If you’re the kind of person who deletes “Sent from my iPhone” from emails, you may want to think twice before doing it again.
iPhone users will be familiar with the default signature that automatically appears at the bottom of messages sent from their phone.
It’s easy to assume the line is a subtle flex about using Apple rather than Android, but its real purpose is much more practical — and it’s designed to help you out.
The idea is to give the recipient some context: if your message is short, rushed, or peppered with typos, seeing that it was sent from a mobile device can make people more understanding.
After all, firing off a quick email on a small screen while you’re standing on a crowded train is a very different experience from writing carefully at a desk with a full keyboard.
Laying out the reasoning — and encouraging people not to remove the iPhone-style signature — Rob Ashton, founder of learning company Emphasis, said: “The short answer to the question of whether you should write ‘Sent from my iPhone’ is: yes, you should. Or, at least, you should indicate that you’re sending the message from some sort of mobile device.”
He added: “But the reason why is longer. Not only that, but it’s the key that unlocks a fascinating area of communication science. Knowledge of that science can enable you to improve everything from a response to a customer-support request to a bid for a contract worth many millions.”
Research backs up the point. In one study with 111 participants, emails containing noticeable mistakes were judged less harshly when they included “Sent from my iPhone” at the end. The signature seemed to soften the negative impact of a messy message, especially in workplace-related situations.
If you still don’t want “Sent from my iPhone” attached to your emails, you can switch it off in a few taps.
Head to Settings, then Mail, then Signature. From there, you can remove the default line from the text box.
You can leave the signature blank or replace it with something of your own — perhaps “No cheers, only tears” or “Lukewarm regards” if you want to keep things entertaining.