Choose the tone
- Match my writing style: Uses the sending account’s learned habits and the current conversation. If no usable history is available, the app can fall back to a clear, concise approach.
- Professional: Clear, approachable, and polished.
- Warm & friendly: Adds warmth without needing an excessively enthusiastic reply.
- Formal: More traditional and considered wording.
- Direct: Gets to the point while staying polite.
Tone changes expression, not authority. A formal tone cannot make an unapproved refund approved, and a friendly tone should not invent personal familiarity.
Choose the length
As needed adapts to the question. Brief asks for a compact response that still addresses important points. Detailed asks for a fuller answer when the supplied context supports it. Detailed is not a promise of a fixed word count; a short factual situation should not be padded with invented explanations.
Compare the same intent
Facts: You can review a document tomorrow. No completion time is confirmed.
Direct + Brief: “Thanks. I can review the document tomorrow and send you my feedback afterward.”
Professional + As needed: “Thanks for sharing the document. I can review it tomorrow and will send you my comments once I’ve finished.”
Warm & friendly: “Thanks for sending it over! I’ll take a look tomorrow and get back to you with my thoughts.”
Each version preserves the same limited commitment. None should promise an exact delivery time without your instruction.
Defaults and per-reply changes
Set common preferences in the app’s reply defaults, then adjust the compact reply window for the current message. A specific instruction such as “one short paragraph” should take priority over a general preference for a detailed response. If you repeatedly need to fight a default, change the default rather than adding the same corrective instruction every time.
Writing style and language
A learned profile suggests how you tend to write; the conversation and explicit language choice determine the reply language. Choosing a different tone is useful when an account’s usual voice is unsuitable for a particular recipient. Private Mode currently supports English and German and remains subject to Apple’s local model availability.
Check the result
Review whether the wording fits the relationship and whether important questions were answered. If the answer is too long, shorten it manually or regenerate with Brief. In Cloud AI, regeneration is another request; using a previously generated alternative or editing in Mail does not consume a new AI credit.
Tone, length and greetings in 0.20.57
Private AI now follows Professional, Friendly, Formal and Direct, together with Brief, As needed and Detailed. Detailed replies include a friendly opening and helpful closing when appropriate. Review the result for unsupported facts and promises.
Greetings use a first name or a title and surname that the email explicitly states, such as “Dear Mr. Whitfield” or “Sehr geehrte Frau Dr. Roth”. LittleDraft never guesses gender. German replies should retain the conversation’s du or Sie form.