Emulating HEY's features

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Emulating HEY's features

Is it worth the trouble?

Daniel Jomphe

On July 15,

Brett Terpstra tipped us⁠

to Andrew Canion’s take on

Replicating Hey.com Features in Regular Email Systems⁠

Reading about it inspired me to join the conversation by sharing this page.

Note that Andrew’s article is a better introduction to the subject at hand.

Objectives

While trying out

HEY⁠

in June, I built this page to evaluate:

How does HEY compare to my Gmail +

SaneBox⁠

workflow?

How could I emulate each of HEY’s

advertised features⁠

with/out SaneBox?

Also, I wrote this here to try

Coda⁠

some more. (Here’s a

referral link⁠

if you want.)

In bold is my main focus.

Feelings

Now that I’ve been using HEY for 1 month, here’s how I feel about it:

HEY is worth trying out more intensely in the next months.

My Gmail account is set to forward all emails to HEY.

When I’m sure I want to switch, I’ll start a real migration, updating sender by sender.

Otherwise, I’ll start trying out

Proton Mail⁠

to replace Gmail.

HEY makes me feel even calmer in my email account than SaneBox does.

HEY’s

manifesto⁠

explains why I feel better about it.

About SaneBox, what’s so great for me is how it automatically configures mail filtering.

I taught SaneBox to show me some emails on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

This works if I discipline myself to not look at them until the appointed time. My clients show a number of new emails beside their folders...

By the way, I miss the deceased Google Inbox. It did this better than both HEY and SaneBox do.

Coming back to SaneBox and HEY: my setup is stretching SaneBox’s limits and some of HEY’s strong points make for a much calmer product.

HEY is much simpler to configure and costs less than IMAP-compatible products.

Yes, HEY is far from being free, but compare it to the following...

⁠

Proton Mail⁠

+ SaneBox + Great email apps on each platform + A utility for dealing easily with big attachments, if needed.

HEY locks me into their non-IMAP compatible client, “for life”. I’m still very much on the fence about this.

On the one hand I hope HEY’s going to invest significantly in its client apps over time.

On the other hand, we might be surprised how our IMAP clients will eventually follow the wHEY and emulate many of HEY’s features. This was and still is looking like a compelling future.

HEY makes me feel like its mission is more important than most of the other products.

That is, I feel compelled to participate in HEY’s mission.

I know they’re doing us all a service, even for those of us who are not their clients.

They’re showing the world a new way.

Plus, HEY might continue innovating at a pace difficult to follow by IMAP-wrangling solutions.

So after one month, I’m still ambivalent, and I have some undisclosed reasons too.

Still, I’m going to continue following and using HEY for now.

Warnings

⚠️ Before proceeding to my evaluation, a few warnings are in order:

These are my personal notes.

I publish them as is, without spending efforts to make them easier to digest for the public.

Who knows, you might find them sufficiently readable to help you plan your evaluation.

I didn’t evaluate other criteria that might be important.

For example, I truly hope HEY will soon have a first-class integration with

Hook⁠

In the next months, I might even decide this criteria is too important to sacrifice.

I didn’t test my emulation strategy to see if it’s really workable.

I’m pretty sure my strategies will work with some adaptation, and I’m also pretty sure you’ll be crumbling under the configuration of hundreds of email rules if you’re not a SaneBox subscriber (which costs the same price as HEY). 🤣

Feedback

Note also that you should be able to leave comments on this page and copy and edit your own version of this document in your own Coda account. If you come up with a different compelling strategy, I’d like it if you shared back a link. I could then link to your variant from here.

Update: it might be that you can’t leave comments on this page... You can contact me as

@danieljomphe on Twitter⁠

, or email

danielj@hey.com⁠

. I should be able to update this page to add your feedback (unless this becomes a part-time job, obviously!)

Evaluation

Finally, here is my initial evaluation.

HEY's advertised features

HEY's advertised features

Feature

HEY only?

Emulable?

Will I depend on it?

Note

Marketing

IMAP-able?

The Screener

AddictiveYES

Unexpected, brilliant! Replaces my SaneBox usage.

⁠

Screen emails like you screen calls⁠

⁠

Requires state sync

Rename Subjects

Addictive

Used it a few times and like it. Might use it again.

Fix bad subjects without busting threads

Requires state sync

The Imbox

AddictiveYES

It really, and easily, works at reducing noise!

The Imbox: It's not a typo

Yes, in a folder

All Files

I rarely think of using this kind of feature.

⁠

Find files without digging through threads⁠

⁠

Requires some index

Notifications

AddictiveYES

Calm by default. Per contact or thread.

⁠

Quiet by default, loud at your discretion⁠

⁠

Requires state sync

Reply Later

AddictiveYES

Stack visible in Imbox. Unexpected, brilliant!

⁠

A built-in 'Reply Later' workflow⁠

⁠

Yes, in a folder

Set Aside

AddictiveYES

Stack visible in Imbox.

Need easier ways to note why I set them aside?

⁠

Just set it aside⁠

⁠

Yes, in a folder

Spy Pixel Blocker

AddictiveYES

Better than Gmail’s proxy & others’ hide images.

⁠

Blocking email spies 24/7/365⁠

⁠

Merge Threads

Addictive

Used it a few times and like it. Might use it again.

⁠

E pluribus unum⁠

⁠

Requires state sync

Read Together

Addictive

Need to be able to act on each email?

⁠

Spread ’em out, read ’em together⁠

⁠

Yes, in the client

Reply Mode

Addictive

Brilliant. But I write very thoughtfully focused.

⁠

Focus & Reply: Line ’em up, knock ’em down⁠

⁠

Yes, in the client

Bundles

AddictiveYES

How I miss this from Google Inbox!

⁠

Bundle dominating senders into one line⁠

⁠

Requires state sync

Big Files

AddictiveYES

No need to use anything else! Replaces XYZ.

⁠

Send massive files without using other apps⁠

⁠

Clips Highlights

AddictiveYES

Need more visibility and accessibility?

⁠

Clips: Surface bits, don’t dig for them⁠

⁠

Requires state sync

Speakeasy

I’m not a public figure; prob. won’t ever use it.

⁠

The Speakeasy Code⁠

⁠

Requires state sync

Inbox Notes

AddictiveYES

Need more visibility and accessibility?

⁠

Stick it to an email⁠

⁠

Requires state sync

Thread Notes

Addictive

Offered by Spark Mail and others.

⁠

Add private “notes to self” to any email thread⁠

⁠

Requires state sync

Paper Trail

Addictive

Happy to not mark them as read or archive them.

⁠

Put receipts in The Paper Trail⁠

⁠

Yes, in a folder

The Feed

AddictiveYES

Happy to not mark them as read or archive them.

A love letter to newsletters

Yes, in the client

Different States

AddictiveYES

Love that Imbox auto-archives, and that The Feed & Paper Trail have no states!

⁠

New For You & Previously Seen⁠

⁠

Yes

Mute Threads

I never think of using this kind of feature.

⁠

Get off threads without having to ask⁠

⁠

Yes, in a folder

Security

Not sure what’s emulable or not here.

⁠

Secure by design⁠

⁠

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Count

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Here’s the bulk of my reflexions on emulation strategies.

HEY's emulable features

HEY's emulable features

The Screener

Screen emails like you screen calls

The Imbox

The Imbox: It's not a typo

Reply Later

A built-in 'Reply Later' workflow

Set Aside

Just set it aside

Speakeasy

The Speakeasy Code

Paper Trail

Put receipts in The Paper Trail

Different States

New For You & Previously Seen

The Screener

⁠

Screen emails like you screen calls⁠

⁠

HEY only?

Note

Unexpected, brilliant! Replaces my SaneBox usage.

Emulable?

Will I depend on it?

AddictiveYES

IMAP-able?

Requires state sync

EMULATION

Advantages

This emulation is more flexible than HEY’s and SaneBox’s.

Requirements

Effort: Be prepared to spend lots of time creating lots and lots of email rules...

Server: You need a mail server that can process email rules before your email clients fetch email.

Make sure you set rules where they will run not in your email client, but on your email server.

Otherwise, if you used a different email client on some platforms, your rules wouldn’t be applied.

Limits: Watch out for a limit to the number of email rules supported...

ALTERNATIVE: Use SaneBox to handle the above requirements for you.

Since SaneBox costs the same price as HEY, use SaneBox only if HEY isn’t flexible enough for you.

Also, this gives access to yet another third party to all your emails...

Configuration

Rename Inbox → Screener. (This is optional. If you use SaneBox, instead rename SaneLater → Screener, and configure it to move new senders email there.)

Create folders for Imbox, The Feed, Paper Trail, and Screened out. (Or your preferred conventions.)

Usage

Reserve the Screener for unknown senders (i.e. having no filtering rules).

When a message appears in the Screener:

If it’s for Imbox, add its sender’s address to a rule that moves them there.

If it’s for The Feed, add its sender’s address to a rule that moves them there, marking them as read.

If it’s for Paper Trail, add its sender’s address to a rule that moves them there, marking them as read.

If it’s to be Screened out, add its sender’s address to a rule that moves them there, marking them as read.

When you change your mind about a message’s initial screening:

Hunt down which rule handles this message and change it.

Depending on how you set up your rules, be prepared for MAJOR PAIN.

I have never seen a Rules configuration screen that’s efficient to search, update and test rules.

But if you use SaneBox, you just need to move the mail where you would have wanted it filtered.

Questions

Question

Answer

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⁠

For the non-emulables, some are very arbitrary and discussable. I added some quick notes.

HEY's non-emulable features

HEY's non-emulable features

Rename Subjects

Fix bad subjects without busting threads

All Files

Find files without digging through threads

Notifications

Quiet by default, loud at your discretion

Spy Pixel Blocker

Blocking email spies 24/7/365

Merge Threads

E pluribus unum

Read Together

Spread ’em out, read ’em together

Reply Mode

Focus & Reply: Line ’em up, knock ’em down

Bundles

Bundle dominating senders into one line

Big Files

Send massive files without using other apps

Clips Highlights

Clips: Surface bits, don’t dig for them

Inbox Notes

Stick it to an email

Thread Notes

Add private “notes to self” to any email thread

The Feed

A love letter to newsletters

Mute Threads

Get off threads without having to ask

Security

Secure by design

Rename Subjects

Fix bad subjects without busting threads

HEY only?

Note

Used it a few times and like it. Might use it again.

Emulable?

Will I depend on it?

Addictive

IMAP-able?

Requires state sync

EMULATION

I’ve often wished I could do this. If an IMAP client does, it’ll need a way to sync it to your other platforms, so you’d need to use the same brand everywhere, which won’t probably happen.

Questions

Question

Answer

HEY, when we rename a subject, would it make sense to show us the subject in a different color to remind us we changed it? #QandHEY 1/

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Questions

I asked most of those

on Twitter⁠

for a live AMA, and some I wrote to their Support team.

HEY questions

HEY questions

Feature

Question

Answer

Rename Subjects

HEY, when we rename a subject, would it make sense to show us the subject in a different color to remind us we changed it? #QandHEY 1/

Bundles

Written to Support on 2020-07-21

Remember Google Inbox?

I just remembered why I so much hated it when they sunset it. NOBODY else offers this, AFAIK:

Bundle up <CHATTY> emails AND show them only once per <PERIOD> at <TIME>

e.g.:

Bundle up G DOCS emails AND show them only TWICE per DAY at 8AM and 1PM.

Bundle up G FORM emails AND show them only once per WEEK on THURSDAY 9AM.

Projection

I wonder if this could be:

A new "delivery destination" called e.g. "Calm Lane" or

A bundling option everywhere:

We've already got bundles in the Imbox, and sometimes we don't need to see their updates more than once or twice per day.

I do have some great but chatty newsletters in the Feed that I might prefer bundled up for a single weekly delivery,

and some chatty Paper Trail items I'd prefer calmed too.

Cybernetics

I loved Google Inbox's bundling because it calmed notifications and, by extension, it calmed me. Hey, you've got something great and I realize you're already addressing both sides of our cybernetic selves (our digital extensions affect our inner selves).

Set Aside

HEY, when we Set Aside an email, would it make sense to allow us to leave some breadcrumb notes to remember our intent? #QandHEY 2/

Merge Threads

HEY, when we Merge Threads, do you plan to allow us to see each one's subject some day? #QandHEY 3/

Read Together

HEY, when we Read Together some emails, why can't we act on each one of them from that view? Wouldn’t it reduce the risk of forgetting to act on anything important? #QandHEY 4/

We can if we remember to click on each email’s avatar.

Bundles

HEY, Why can't we Bundle up chatty senders in The Feed & Paper Trail? No tyranny of updating a read status on each message, but maybe bundle them up based on the date of our last visit there? Or someone suggested multiple Feeds for different purposes: even better? #QandHEY 5/

As of 2020-07-28, we can bundle in Paper Trail:

https://twitter.com/heyhey/status/1288242908324220928⁠

⁠

Clips Highlights

HEY, do you plan to make Clips more visible and accessible? Currently they're not accessible from the HEY menu. And would it make sense to Highlight them in their email's view too? #QandHEY 6/

HEY moved the Clips link to the Hey menu.

Still not highlighting them in their email’s view, though.

Inbox Notes

HEY, why don't you also show Imbox Sticky Notes in the Stacks and in their email thread? You seem to have some yet-to-unveil plan for those, can you share some details? #QandHEY 7/

Jason answered Stickies follow emails.

But still: why don’t they follow them in the Stacks and threads?

Thread Notes

HEY, why don't you provide a keyboard shortcut to add private "notes to self" in a thread? #QandHEY 8/

Paper Trail

HEY, even though you will not maintain read statuses for emails in The Feed and in Paper Trail, how do you feel about showing a visual ruler at the last date-time position we browsed it? I have always wished Twitter did that. #QandHEY 9/

HEY, why can't I decide where a contact's messages should appear when I say it's Not Spam? Do you plan to make it work more like The Screener? Until then, it takes me 8 steps per non-spam email to handle it properly. #QandHEY 10/

HEY, what do you wish to improve the most or the soonest? #QandHEY 11/

HEY, in the future, do you plan to maintain different versions of the HEY UI just like you do with the previous Basecamp versions? #QandHEY 12/

Jason answered it’s too early to tell.

HEY, as users, we will always be exclusively required to use your mail clients to access our email. What is your level of commitment to making them the best ones on the market? Are they going to evolve a lot? #QandHEY 13/

HEY, in your design, how much of an inspiration were other mail clients like the New Mail Pilot? #QandHEY 14/

HEY, when you open up Family accounts, will you support families of 7 like mine? #QandHEY 15/

HEY, at Basecamp, do you have people working 3 or 4 day workweeks? If so, how does it work for you? #QandHEY 16/

Everyone works 4 days in the summer.

Don’t know yet if year-long for some people and how it’s lived.

Written to Support on June 24.

Wish for the "Not spam" process to work more like the Screener

1. Open a spam email and assess it's not spam.

2. Click Not spam.

3. Observe that you're now in Imbox and the email is Already seen.

This last step makes me feel lost every time, due to my 2 expectations:

A. I expect to decide immediately where to filter this contact's messages in the future.

B. I expect to continue processing my other spam messages to be done with them ASAP.

Instead, if I want this message in the Feed or Paper Trail, I need to:

(1) find it at the top of Already seen,

(2) open it,

(3) click on its contact,

(4) choose where its messages will be filtered to in the future, and

(5) get back to the message, and

(6) move it there; then

(7) navigate back to the Spam view (without any quick shortcut to help with that.)

(8) for each Not Spam email found there, click Not Spam and re-do the 7 steps above.

Or if I want this message in Imbox and to Set Aside or Reply Later, I need to find it back before.

So, to me...

What you chose to implement for Spam seems like a step back from a traditional email client.

I realize I'd like the Spam view to work a bit like The Screener!

Honestly, I expected Not Spam'ed emails to appear in the Screener, but I realize you'd tell me it's not logical because I already decided I want those emails; but I haven't yet decided where I want them, e.g. "Not spam, I'm screening it into my... Feed!"

p.s. what you're doing is awesome, and I suppose you already have great plans for Spam handling...

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