, as it seems that Apple's programmers didn't allow for such inclusions if using list few mode. Unless I just can't see or find the option to get it working with my poor eyesight and their Mail Help is basically useless and I couldn't find any answers or solutions on the 'net.

3. macOS 15.2's Mail app is basically useless for setting up and supporting any POP Account. ...

Bottom line, macOS 15.2's Mail app it's just not a pleasure for me to use anymore and especially when it no longer allows or includes email indicators that a user used to be able to have displayed and shown when viewing emails in List view.

So does anyone have a suggestion for a replacement email client application with a nice GUI and basic email message indicators: ie,
containing attachment, importance, reply needed, etc. etc.

Thanks for any comment or suggestion.



- Patrick
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[Jimmysb]

3. macOS 15.2's Mail app is basically useless for setting up and supporting any POP Account. ...


- Patrick
=======

Most accounts of this type can be set up as POP3 or IMAP, POP3 downloads the mail to the client and automatically deletes them from the server, whereas IMAP leaves the mail on the server, ideal for multiple devices.

 

[pm-r]

Most accounts of this type can be set up as POP3 or IMAP

Yes, I know how the various email types work and I have used in prefer using POP for my emails and have done for many years but the settings for a POP account would just not work, even using various settings from various webpages, each with your own version of what settings to use.

I even called Rogers/Shaw technical support for Help with setting up a POP email account with this version of Mail.app, and the tech in his very strong Asian voice I could barely understand. Suggested I check out the appropriate websites using a Google search. Second attempt later on on another day hoping there would be a different tech spoken. Understood English better would be at work, but unfortunately, I got the same results.

My Mail.app's POP Account using the recommended settings that were posted on their website remains in my accounts list but remains off-line. I finally managed to get my email working using their IMAP settings.

I even copied the settings from the OS X 10.116 El Capitan Mail.app from my 2011 27" iMac that still works well for all my email accounts, but the same settings will not work in my newer 2020 27" iMac, running Mac OS X 15.2. Strange. And all very annoying and frustrating, and very time consuming. :-(



- Patrick
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[IWT]

Hi Patrick. I feel very sorry for your dilemma. I doubt my contribution will help, bu:

Read this:

To set up a POP email account on Mac OS 15, open the Mail app, go to "Mail" > "Add Account", select "Other Mail Account", then enter your email address, password, and server details, specifying "POP" as the account type, and manually configure the incoming and outgoing mail server settings (including port numbers) as provided by your email provider;remember to uncheck "Automatically manage connection settings" to access advanced settings like port numbers and authentication methods.

Key steps:

• Open Mail app: Launch the Mail application on your Mac.
  
  
• Add Account: Select "Mail" > "Add Account" from the menu bar.
  
  
• Choose "Other Mail Account": Select "Other Mail Account" and click "Continue".
  
  
• Enter Details: Fill in your full name, email address, and password.
  
  
• Select Account Type: Choose "POP" as the account type.
  
  
• Server Settings: Input the correct incoming mail server address (e.g., "mail.yourdomain.com") and outgoing mail server address (usually the same).
  
  
• Advanced Settings:
  • Uncheck "Automatically manage connection settings".
    
    
  • Set Incoming Mail Server Port to 995.
    
    
  • Set Outgoing Mail Server Port to 587.
    
    
  • Select "Password" as the authentication method for both incoming and outgoing servers.
    
• Sign In: Click "Sign In" to complete the setup.

Another suggestion is here:

IMAP and POP seems to have changed - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

Truly, I've done my best, but I can only hope that something there might help

Ian

 

[Randy B. Singer]

So does anyone have a suggestion for a replacement email client application with a nice GUI and basic email message indicators: ie,
containing attachment, importance, reply needed, etc. etc.

There are a bunch of potential alternatives listed here:

Macintosh Email Software
http://www.macattorney.com/mail.html

Lots of folks who like how Apple's Mail used to look, like:

GyazMail ($18)
http://www.gyazsquare.com/gyazmail/
(Supports both POP and IMAP. Very much like a slightly older version of Apple’s Mail that many users still pine for. Stable and well supported.)

 

[Jimmysb]

Hi Patrick. I feel very sorry for your dilemma. I doubt my contribution will help, bu:

Read this:

To set up a POP email account on Mac OS 15, open the Mail app, go to "Mail" > "Add Account", select "Other Mail Account", then enter your email address, password, and server details, specifying "POP" as the account type, and manually configure the incoming and outgoing mail server settings (including port numbers) as provided by your email provider;remember to uncheck "Automatically manage connection settings" to access advanced settings like port numbers and authentication methods.

Key steps:

• Open Mail app: Launch the Mail application on your Mac.
  
  
• Add Account: Select "Mail" > "Add Account" from the menu bar.
  
  
• Choose "Other Mail Account": Select "Other Mail Account" and click "Continue".
  
  
• Enter Details: Fill in your full name, email address, and password.
  
  
• Select Account Type: Choose "POP" as the account type.
  
  
• Server Settings: Input the correct incoming mail server address (e.g., "mail.yourdomain.com") and outgoing mail server address (usually the same).
  
  
• Advanced Settings:
  • Uncheck "Automatically manage connection settings".
    
    
  • Set Incoming Mail Server Port to 995.
    
    
  • Set Outgoing Mail Server Port to 587.
    
    
  • Select "Password" as the authentication method for both incoming and outgoing servers.
• Sign In: Click "Sign In" to complete the setup.

Another suggestion is here:

IMAP and POP seems to have changed - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

Truly, I've done my best, but I can only hope that something there might help

Ian

Broadly how I have done it, and never had an issue, though some servers have alternate port settings.

 

[Jimmysb]

There are a bunch of potential alternatives listed here:

Macintosh Email Software
Macintosh Email Software

Lots of folks who like how Apple's Mail used to look, like:

GyazMail ($18)
GyazMail – — An all-new email client for Mac OS X —
(Supports both POP and IMAP. Very much like a slightly older version of Apple’s Mail that many users still pine for. Stable and well supported.)

When I moved to my Mac just over two years ago, I started with Apple Mail, but not being what I was use to tried MS Outlook, Thunderbird, and "a n other" (can't remember the name). However I did not think any of them performed very well, were not integrated as fully as I would have liked, and were quite memory intensive, so now back with Apple Mail, which I now consider the best generally against the others I have tried.

 

[pm-r]

Broadly how I have done it, and never had an issue, though some servers have alternate port settings.

Here's hoping your current email server ISP's don't get taken over by some big corporate giant that doesn't really give a **** except for raking in money.

For example, many Canadians who were getting good service through there Shaw ISP but got taken over by Rogers network.

Maybe if there are some Canadian members who are still using their Shaw POP accounts with a fairly recent version of macOS could post all their critical settings for that account or message me privately with the information I would appreciate it.

So far, I have tried theI various settings that I have found that several different webpages. None of them have worked for me when running Mail in macOS 15.2 sequoia. My old POP account with says, suggested settings stays "off-line", and will not go online, regardless of what I have tried.




- Patrick
=======

 

[Rod]

Patrick, you may already know that I use Spark (not a fan of Apple Mail UI) but I don't think that accommodates POP3, I suggest you have a look at some of the others I have tried that do eg. AirMail, BlueMail, Canary Mail, Thunderbird and although I hate to say it worth checking MS Outlook.
Randy's suggestion, GyazMail may well be a good option, I haven't tried it personally.

 

[pm-r]

Patrick, you may already know that I use Spark (not a fan of Apple Mail UI) but

Thank you for your and other members suggestions and I have had a quick look at Spark which looks promising and I shall probably have a quick look at some of the others.

A number of other things in Apple Mail have really begun to annoy me and I think the Developers need to be given a copies of the Macintosh GUI Manual.

And another annoyance was trying to set up a "trash all" trash mailbox folders at once and it seemed impossible to do following instructions on a fairly helpful web page until I discovered that Apple's mail uses a mouse over action before the option even shows, just like a stupid Cheshire Cat.

I thought Mouse over actions had been banned by older Apple gurus and so they should be.

So thanks for the guidelines and suggestions, but I'm getting more and more p'd off the more I have to deal with various problems with Mac OS 15.2 Sequoia on both my and my wife's newer iMacs and other things that Apple seems to do. Definitely not impressed but the computers themselves seem to be okay.


- Patrick
=======

 

[MacInWin]

So thanks for the guidelines and suggestions, but I'm getting more and more p'd off the more I have to deal with various problems with Mac OS 15.2 Sequoia on both my and my wife's newer iMacs and other things that Apple seems to do. Definitely not impressed but the computers themselves seem to be okay.

Patrick, a serious question. Given how disgruntled you are about Apple and Apple products, both hardware and software, why are you still using them? PCs and Windows are both less expensive options than paying good money for products that tick you off.

 

[pm-r]

Given how disgruntled you are about Apple and Apple products, both hardware and software,

@ Jake
As I mentioned, I enjoy and Apple's products and computers, it's mainly their software and it's various quirks that annoy me especially since they have broken away from the Mac GUI rules.
What does they are probably not going to change in the near future I'll just try and keep my derogatory comments to myself and not upset the Mac masses here.

Basically, it's just parts of their latest Mac OS 15.2 Sequoia and many of its changes, of which there are many, and its latest version of Mail and it's interface and it's viewing options that I don't appreciate. While at the same time there are several new features that I really do appreciate especially the built-in AIDS for those with various handicaps. But I sure wish they would lose their tendency to use light gray text, and especially when used on a non-contracting background colour.

I guess I miss the days when one could customize their Mac with individual customization preferences and maybe do a few occasional hacks. Fun and enjoyable times.




- Patrick
=======

 

[MacInWin]

I understand, Patrick. The grey on grey is not a favorite of mine, either, but I've learned to live with it. Fiddling with brightness helps a bit. One other thing you might look at is screen resolution. It's in Settings>Displays, and there are even settings for the internal screen. You might be able to find a display resolution that makes the menu items large enough without overwhelming you everywhere else or being fuzzy. Also, under Settings>Accessibility>Display is an option to Increase Contrast, which makes the font darker on my MBP. There is also a slider bar labelled "Display contrast" which, strangely, seems to actually decrease contrast from normal to totally washed out, at least on my system. And the Menu bar has a toggle for "default" or "large," which I presume you have found and tried already.

I think Apple needs an "elder advisory" group to test what the young'uns in design come up with. But then again, Apple doesn't consider us as the target audience, along with just about every other company in the Universe.

 

[pm-r]

I think Apple needs an "elder advisory" group to test what the young'uns in design come up with. But then again, Apple doesn't consider us as the target audience, along with just about every other company in the Universe.

Thanks, Jake, and I really appreciate your constructive comments.

This latest macOS 15.2 Sequoia there's quite a drastic change for me and especially for a 35-year Mac User and only recently coming from OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan directly to this latest Mac OS version 15.2.

One of the Mac OS quirks that leaves me wondering that has happened before and happened again overnight when my Mac was asleep I discovered this morning that my set male voice I normally use had been changed to a female voice I couldn't even understand. I guess the OS has some Gremlins to change things to what it thinks might be better while it's sleeping. I wonder if that's a new Mac OS feature?

Oh yes, and the third party spelling grammar checker I use had been disabled and I know it was working last night before I went to bed. Strange happenings. And I didn't think this i9 iMac even supported Apple's AI.




- Patrick
=======

 

[MacInWin]

This latest macOS 15.2 Sequoia there's quite a drastic change for me and especially for a 35-year Mac User and only recently coming from OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan directly to this latest Mac OS version 15.2.

That is quite a jump. One of the things I observed from being in the IT industry for 40+ years is that change is best taken incrementally. I try to stay close to, on on, the cutting edge so that the sum of all of the incremental changes doesn't add up to a need for a total re-learn. I think that is where you are now, in the midst of a pretty large re-learning that is as much "unlearning" how it used to work as it is learning the new. Good luck with it.

Sorry, but I don't understand the voice change. Do you want us to pursue that with you? Happy to do so!

 

[pm-r]

That is quite a jump....Do you want us to pursue that with you? Happy to do so!

Yes, definitely have a very huge jump and basically I am in a position almost as if this 2020 iMac running Mac OS 15.2 Sequoia was the first Mac computer I ever owned and it's almost like starting a fresh. Quite a bit more drastic OS changes than I was expecting.

Thanks for your offer, but I got my male voice back working for my text to speech as it used to do but I was surprised that it took several attempts to change it back and it still didn't take until I did a restart. I didn't think that was necessary.

But I have also noticed that my spelling and grammar/punctuation checker doesn't seem to be working when using dictation as it used to do. It seems to be partly working and something else for me to check out. But at least the older third party Google plug-in extensions seems to be working but I was hoping apples dictation and it's improvements would be a little bit better than it is.

For some reason it doesn't like being used for any length of time and if I try it slows down to cold molasses at almost about two characters per second typing speed, and then a restart is needed to get it back to normal speed. Checking on the web tells me I'm not the only one with a similar problem but at least it's working better than my typing.

Thanks for your offer to help and I'm sure I will be requesting some with all these changes I am encountering.




- Patrick
=======

 

[pm-r]

Additional edit:

Here's a strange one I don't understand.

I mentioned previously that my text to speech voice seem to have changed overnight without me doing anything, and I confirmed it in various emails and then webpages, but got it back to my normal, speaking voice that I prefer to use.

But I just happen to go back to delete a spam message, and when I click to read the text read it allowed in the female voice as it did earlier before I change the setting. Yet all other email messages, I've got to read out loud worked as I expected using the male voice so prefer. That seems a bit bizarre and I didn't know that separate text to voice, voices could be associated with separate emails. Something I'll need to keep a watch on.

There's a possible for different emails to have different voice choices applied when speaking the text? Anyway, the important stuff works as I expect, and spam can always do unexpected things, so I'll just ignore it for now, but I thought it was rather strange.

So much to learn, so little time.

PS: another question about Apple's macOS 15.2 dictation if I may:
When using Apple's Dictation when using apples dictation, is there an option somewhere to keep it enabled after hitting the control key twice which is apples the fault means of enabling it. Currently, it keeps disabling itself it keeps disabling itselfit keeps disabling itself for no apparent reason for no apparent reasonit keeps disabling itself for no apparent reason he was in the middle of he went in the middle ofit keeps disabling itself for no apparent reason he was in the middle of a sentence I am speaking a sentence I am speakingit keeps disabling itself for no apparent reason he was in the middle of a sentence. I am speaking and other odd times. And other onesit keeps disabling itself for no apparent reason he was in the middle of a sentence. I am speaking and other odd times?




- Patrick
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[MacInWin]

Can't help much with that, Patrick, as I don't use it. I'll do some experimenting and see if I see anything. About the only thing I can think of is that Mail is somehow keeping track of the settings for the messages as they are read, or converted to speech. If so, it may be storing the "voice" in that metadata. It might make some sense if there was an email from a female friend that you wanted to hear in a female voice, and a mail friend whose messages you wanted spoken in a male voice, but that's a real stretch. I'll poke around a bit to see if there is anything about it out there.

 

[pm-r]

I'll poke around a bit to see if there is anything about it out there.

Thanks for your thoughts Jake and your offers to help, but don't waste too much time or any of your time on such a quirky detail on my Mac.



- Patrick
=======

 

[Rod]

One of the things I observed from being in the IT industry for 40+ years is that change is best taken incrementally. I try to stay close to, on on, the cutting edge so that the sum of all of the incremental changes doesn't add up to a need for a total re-learn.

My view exactly Jake. Just between macOS Ventura (2022) and the present day the changes and new developments have been massive when taken as a whole. I spent a couple of days just getting Stage Manager and macOS desktop widgets to work the way I wanted.
I can’t imagine how difficult it would be coming from macOS Mojave where a lot of people stopped to preserve the function of 32Bit apps to present day.