Rules are applied after an email comes in, so messages still go into your inbox before they are sorted. However, since Mail Rules can only be created on the Mac, the iOS app struggles a bit and that’s where the trouble comes in. You can have messages automatically move, redirect, forward, or flag based on the sender, subject, or contents, and it’s very useful for keeping clutter out of your inbox. Mail rules are basically if-this-then-that sorting and organizing for your inbox. While you can’t actually create mailbox rules on your iOS device, you can set them up on the Mac, which is where the trouble starts. There’s a simple explanation for it that doesn’t involve nuking your account and starting over (believe me, I’ve tried).
If your iOS Mail app is like mine, it often shows a lone unread email badge even when everything’s been read, which can get annoying.
If you don’t regularly check your email throughout the day, the unread badge count on your iPhone or iPad is an indispensable part of your workflow.
