Apple Mail + Stackora — Setup Guide for iPhone, iPad & Mac

How Apple Mail forwarding works

Apple Mail has two rule systems with different trade-offs:

For most people, iCloud.com server-side rules are the right choice. They run on Apple's servers regardless of whether any device is online.

Option 1 — iCloud.com server-side rules (recommended)

1. Open icloud.com/mail in a browser and sign in.
2. Click the gear icon (bottom-left) → Rules → Add a Rule.
3. Set your conditions — for example: Sender is @school.edu or Subject contains pickup.
4. Choose Forward to and enter your Stackora address (found on your Dashboard).
5. Save the rule. It applies to new mail immediately, on every device.

Tip: iCloud rules support "any" or "all" conditions but have limited logic compared to Gmail or Outlook. If you need complex exclusions, consider splitting into multiple rules.

Option 2 — Mac Mail Rules

Use this when iCloud.com rules are too limited or you want rule logic only on your Mac.

1. Open Mail → Settings (⌘,) → Rules → Add Rule.
2. Name the rule (e.g., "School to Stackora").
3. Set conditions: From contains @district.k12.state.us, or Subject contains newsletter.
4. Add action: Forward Message → enter your Stackora address.
5. Optionally add a second action: Move Message to a "Sent to Stackora" mailbox to keep your inbox tidy.
6. Click OK. Mail will ask if you want to apply the rule to existing messages — usually choose Don't Apply.

Limitation: Mail Rules only run when your Mac is awake and Mail is open. If you close your laptop, messages that arrive overnight will only be forwarded the next time Mail syncs.

Option 3 — Manual forwarding (quickest to start)

You do not need any automation to try Stackora. In Mail on any Apple device:

1. Open a message you want in your digest.
2. Tap or click Forward (the curved arrow).
3. Enter your Stackora address and send.

Manual forwarding is the lowest-friction way to test the digest format before you invest time in rules.

Option 4 — Shortcuts automation (iOS power users)

Apple Shortcuts can forward mail programmatically, though it requires setup and some experimentation.

Basic pattern:

1. In the Shortcuts app, create a new shortcut.
2. Add action: Get Emails from Mailbox (filter by sender, subject, or label).
3. Add action: Send Email — compose with the original content forwarded to your Stackora address.
4. Run it manually each morning, or use an automation trigger (e.g., When I open Mail).

This approach works best for checking a specific mailbox on a schedule. It is more fragile than server-side rules but gives iOS users a programmable option.

Verify delivery

After setting up any rule, send yourself a test message that matches the conditions. Then open Stackora → Dashboard and confirm the item appears once processing completes.

Common mistakes

Mac Mail is closed or Mac is asleep — Local rules require the app to be running. If you miss mail regularly, use the iCloud.com server-side rule instead.

Rule applies to sent mail — In iCloud.com Rules, double-check the rule applies to incoming mail only.

Forwarding a thread instead of the original — When manually forwarding, forward the original message rather than a reply chain so Stackora gets the cleanest content to parse.

iCloud Mail not enabled — iCloud.com rules only work if iCloud Mail is turned on for your Apple ID (Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → Mail).