Spark email client gains HTML signatures, new swipe actions, aliases and other new features

Spark by Readdle 1.0 for iOS teaser 002

Spark, my new favorite email app by Readdle (good-bye Mailbox!), launched in the App Store nearly 3 months ago.

In my initial review of Spark, I praised its gorgeous user interface, powerful productivity features and integration with popular services but cautioned mobile pros to wait until a future update brings a few commonly used features that didn’t make it into the initial release.

Spark 1.1 is here and with it come some much-needed missing features that make the app more powerful and productivity-focused. These include brand new swipe options, support for HTML signatures, email aliases and more.

New email goodies

A major update bringing what you’ve been waiting for, Spark 1.1 features support for email aliases and HTML signatures, introduces new swipe options and has the ability to move emails between different email accounts.

With support for HTML signatures, you can now create email signatures with images and links. Like before, Spark lets you quickly cycle through your available signatures by swiping on your signature in the email compose screen.

Email aliases for your Google, Yahoo and iCloud accounts are now supported, too. Spark 1.1 also lets you move messages between different email accounts. Say, you can move a Gmail message to your iCloud account, and vice versa.

And when attaching files to a message from Dropbox, Box and other supported storage services, it’s now possible to attach multiple files at once, or add multiple photos from the iOS Camera Roll at once.

Last but not least, newly added swipe options let you customize Spark with new actions like moving emails to Evernote, your spam folder and more.

Spark 1.1 changelog

The following changes are listed for the Spark 1.1 update:

New:

  • HTML signatures—Create feature-rich email signatures with images and links.
  • Swipe to Evernote—Save emails to Evernote with a single swipe.
  • New swipe options—Customize your swipes: move to Dropbox, Box, swipe to Spam, etc.
  • Email aliases— Use your email aliases to send emails with Spark. Works with iCloud, Gmail, Yahoo.
  • Move emails like a pro— Move multiple emails at once between different email accounts.
  • Attach several files at once—Select multiple documents or photos and attach them with a single tap.

Improved:

  • Archiving now doesn’t remove all labels from the email, only Inbox.
  • Attachments list now displays attachments from all downloaded emails.
  • Improved account selection in ‘Import/Export to Connected service’ dialogs.
  • Updated Snooze UI.
  • Improved text selection in text blocks.
  • Now messages are marked as seen when a user minimizes them in Spark.
  • Reduced the app size by 25%.

Fixed:

  • Fixed login issue with @me.com/@mac.com accounts.
  • Fixed messages synchronization issues with seen and starred statuses.
  • Fixed Bcc field.
  • Fixed handling actions on notifications in Notifications Center.
  • Fixed threads calculation for non-Google services.
  • Fixed move to Inbox from Spam folder operation for Google email accounts.
  • Fixed message fetching from Apple Watch.
  • Fixed presentation of forwarded messages on Apple Watch.
  • Fixed accounts order in Smart Inbox.
  • Fixed text selection inside event invitations.
  • Fixed phones & dates highlighting in text blocks.
  • Fixed Evernote multiple authorization issues.
  • Fixed Edit mode in Search results.
  • Fixed ability to attach Pages/Numbers/Keynotes to new emails.
  • Fixed black screen after entering background.

The previous Spark update added new bulk actions, a switch to disable loading of remote images and more. For the time being, Spark supports Exchange accounts through IMAP connections only but they’re working on enabling Exchange as a standalone email account type in Spark.

Availability

Spark is available at no charge so this update is a free download as well.

The iPhone app includes a WatchKit extension to check important messages on your wrist with a glance, reply to messages with canned responses or dictation via an Apple Watch app and more.

The 61.4-megabyte app requires iOS 8.0 or later.

Spark has a native interface on the iPhone and iPod touch but not on the iPad. The app is optimized for native display resolution of the iPhone 5/5s/5c, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Grab Spark at no charge in the App Store.