Update: Google has no plans to sunset Gmail despite recent internet hoax claiming otherwise. The hoax purports to show an email from Google stating that “the journey of Gmail is coming to a close.”
Rest easy, Gmail isn’t going anywhere, however, the basic HTML view is being sunset as you can read below. Most users will have already been defaulted to the “new” Gmail view, so unless you have been specifically requesting the “basic HTML” view, nothing should change for you.
Another day, another Google product goes to the graveyard. The company is sunsetting Gmail’s basic HTML view, which allows users to look at their emails in a bare-bones state, starting January 2024.
The company updated its support page to reflect that Gmail will automatically switch to the Standard view after the deadline date. Users on Hacker News posted that they got an email from Google signaling the end of the feature.
“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 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 email reads.
Even today, when you try to access the HTML version, Google shows a message stating that the version is designed for “slower connections and legacy browsers” and asks you to confirm that you don’t want to use the standard version.
Image Credits: Screenshot by TechCrunch
The HTML version lacks a lot of features such as chat, spell checker, search filters, keyboard shortcuts, and rich formatting. But it is useful in situations where you are in a low-connectivity area or want to just look at emails without any extra bells and whistles. It’s not clear if Google plans to add a mode for low connectivity.
Google is currently focusing on infusing AI-powered features into its products, including Gmail. Last month, the company launched a Duet AI feature to help users write emails. Last week, it allowed the Bard chatbot to integrate with Google accounts so you can ask questions about email history.
We’ve updated this post to reflect the rollout of this change in February 2024, as well as a hoax apparently related to it.
