CloudMagic to Newton
CloudMagic is a Webby Award winning iOS, Android and Mac mail client. I reviewed it last August and have been using it happily for the past year. But it has recently undergone massive changes.
A month ago, I was surprised to see a new icon in my dock. CloudMagic had been rebranded as 'Newton'.
Five New Features
Along with the brand transition from 'CloudMagic' to 'Newton', the app makers added five impressive new features.
1. Snooze
My first introduction to snoozing emails was from the well-loved and sorely missed app, Mailbox. Snoozing an email removes it from your inbox and brings it back at the selected time.
The default snooze options are listed below, but they can be edited to your liking in Newton settings.
- Later: in 2 hours
- Afternoon: at 3 p.m.
- Tomorrow: the next day at 10 a.m.
- Day-after: two days later at 10 a.m.
- Saturday: the next Saturday at 10 a.m.
- Monday: the next Monday at 10 a.m.
- Pick Date: a specifically selected date at 10 a.m.
- Desktop: the next time you open Newton on desktop
I'm happy to see snooze functionality added to Newton, and I use it regularly.
2. Read Receipts
Much like in Facebook Messenger, a simple icon will change colors (from grey to blue) when a sent email has been read. I find this very useful, and surprisingly it works with Gmail, Exchange, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, iCloud and IMAP accounts.
Gif from CloudMagic.com.
Click to enlarge.
3. Sender Profiles
As this gif from their website shows, sender profiles provide details about the person emailing you, and if applicable, their organization as well. This works even if you don't have them in your contacts and have never been emailed by them before. It works quite well for every type of email I receive, although the amount of information varies based on the sender. Some have full information while others are less detailed.
Sender Profiles used to be a paid upgrade feature aimed at small-business customers. I hadn't purchased it so it is new for me. It is now standard.
Click to enlarge.
4. Send Later
When composing an email, you now have the ability to schedule when it is sent. I haven't needed to use this feature in my normal use of email, but I have tested it on both iOS and Mac.
The process works as advertised, and I really like the "Don't send if a recipient emails me before this time" option. It's smart.
5. Undo Send
Whether unsending an angry email or fixing a typo, Undo Send can be really helpful. I tested it a handful of times, and it works flawlessly.
After testing it, I wondered how much time we get to undo an email that has been sent, so I emailed Newton support and asked. They responded really quickly (within 8 minutes to be exact) with the following:
You can undo an email while you see the 'Undo' toast at the bottom of the screen, which stays for few seconds. Once the email has reached the recipient's mail server, there is no way to undo it.
To get a more exact answer, I decided to time it. In my own testing, the 'Undo' toast disappears after 12 seconds, but I'm sure that will vary.
Is Newton Worth the Premium Price?
Along with adding these lovely new features and changing branding, the creators of Newton have decided to switch monetization strategies. Newton apps can all be used for free for a 14-day trial period, but after that, Newton will cost $49.99/year. This includes access to all features and the app on all supported devices.
- iPhone
- iPad
- Apple Watch
- Mac
- Android Phones
- Android Tablets
- Android Wear
- Windows (coming soon)
Since I paid for CloudMagic for Mac when it was first released, the developers have given me (and everyone else who bought the desktop app) a free year’s subscription to Newton. That gives me some time to make a decision. Update: Newton has since given me a lifetime subscription for free.
If I can find something better and cheaper on both iOS and Mac within the next year, I'll switch. If I can't, I'll have to decide whether good design, pro features, stability and simplicity are worth the premium price. At this point, I'm undecided.
What do you think? Is Newton worth the yearly subscription price?