Apple Intelligence brings smart replies to Apple Mail and wipes the floor with the version of Gmail

When Apple announced earlier this year that smart replies for its Mail app were part of the Apple Intelligence features arrive via iOS 18you probably scoffed. I know I did that. After all, smart answers are part of it Gmail since 2017. Why doesn’t Apple get around to adding that capability until seven years later?

Well, I hereby withdraw my ridicule. The Smart Replies feature in Apple Mail is really smart: it understands the context of the email you’re replying to to formulate very specific responses and even ask follow-up questions to refine the automatically generated response. It is miles ahead of the smart answer function Googling that most of us are used to.

There’s a caveat to the comparison between Apple Mail and Gmail, and it’s that Google is refining its own smart reply options. The company announced this in September contextual smart responses powered by the Gemini AI model that provide more detailed answers. However, that feature has only been rolled out to Google Workspace customers with very specific add-ons like Google One AI Premium, Gemini Business and the like.

In other words, Gmail’s smart replies may be getting better, but on the version of the email client running on my iPhone, the feature works the same as it always has. I suspect that’s true for most of you too.

Perhaps one day the smart reply features for Apple Mail and Gmail will be on a more equal footing, but for now the advantage clearly lies with iPhones that can use Apple Intelligence features. I’ve picked five emails sent to my Gmail account to illustrate the very different smart responses from the Apple Mail and Gmail clients.

Apple Mail vs. Gmail: Different Smart Reply Methods

Before we get into the different smart replies generated in my sample emails, let’s talk about the different approaches Apple Mail and Gmail use for this feature. In Gmail, smart replies appear at the bottom of the message, with two or three possible replies depending on whether you’re using Gmail on your phone or desktop. (All Gmail instances below are from an iPhone 12 running iOS 18.1. I’m using Apple Mail on an iPhone 15 Pro running iOS 18.1 to test the responses generated by Apple Intelligence.)

In contrast, smart replies generated by Apple Intelligence won’t appear until you tap Reply on a message in Mail – and even then they may not appear if Apple’s AI determines that a smart reply is really not relevant. Otherwise, your smart answer options will appear in the suggestion bar, just above the keyboard. Tap the answer you want and Apple’s AI will formulate a message based on that prompt. Please refer to our guide for more detailed steps how to use smart replies in apple mail.

That’s how it works in theory anyway. Let’s see what happens in practice.

Apple Mail Smart Replies vs Gmail

Example 1: Scheduling a phone call

My daughter went on a trip to Europe with the Girl Scouts last summer, and in this email the leader of the trip is trying to set up a time for us to go over some details over the phone.

Respond smartly to a call request in Apple Mail

(Image credit: Future)

Apple Mail’s smart replies give me two options: I’m available or I’m not. When I tapped to call at that time, Apple Intelligence produced a response that also happened to include the day and time of the call, which is helpful for confirming everyone is on the same page about the timing.

smart response to a phone call request in Gmail

(Image credit: Future)

In this case, Gmail suggests three responses, all of which assume I’m good at speaking at that moment. (We’ll find that Gmail finds it hard to say no as this exercise progresses.) The option I choose – “Sounds good, see you then” – is exactly what appears in my response, with no additional information added for the context.

Example 2: A suggestion by email

I appear on a podcast with a ‘Magnum PI’ theme – don’t be put off, it’s honest work – and every now and then listeners write in with suggestions of episodes from that ’80s TV series they’d like to see we cover them. Such is the case with this listener email.

Apple Mail smart replies for when a suggestion is made by the sender

(Image credit: Future)

There isn’t much difference between the answers Apple Mail suggests; both are variations on my willingness to watch the episode that the listeners suggest. But when I select my auto-reply, Apple Intelligence starts with a thank you, which I thought was a nice touch.

Smart Gmail replies for when a suggestion is made by the sender

(Image credit: Future)

Gmail offers two possible answers, but one of them is: “Thoughts?” – is a nonsensical answer. The listener has already given their thoughts, Gmail. Again, the text I selected is the exact text pasted into my response; there is also no acknowledgment of the proposed episode.

Example 3: A requested action

At their best, smart answers save you time by getting to the point. Someone asks you for some information and you want to tap an answer that gives it quickly. Such is the case in this letter from my daughter’s Girl Scout leader, in which she wants us to make sure our Scouts have completed a survey.

Apple Mail Smart responds to a request to complete a survey

(Image credit: Future)

At first glance, Apple Mail’s smart replies don’t inspire much confidence. My only options are to confirm that my daughter will complete the survey or to indicate that she cannot. But if you tap OK, a much more detailed, auto-generated message will pop up promising to get the survey completed and confirming we’ll meet again in July. Smart answers even earn a thank you from me.

There’s one flaw here, which is that the smart answer makes me want to know for sure all the scouts fill out the survey, not just my daughter. But that’s easily fixed with a text edit, and it’s a reminder that no matter who claims a smart feature is, always check its operation before pressing send.

Gmail smartly answers a request to take a survey

(Image credit: Future)

In some ways, Gmail’s smart answers surprise me: none of the three options are quite suitable. We get a return of the useless “Thoughts?” reply along with a “Sounds fun!” response that does not address the problem. Even the response “I voted” is context-free, because we are being asked to let our daughters vote – not vote ourselves. I suppose I could edit it like the Apple Mail reply above, but here I would be rewriting the entire message and defeating the purpose of a smart reply.

Example 4: Meeting a deadline

Deadlines offer a new opportunity for smart answers to shine. Either you’re going to meet your deadline, or you’re not going to make it, so an AI-generated response should reflect those options. I don’t currently have any deadline emails in my inbox, so I sent myself one from my work account to illustrate how Apple Mail and Gmail handle this situation.

Apple Mail smartly replies about a deadline next to a Gmail screenshot with a smart reply option

Apple Mail Smart Replies (left and center) and Gmail Smart Reply options (right) (Image credit: Future)

Apple Mail understands this binary choice, with a few suggested responses indicating whether I meet the deadline or not. (The subsequent message even mentions the actual date of the deadline.) Gmail, an apparent people-pleaser, only allows me to say I’m going to meet the deadline in two different ways.

Example 5: Smart answers in multiple steps

Our final example illustrates Apple Mail’s smart reply feature at its best. I sent myself another email, this time requesting payment and specifying my preferred payment method.

Apple Intelligence's Smart Payment Response has two different types of smart responses

(Image credit: Future)

Apple Mail’s first smart replies are quite sparse, just options to acknowledge that I owe the sender money. But as soon as I select one, another set of smart answers appears, reflecting how I want to pay the money I owe. Even better, the options reflect the sender’s preferences, with Apple Cash being the preferred method, but cash or check also accepted. I chose cash and the auto-generated response has been updated to reflect that choice.

Gmail smart response on payment

(Image credit: Future)

At this point, you won’t be surprised to learn that Gmail’s responses aren’t nearly as sophisticated. I’m especially baffled by the third option, “whatever is easiest for you.” The email actually specifies the easiest payment! That’s not a smart answer at all.

Smart answers prospects

This exercise could have gone very differently if the Gemini-powered smart reply feature had been available for the Gmail app on my iPhone. But I can only rate the features available to me, and the older version of Smart Replies in Gmail just doesn’t measure up to what Apple Intelligence added to the built-in Mail app for iPhones.