Swipe to Delete or Archive Shows a Distracting Animation or Needs an Extra Tap - Airmail for iOS

Recent versions of Airmail for iPhone and iPad use an updated swipe system in the message list. Some users have told us that the transition shown when a message is deleted or archived (an overlay or "double image" effect) is distracting, or that a short swipe now opens an action button that has to be tapped instead of acting immediately. This article explains how to adjust both.

Restore one-swipe archive and delete
Airmail lets you choose what a short swipe and a long (full) swipe do in each direction. If a short swipe only reveals a button, assign the action you want to the full swipe so that it is performed as soon as you swipe all the way across:
Open Airmail and go to Settings > Swipes (also called Swipes and Actions). For Swipe Right and Swipe Left, set the Short swipe and Long swipe actions to Archive, Delete or any other action you prefer. A long swipe performs the action immediately; a short swipe shows the action button. Then go back to the inbox and try a full swipe.

Reduce or remove the animation
The transition effect follows the motion settings of iOS. To tone it down for Airmail and every other app, open the iPhone Settings app and go to Accessibility > Motion, then turn on Reduce Motion. If you prefer, also turn on Prefer Cross-Fade Transitions. Close Airmail completely (swipe it away from the app switcher) and reopen it for the change to take effect.

Keep Airmail up to date
Swipe behaviour and animations are refined with each release. Open the App Store and install any available Airmail update before trying the steps above.

Send us your feedback
If you would still prefer a different behaviour, let us know from Airmail > Settings > Support or at airmailapp.com: we collect this feedback for the development team and it helps shape future updates.

Updated on: 10/01/2026