Gmail's Basic HTML Version Will Be Removed by Google

Google will discontinue its Basic HTML view for all Gmail accounts starting in January 2024, according to a notice found on the company's Support Page. Although the change was confirmed on the site, Google has not provided any additional details regarding the reason behind removing the HTML option.

It has been reported that the company sent an email to certain users on Hacker News, stating, "We're writing to let you know that the Gmail Basic HTML view for desktop web and mobile web will be disabled starting early January 2024." The email further explained, "The Gmail Basic HTML views are previous versions of Gmail that were replaced by their modern successors 10+ years ago and do not include full Gmail feature functionality." The specific date for when Google will disable the HTML view is currently unknown. However, Google mentioned in its Support Page that users can continue to display Gmail in Basic HTML view until January 2024, after which Gmail will automatically switch to the Standard view.

Introduced more than ten years ago, Gmail's HTML view option allowed users to quickly load information, making it accessible on older or outdated devices with slower connection speeds. Although features such as chat, spell checker, search filters, and keyboard shortcuts in Gmail are beneficial, the removal of the simple HTML view has faced criticism for neglecting the needs of visually impaired users.

Pratik Patel, a self-proclaimed "blind technologist... who finds himself championing #accessibility for fun and necessity," expressed his disagreement with Google's decision in a Mastodon post. He wrote, "I know many #blind people who use Gmail's HTML view. Not only will they be confused but will be unhappy."