How to Indent Text or Decrease Quote Level in iPhone Mail

Email is an electronic conversation that can become lengthy and following who said what becomes difficult. iPhone Mail solves this problem by offsetting and colorizing quoted text so that recipients can differentiate new text from old and one sender from another.

The most recent remark in an email thread is usually colored black. After that, the text entries from the email participants appear in different colors. The degree to which the text is offset is referred to as the quote level. It indicates the text's position in the email thread. The greater the indent, the farther back in the conversation the indented text appears. This indentation is similar to the hierarchy of an outline.

Instructions in this article apply to iPhones with iOS 12 or iOS 11.

Indent or Decrease Indent Text in Forwarded iPhone Email

When you forward an email, the indentations and color changes can be challenging to read and follow. In replies to emails, delete unneeded portions of the email for clarity. When you forward an email message, change the quotation (and indent) level of the text in the iPhone Mail app with a few taps.

To increase or decrease the level of quotation for selected text in a forwarded email:

Open the email you plan to forward and tap the Forward arrow at the bottom of the screen.
Select Forward in the menu that appears.
Add a message to explain the forward, if desired.
Position the text cursor in the line or section for which you want to change the quotation level. Drag the handles to expand the selection box over the lines you want to alter.
Tap Quote Level in the menu that appears. You may have to tap the arrow first to locate it on the menu.
Tap either Decrease or Increase to change the quotation level of the section you highlighted. Tap Decrease to remove a level of indentation. Tap Increase to add a level of indentation.
Tap Decrease repeatedly to remove the quotation levels. The chosen text aligns along the left margin and is colored black.

Add Quotation Levels Manually

The Apple Mail app adds the quotation levels automatically as emails are exchanged in a thread.

To apply quotation levels manually in a new outgoing email you are composing, select the text you want to apply a quotation and choose Quote Level from the pop-up menu, the same as you do when changing levels in a forwarded email.