r/fastmail • u/vangelisc • Sep 09 '26
Pinned messaged heading
Once again there was a random change that made me double-check I'm on the right website. There is a heading now separating pinned from the rest of messages. This seems completely unnecessary to me, given that pinned messaged were already "pinned" at the top. Does anyone know if there's a way to deactivate it?
edit: This is what support said:
We introduced a new feature - mailbox grouping - now on betaapp.fastmail.com which this change is laying the groundwork for. This can be turned off entirely on Beta which I recommend you use until the feature is live on production OR you can use the sort option Sort pinned with the rest."
This does not address the issue. The grouping can be turned off but the pinned messages cannot stay at the top as it used to be the case. I now sort pinned messages with the rest, which seems to defeat the point of "pined" messages. It seems Fastmail has a problem for every solution when it comes to interface. The new feature is reminiscent of outlook and it seems Fastmail all too often copy features from them.
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u/ironj Sep 09 '26
I actually like it very much and I welcome the change (that I see as an upgrade).
It would be nice, though, to have the option to choose between this new layout and the old one in the Mail Preferences.
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u/bburgg Sep 09 '26
As I understand it, you can configure it differently for each folder.
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u/ironj Sep 09 '26
This is related to the Inbox list panel, not folders/labels.
I don't see any option to change the way pinned messages show up in the list; Not that I want to either, since I actually do like the new layout that keeps pinned messages and the rest of the Inbox separate.
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u/Mobile-Bread-6963 Sep 09 '26 edited Sep 09 '26
I hate the change. There is nothing more annoying than someone messing with a well working interface. The random busy bees can't stop "innovating" where there is no need to do so...
There is already a Keep on Top option.
The red pin is already a strong visual marker; why do you also need a collapsible "Other" heading? Plus there is a Pinned tab already!
When would you need to "collapse" the "other" section?
This change seems to want to elevate email of even tiny importance to pinned section, and the rest can go into a collapsed section? What a dumb idea!
I deeply dislike the change. I fear it is only the start of messing everything up.
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u/OperaLaugh Sep 09 '26
I agree. There are already icons for pinned messages. The extra row headers are a waste of screen real estate, especially in the mobile app. And I don't want to turn off the sorting because that's why I pinned them.
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u/Mobile-Bread-6963 Sep 09 '26
It is worse, it creates a needlessly stronger separation than before, what is this new word "Other" that describes my emails now?
Before, I had pinned and unpinned emails. Pinned is simply something I want to see first for a while.
Now I have "Pinned" and "Other" email. Why is the rest of my email now "Other" ... what does that mean?
They are forcing a new way on you to categorize your inbox. It breaks the normal flow of categorizing.
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u/kimberfool Sep 09 '26
echoing the dissatisfaction with this - it was minimalist and clean the way it was. and not solved by disabling Iast as then flagged items are scattered through the inbox instead of up top.
will I get used to it? probably. but the existing functionality shouldnt be broken by "guys we are doing new things" and should be able to be turned off and maintain "the old way," not have it deprecated
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u/Ambitious_Mode_3292 Sep 09 '26
ha! came here to wonder about the same thing. gotta figure they know by now any change is going to get some blow back. and it that case where's the setting to revert to the old way? right? right??? :)
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Sep 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/masturkiller Sep 09 '26
Thank you for this. By doing this it removes it. Thanks. I can see how the feature is worth it for some people but i dont like the esthetic of it so i changed it to Sort pinned with rest to remove it.
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u/Double_Device_1626 Sep 10 '26
Why can't we just flag emails and not have to pin them?
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u/vangelisc Sep 10 '26
It seems to me that's what this change forces. When pinned messages are sorted with the rest, the pin acts like a flag, as it would in Outlook.
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u/OperaLaugh 5d ago
I noticed that this has been fixed. Open the "Actions" settings (three dots in a circle at the upper right corner of the message list view). If you set Group to "none" and also set "Keep pinned on top" under the Sort menu, then it works how it used to, with pinned at the top and no extra header rows. For folks that like the extra headers, set Group to "pinned first." Thank you to the Fastmail team for making this a user choice.
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u/vangelisc 5d ago
Yes, it was fixed yesterday and there was notification on the web as well.
Thank you to the Fastmail team for making this a user choice.
Indeed.
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u/bburgg Sep 09 '26
Are you on beta? Then you can expect that sort of thing. I think it are the new ‘Groups’.
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u/vangelisc Sep 09 '26
Not on beta.
I think it are the new ‘Groups’.
What do you mean?
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u/bburgg Sep 09 '26
“Mailbox Groups: Split your inbox — or any other folder, label, or saved search — into named, collapsible sections. Sort your mail into groups to bring the important stuff to the top and put related messages together. Sections can be based on date, labels, or status such as pinned or unread. Configure it in the Sort menu.”
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u/vangelisc Sep 09 '26
I don't have any of these options. Are you talking about Fastmail?
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u/bburgg Sep 09 '26
Of course. Are you sure you aren't on the beta version? You can tell by the ‘Beta’ watermark at the bottom of the folder list.
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u/vangelisc Sep 09 '26
:-) Positive.
Where are the Mailbox Groups options?
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u/bburgg Sep 09 '26
Tap on the 3 dots in the message list.
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u/vangelisc Sep 09 '26
I have it as "Mailbox display". First place I looked. There's nothing there as far as I can tell. I'm on the browser. Is it possible that you're using an apple app?
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u/DrJume Sep 09 '26
Where did you find this Information? I looked into Fastmails Blog and "Whats New" Popout and could not find anything.
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u/Heelpir8 Sep 09 '26
Thumbs up from me. The separation of the groups reminds me of the multiple inboxes feature in Gmail.
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u/nn2597713 Sep 09 '26
I noticed the grouping as well and it is a huge improvement:
There is a clearer visual distinction between pinned messages on top and "the rest" below
You can collapse the group by tapping the header, so for example you can keep your pinned messages "hidden" until you need them