How To Kill Vendor Supplied Smartphone Email Signatures

The default action of just about every smartphone email application is to append a signature at the bottom telling recipients not only what type of phone you’ve sent it from, but often the network you’re using. It’s annoying, it looks unprofessional and it’s often a secret to you until you send your first mail. Here’s how to wipe it out.

[credit provider=”flickr” url=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/johanl/4365558047/” creator=”Johan Larsson”]

There’s a single simple reason why manufacturer and network signature files exist. It’s good branding for them, as it creates interest in the product that you’re using, whether you’re telling people that you’re using an iPhone, Galaxy Note, RAZR HD or Lumia 920.

It’s also really annoying advertising foisted upon unsuspecting users that looks more than a bit daft at best. Thankfully, it’s not too hard to remove the offending text, or replace it with something that does a better job of reflecting the kinds of messages you’d like to send.

I rather like the approach some Android mail clients use of apologising for the brief nature of responses due to answering from your phone. It shows you’re responding, but doesn’t tie you down to lengthy missives. You can do whatever you like, though. It’s your phone.

iPhone

The default mail client signature settings are found in the Settings App. Open it up, choose Mail, Contacts, Calendars and scroll down until you find the Signature setting. iOS Mail allows you to set a single global signature, or a different one for each account you have.

Android

There’s no real one-size-fits-all approach to Android mail signatures, because it varies slightly by Android version, manufacturer client and whether you’re using your own email, a specific email client or simply Gmail.

If you’re simply using the Gmail app or default email App, open it and hit the menu button on your Android device. This may be a physical or software button, depending on your Android phone. Choose Settings, and then tap on the mail account you wish to use. For Gmail, tap on Signature, and then enter the text as you’d like it to appear. For the straight email client, it’s a little lower down, under the Composer Settings sub-heading.

Blackberry

This differs a little if you’re using a Blackberry Enterprise Server email address, but for a straight Blackberry-based phone, select Setup, then Email Accounts, then Internet Mail Account. Highlight the mail account you’d like to change, and hit the menu key, choosing Edit. From there, you can change the default email signature. (In some cases, you’ll need to sign into your account via a browser to make this change.)

Windows Phone 7/8

Open your Outlook icon up, and tap the three button option tag at the base. From there, choose “Settings” and scroll down to find the email signature option.

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