sync Mail accounts from iPad to mac Mail application

[sfphoto]

Can I
sync Mail accounts from iPad to mac Mail application

or only from the Mac to the iPad

I want to delete the 'recents' on the iPad and read that if I delete the recents on the Mac they will delete on the iPad,

however I have never used the Mac Mail application.

Thanks in advance!

 

[HDFan]

If your mail servers are IMAP there is no syncing needed. When you delete a message from an iMap server account it is deleted from every device that references that iMap server account.

 

[sfphoto]

I want to delete the 'recents' (perhaps known as Auto Fill, what shows up when you start to type in an email address) on the iPad and read that if I delete the recents on the Mac they will delete on the iPad.

The issue is I have never used the Mail Application on a Mac.

Wondered if I was to sync the 'recents' would also transfer to the Mac.

I think I read though that one can NOT sync an iDevice to a Mac - only the other way around

 

[NoBoMac]

You can delete on an iOS device as well, but it's cumbersome.

Start to compose an email. Type part of the address you want to remove in the "To" box. Tap the "info" icon. At the bottom is the "remove from recents" option.

EDIT: or just swipe the previous recipient to delete.

 

[sfphoto]

@NoBoMac
Yes I started that, there were 37 entry options just typing in the letter 'a' (which brings up people with an 'a' at the beginning of their first or last name).
Must be hundreds.

 

[NoBoMac]

In theory, deleting from the Mac's Mail should also translate to iOS devices. Mail > Window > Previous Recipients.

No syncing required, just need to be signed into iCloud with same Apple ID, have Contacts (and Mail?) enabled in iCloud.

That said, my Mac Previous Recipients list is tiny, where as my iPhone has a ton of names in it. So, not sure if bug in Mail/Contacts and or iCloud sync.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Let's say this a different way...

Most mail accounts these days are "in the cloud" - in the case of mail, that's callled IMAP (Internet Mail Access Protocol) as mentioned earlier. The vast majority of mail accounts are now IMAP - Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, MSN/Hotmail/Outlook.com, Mac.com/me.com/iCloud.com, att.net, comcast.net..... If you have a business web site, the email accounts provided by the hosting service are also almost always IMAP. And if your business uses Microsoft Exchange Server, it works on the same basic principle.

When your data is "in the cloud" your iPad/iPhone/Mac/Windows PC synchronizes with the cloud. If you write/read/delete an email on your iPad, those changes synchronize with the cloud, and then the cloud synchronizes those changes to your Mac/iPhone/Windows PC.

 

[sfphoto]

Thanks all for the responses.

Wondering if perhaps the Reset All Settings (on the iPad) will remove all the 'recents'?

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Thanks all for the responses.

Wondering if perhaps the Reset All Settings (on the iPad) will remove all the 'recents'?

Looks like we've been responding to the wrong question...

What you call "recents" (auto-fill suggestion of email addresses) is not a function of the mail account, or even the Mail app as such - it's a search function that's part of the operating system (if you use the Messages app, or FaceTime, you'd see similar behavior). It searches your Contacts. It may also contain a section called "Siri Found in Apps" ("Siri" in this case is a rebranding of Apple's in-device search functions, not the voice assistant), and yes, it may suggest addresses you have used or encountered recently but did not add to your Contacts.

Resetting All Settings will not "synchronize" this behavior - Reset All Settings (which is not available on Mac at all) does not affect data - it affects whether a particular feature is enabled/disabled by returning settings to their factory default. This could have impacts far beyond the issue you're trying to address, so unless you want to spend what could turn into a fair amount of time getting your iPhone or iPad back to the way you like things... don't do it.

Be more targeted - go into Settings > Siri & Search > Siri Suggestions (this is available on iOS, not in Mac System Preferences). If you want to learn more, tap the link in those settings, "About Siri Suggestions & Privacy..."

If you want these search results to synchronize, be sure Siri is enabled in the iCloud settings/preferences on all your devices.

While Apple continues to integrate the functioning of macOS and iOS, they are not identical - you will encounter settings/preferences and app functions in one that you will not be available on the other.

And as to getting a consistent Contacts search result across all your devices? Be sure your contacts are syncing in the cloud. Since you can have contacts stored in a variety of cloud accounts (nearly every mail service includes contacts), check to see that Contacts for each of those mail accounts is enabled/disabled consistently across all your devices, and that all mail accounts that contain contacts are setup on all your devices.

 

[sfphoto]

@ApfelKuchen
Thanks for the response. "it's a search function that's part of the operating system ... It searches your Contacts"

Using iMazing (like DiskAid) I found a 'Recents' file in the Mail folder. It contains hundreds of email addresses. Does not seem to be an edit feature though.

--
The iPad has several mail accounts but:
NO contacts
NO iCloud
NO Siri

Have not synced with iTunes and do not use the Mail application with a Mac, rather Thunderbird.

NoBoMac's comment about the Macintosh Mail program and "Mail > Window > Previous Recipients" sounds promising but think I would need to create the same mail boxes as are on the iPad then then try syncing.