Gmail’s basic HTML view is getting killed off in 2024

Dying and taxes stands out as the most well-known of life’s certainties, however you too can all the time depend on Google to kill off one other service or characteristic. It’s usually one thing fiercely beloved or downright helpful, too. (No, I’m nonetheless not over shedding Google Reader.) And sadly, the Grim Reaper has appeared as soon as once more. This time the scythe is coming for one of many firm’s oldest options—Gmail’s primary HTML view. In January 2024, that easy interface heads for the good past. 

In accordance with The Verge, the approaching demise was introduced quietly in a Google assist web page round mid-September. 

For a lot of, this information could seem to be a no brainer—most individuals are conversant in the usual view, which is the default while you log into Gmail by the net. It’s full featured, with help for contemporary fonts, a customizable inbox, built-in chat options, wealthy textual content formatting, and extra. In the meantime, the fundamental HTML view is precisely as described—it seems like one thing from 2005 and behaves prefer it, too. All you possibly can actually do is learn your e-mail (and on cellular internet, you’d higher hope there’s a correctly formatted textual content model, as a result of it doesn’t render fancier codecs nicely).

PCWorld

However that simplicity is what made the fundamental HTML view so good. As a result of it takes so little knowledge to entry, you may nonetheless entry Gmail with a nasty web connection or whereas on an historic gadget. Or each. A couple of member of the PCWorld workers makes use of the fundamental HTML view—some throughout commerce reveals or conventions, others wherever native reception is dangerous. Even when service crawls alongside on the equal of 2G or slower speeds, you’re not shut out of your inbox. Beginning subsequent 12 months, although, we’re all out of luck.

Whereas this growth is disappointing, it’s not stunning. Google’s been pushing a number of merchandise and tasks onto the chopping block (and into the graveyard) as of late. Google Domains is gone, as is the Pixel Cross program (a lot to the ire of subscribers who by no means bought their promised cellphone improve). It’s a stark distinction with Microsoft, which not solely offers reprieves to venerable apps as soon as marked for retirement, however decides to soup them up, too.