We love the Mac! From the very first version 18 years ago up until today, Direct Mail has always been designed as a Mac-first, Mac-only app. This focus allows us to create a seamless experience for our users that takes advantage of the power, productivity, and unique technology of macOS, instead of a lowest-common-denominator experience you might get with a cross-platform or web app. Today, we look forward to the next generation of great Macs, and what it means for Direct Mail.

Apple Silicon

Apple today announced brand new Macs that feature a custom processor that is incredibly fast and energy efficient: the M1. Part of the reason the M1 is so impressive is that it uses a chip architecture different than the Intel architecture that’s been used in generations past. This change means that app developers have some work to do to make their apps really fly on these new Macs, but the good news is that we’re on it! The current version of Direct Mail already runs great on the M1 chip (we’ve been testing it out for several months now), and we’ll be shipping an update soon that turns the speed and efficiency up to 11. We think you are going to love the extra battery life and time saved with these new improvements.

Big Sur

Along with the new Macs, Apple also introduced the latest update to macOS, named “Big Sur”. You’ll notice right away that the look and feel of Big Sur has been refreshed to be more consistent with iOS, iPadOS, and other Apple platforms. We’ve been running Big Sur for months and are happy to report that the current version of Direct Mail looks and runs great. We also look forward to sharing more details with you soon about the next big update to Direct Mail and how it will take advantage of Big Sur’s new features. As a reminder, updates to Direct Mail are always free for all our customers.

When the very first version of Direct Mail was released back in 2002, the best Macs were running on PowerPC architecture and “Mac OS X” 10.2 Jaguar. Over the years, Direct Mail has kept pace, making the transition to Intel and now Apple Silicon, as well as integrating advances from over 14 new versions of macOS. Along the way, our users have always benefited from our Mac-first, Mac-only focus, unlocking their productivity and creativity. We think this is just the beginning and look forward to sharing more with you soon!

Our latest update to Direct Mail includes expanded authentication options for customers sending email via their own company servers, as well as a number of bug fixes for all users, especially those running the latest version of macOS.

Expanded authentication options

Some of our customers use Direct Mail to send internal communications, or other email that needs to be sent via their company servers (as opposed to being sent via our built-in e3 Delivery Service). In the past, these customers would input their server and authentication details (including usernames and passwords) directly into Direct Mail. However, some companies are now opting for newer, more secure, forms of authentication that do not require the user to enter their password into a third-party application. This latest update to Direct Mail supports these modern authentication methods for Google G Suite, Microsoft Exchange, and Microsoft Office 365 accounts.

Bug fixes and additional improvements

This latest update also includes a number of fixes for user interface issues that were affecting users running macOS 10.15 Catalina, as well as more general improvements.

If you use Direct Mail alongside the Daylite app (a popular customer relationship management app for the Mac), you may be interested in trying out our preliminary support for syncing bounce information back to Daylite. Please contact our customer support for details.

How to update

If you downloaded Direct Mail from our website, then your copy of Direct Mail is most likely already up-to-date (you can choose “Direct Mail > Check for Software Update” from the menu bar at the top of your screen to be sure). If you downloaded Direct Mail from the Mac App Store, then your copy of Direct Mail should update automatically update within a few days.

Our latest update to Direct Mail, version 5.7, is now available, and it includes some great new improvements that we’re excited to share with you. This release features several new template designs, full support for Apple’s forthcoming macOS 10.15 Catalina, faster cloud performance, improved undo and redo support, and new enterprise options.

New template designs

Direct Mail 5.7 introduces several new templates designs that work great for a variety of occasions. As we approach the holiday season, you may want to take a look the “Glimmer”, “Merry Pines”, and “Slopes” templates for inspiration. The new “Quattro” and “Silicon” templates are great for showing off new products and services to your fan base. You can find these new templates by opening Direct Mail and clicking the “Choose Template” button (in the Messages tab).

Ready for macOS 10.15 Catalina

Direct Mail is fully compatible with the new version of macOS coming out later this month. We recommend updating Direct Mail (and making sure you have a good backup of all your files) before you begin the macOS update process.

Faster cloud syncing

Direct Mail’s built-in cloud sync feature lets you access your data from any device, as well as collaboratively edit your messages, mailing lists, and more. In this month’s update, we are taking advantage of some network routing improvements to bring you even faster uploads and downloads, especially for our customers located outside of the United States. You should notice that changes sync across your devices a bit faster now. Of course, results may vary depending on your connection to the internet.

Improved undo and redo

You may have noticed that, in the past, it was possible to find yourself in a state where Direct Mail was no longer able to correctly undo or redo some edits you had made to your message—which could be a very frustrating experience. In this update, we have improved our undo and redo support so that you will always be able to edit with confidence, knowing the changes you make can be undone or re-done at any time.

Enterprise-level features

Direct Mail 5.7 introduces a number of new features designed to meet the needs of our customers in larger companies, including:

• Support for single sign-on (SSO). Sign in to your Direct Mail account using your company’s existing SSO provider, instead of using a separate email and password.
• Microsoft Exchange and Office 365 integration. Send emails using your company’s existing Exchange or Office 365 infrastructure. Import contacts from your company’s distribution groups.
• G Suite integration. Send email using your company’s existing G Suite account.
• Template sharing. Create and share templates via the cloud with everyone in your organization.
• Policy enforcement. Manage settings that apply to all users in your organization (e.g. disabling unsubscribe links).

Please get in touch with our support team if you are interested in more information or a demo.

How to update

Direct Mail 5.7 is a free update for all users. For most users, the update will be downloaded and installed automatically the next time you open Direct Mail. If you want, you can update immediately by choosing “Direct Mail > Check for Software Update” from the menu bar at the top of your screen.

Customers who downloaded Direct Mail from the Mac App Store will need just a bit more patience, as we wait for Apple to approve and distribute the update.

Apple recently released their latest and greatest updates for the iPhone and iPad. Stamps, our mobile companion app to Direct Mail, is fully compatible and ready to take advantage of some of the great new features introduced in iOS 13 and iPadOS. Here’s a quick look at what’s new…

Dark Mode

One of the most striking new features is Dark Mode. Stamps looks great in this new dark theme, which has been integrated throughout the app. To use dark mode, you’ll need to turn it on system-wide in the Settings app. Tip: Did you know that you can set your device to automatically switch to Dark Mode in the evenings? Check out Settings > Display & Brightness > Automatic.

Context Menus

This power-user feature used to be available only on devices with 3D Touch, but iOS 13 and iPadOS bring it to everyone. Simply long-press on any row of data or message thumbnail to bring up a menu of shortcuts.

Multi-window on iPadOS

Starting this year, the version of iOS that runs on iPad has been re-branded “iPadOS” and enhanced with extra features exclusive to iPad. One of those new features is the ability for one app to have multiple windows of information on the screen at the same time. Stamps fully supports this feature, letting you do things like compare two campaign reports side-by-side. We’re looking forward to the increased productivity that this feature will unlock.

Drag and Drop

Drag and drop is another iPadOS feature that we have integrated throughout our app. You can drag items like email addresses, URLs, subscribe forms and more. These items can be dropped into email messages, the Notes app, new Safari windows, and other apps that support this technology.

We hope you enjoy the enhancements we have made to Stamps to make it a top-notch experience on iOS 13 and iPadOS. We look forward to sharing with you more Stamps updates in the future!