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Spark mail gets major productivity update with new Home Screen, Smart Inbox, email blocking, more

Readdle is out with a major update for its popular Spark email client today. The release brings a slew of updates and fresh features like a new Home Screen, Smart Inbox, Priority Email, Set Aside feature, Command Center, “Gatekeeper” email blocking, and much more. And for the first time, Spark is expanding beyond Mac, iOS, and Android and is now available on Windows.

Readdle announced all the changes and additions to the new Spark in a blog post today:

“We have more ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ than we have the capacity to fulfill. People and apps will distract us all the time unless we proactively limit them. To do any meaningful work, we need periods of uninterrupted focus time. Intentional decisions require more effort yet lead to better outcomes. A new approach to productivity and email is needed.”

Summing up the major release, Readdle says “The new Spark brings a new productivity philosophy, an updated experience, a set of powerful new tools, and a much-awaited Windows version.”

Spark’s new productivity philosophy is based on four attributes:

  • Intentionality
  • Focus
  • Accomplishment
  • Learning

And here’s how the new Spark ties into those ideas:

New features in Spark mail app

Here’s a look at everything new with the latest release:

  • New Smart Inbox
    • Shows emails from real people at the top, while newsletters and notifications are grouped below.
  • Priority Email
    • Never miss an email from important senders by marking them as Priority. Messages from your priority contacts stay at the top of your inbox, highlighted for quick identification.
  • Mark as Done
    • Treat emails like tasks and mark them as done once the work is complete. Spark removes “done” emails from your inbox and presents a beautiful reward for achieving inbox zero.
  • Set Aside
    • There are emails you may want to deal with later – like a newsletter to read on the weekend or a message you can’t answer immediately. Set them aside for a more convenient time and reclaim your focus for the things that matter now.
  • Command Center
    • Act on your emails faster than ever with the Сommand Сenter. Think of it as a hub with shortcuts to all the actions Spark has to offer.
  • Home Screen
    • Home Screen helps reduce the number of times you open email throughout the day and encourages better email habits. To reduce stress and distractions and boost productivity, you can compose and engage with priority emails without entering your inbox.
  • Gatekeeper
    • Pre-screen new senders and decide who is allowed to email you. You can easily block unwanted senders to save time and mental energy on dealing with their emails.
  • Group by Sender
    • Getting too many emails from a specific sender? Group them together to declutter your inbox and mark them as done with a single click.
  • Mute threads
    • Remove yourself quietly from ongoing conversations by muting a thread that’s no longer relevant. It’s perfect for long email chains where you were CC’ed or BCC’ed.
  • Large email attachments
    • Send attachments larger than 25 MB directly through Spark. A recipient will get a secure link to download your file.
  • Spark expands to Windows

New pricing

Top comment by Michael Williams

Liked by 28 people
I think this new design is far to playful and a step back for productivity users with multiple email addresses.
View all comments

Along with all those updates, Spark is getting a new pricing structure. Users can continue to use the free version (and existing customers will keep all the features they’ve had).

But Spark Premium with all the advanced and latest features in this update will be priced at:

  • New individual users for $4.99 per month with an annual subscription ($59.99) or $7.99 per month with a monthly subscription.
  • Existing individual users enjoy a lifetime discount of 30% on annual subscriptions, bringing the fee from $59.99 to $41.99 ($3.49 per month). Monthly access is priced at $7.99.

Spark is a free download for macOSiOS, Android, and Windows.

Check out the full details about the update in Readdle’s blog post.

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Avatar for Michael Potuck Michael Potuck

Michael is an editor for 9to5Mac. Since joining in 2016 he has written more than 3,000 articles including breaking news, reviews, and detailed comparisons and tutorials.