Check out a breakdown of the e-mail shoppers on which subscribers open your campaigns and also you’ll discover two acquainted names on the high of the checklist: Apple Mail and Gmail. But, despite the fact that these are two of the most well-liked electronic mail shoppers, they’ve some distinct variations.
A few of the greatest variations between Gmail and Apple Mail relate to how they render HTML electronic mail designs.
On this article, we’ll discuss how the Apple Mail app works and the way it compares to the Gmail app. We’ll additionally speak in regards to the variations between the 2 electronic mail functions that can assist you make knowledgeable choices about electronic mail design and improvement.
Gmail and Apple Mail similarities
Gmail and Apple Mail are electronic mail apps out there in each net and cell variations. You may entry each on iPhones, iPads, Macs, and any machine working on iOS, iPadOS, or macOS ecosystem. Apple Mail is simply out there for Apple gadgets, however Gmail is accessible on each iOS and Android gadgets.
Whereas there’s a desktop software for Apple Mail, Google doesn’t supply that choice with Gmail. The person interface for Apple Mail seems to be pretty just like Gmail, and each have apps you can set up on iOS gadgets.
Backstage, each the Gmail app and the Apple Mail app depend on Easy Mail Switch Protocol (SMTP) servers to ship messages. They each use Put up Workplace Protocol model 3 (POP3) and Web Message Entry Protocol (IMAP) to retrieve messages. As well as, there’s the chance to arrange Microsoft Change in each Apple Mail and Gmail to retrieve messages.
Regardless of these technical similarities, HTML electronic mail design can nonetheless present up in a Gmail person’s inbox trying a method and look solely totally different for an Apple Mail person.
Right here’s one other complicated reality…
Apple Mail additionally permits Gmail customers to fetch new messages from their electronic mail accounts and combination them within the Apple Mail app. So, even when somebody has a Gmail handle, it’s solely doable that they’re viewing it within the Mail App with a Mac or an iOS machine.
The explanations for inconsistent show all level again to how these two shoppers render emails, which is able to clarify extra in a second.
What are the primary variations between Gmail and Apple Mail?
Regardless of their similarities, there are some key variations within the Gmail and Apple Mail apps that may confuse each electronic mail designers and their shoppers. Beneath, we’ll undergo 5 main variations between the 2.
1. Rendering engines
Apple Mail and Gmail use totally different rendering engines, and that’s the primary purpose why emails could seem otherwise in these apps.
A rendering engine is software program that takes HTML and CSS code and “attracts” textual content and pictures on the display screen. Whereas Gmail makes use of a proprietary rendering engine, Apple Mail makes use of WebKit, which it additionally makes use of within the Safari browser. Some variations of Outlook use WebKit as properly.
It’s possible you’ll be aware of how sure net browsers will show net pages otherwise than others. That is mainly the identical idea. For instance, you could need to use a particular net font in your emails, however whereas it shows nice in Apple Mail, Gmail reverts to a default font. Whereas animated PNGs will work in Apple Mail, they’ll solely work in Gmail for iOS. Gmail and Apple Mail additionally deal with darkish mode emails otherwise.
When somebody makes use of the Mail App to fetch Gmail messages, it will likely be rendered with WebKit. That’s why you could not be capable to belief what you see should you merely ship a handbook take a look at to Gmail. It’s extraordinarily probably that a few of your subscribers with Gmail addresses are viewing campaigns within the Mail App.
2. Electronic mail consumer vs. electronic mail service
That brings up one other key distinction between Gmail and Apple Mail. Whereas Gmail is each an electronic mail consumer and an electronic mail service, Apple Mail is simply an electronic mail consumer.
An electronic mail consumer is an software, like Apple Mail or Android Mail, which you employ to entry your emails. An electronic mail consumer could have particular guidelines or behaviors concerning the deletion, archiving, or threading of your emails.
An electronic mail service – like Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, or Yahoo Mail – supplies the technical spine for sending and receiving your emails. Apple Mail provides you a technique to verify your emails from quite a lot of shoppers in a single place. To place it merely, you possibly can’t get an @applemail.com electronic mail handle, however recipients can use Apple Mail to view emails from a number of mailboxes.
Electronic mail companies usually even have particular guidelines or behaviors concerning the deletion, archiving, or threading of emails. If that’s the case, they normally take priority over some other guidelines your electronic mail consumer could have. Nonetheless, it’s essential to notice that your campaigns will probably be rendered within the consumer on which the e-mail is opened.
3. CSS styling and responsive design
A few of the most irritating variations between Apple Mail and Gmail contain utilizing CSS to type an HTML electronic mail. As an illustration, if there’s an error within the <type> block, the Gmail app will strip out the type block from emails.
The type block is an HTML component that defines the CSS types for a doc. Whereas Gmail does have some help for media queries and the <type> component, Can I Electronic mail signifies it’s solely partially supported. Utilizing the <type> tag within the physique of an HTML electronic mail received’t work Gmail solely helps it within the <head>.
Many electronic mail builders use media queries to code responsive emails. These queries robotically modify the e-mail’s width, peak, orientation, and determination to a subscriber’s machine.
In line with Can I Electronic mail, Apple Mail totally helps media queries. Gmail, nonetheless, helps media queries for coding responsive campaigns so long as they’re included in a <type> block within the electronic mail’s <head> part. The one exception is height-based media queries, which Gmail doesn’t help.
Nonetheless, media queries are usually not supported in any respect in GANGA accounts (Gmail app for non-Google accounts). And as you’ll see subsequent, there’s one other kind of media question that received’t work in Gmail.
4. Darkish mode emails
Viewing emails in darkish mode has turn into widespread and that’s created some challenges for electronic mail builders. A standard technique to optimize emails for darkish mode is using the media question (prefers-color-scheme).
This question means that you can develop darkish mode and light-weight mode variations of a marketing campaign and the consumer will render the model that matches the mode the subscriber prefers. Sadly, this solely works with electronic mail shoppers that use WebKit as a rendering engine, which as you recognize by now, contains Apple Mail and excludes Gmail.
Get some tips about enhancing the darkish mode electronic mail expertise in Gmail from Rémi Parmentier of HTeuMeuLeu.com. Try the information on fixing darkish mode in Gmail with CSS mix modes.
5. AMP for electronic mail
Along with darkish mode, interactivity is one other electronic mail advertising pattern. AMP for electronic mail is predicated on the open-source AMP framework. It permits builders so as to add interactive parts to electronic mail campaigns reminiscent of carousels, surveys, varieties, and extra – all with out leaving the inbox.
Many builders who’ve used AMP for electronic mail adore it. Others have been hesitant to strive it out for one huge purpose… Gmail is the one main electronic mail consumer with constant help for AMP for electronic mail. That’s as a result of Google is immediately related to the event of AMP.
It’s no secret that Apple and Google are large rivals. So, should you’re anticipating AMP help in Apple Mail any time quickly, don’t maintain your breath. In case you’re going to benefit from AMP for electronic mail, be sure you have interactive electronic mail fallbacks in place.
Proper now, the 2 tech giants are preventing over the adoption of Android’s RCS (Wealthy Communication Providers) messages. Discover out extra from both MacRumors or Android Police, relying on which aspect you fall.
6. Safety and privateness
Each the Gmail and Apple Mail apps use encryption. Nonetheless, whereas all Apple Mail is encrypted with S/MIME, solely paid Google Workspace accounts use S/MIME encryption. All different Gmail accounts use TLS encryption. Whereas S/MIME is safer, TLS is extra extensively supported by electronic mail programs and thus operates extra seamlessly for the typical person than S/MIME.
As well as, Apple rolled out its Mail Privateness Safety (MPP) function in 2021. MPP permits Apple Mail customers to specify whether or not or not they need to share details about when, the place, and the way they open emails. It will have an effect on the way you measure electronic mail engagement metrics, particularly open charges. Discover out extra about what AMPP means for electronic mail entrepreneurs.
What are some key options of the Gmail app?
Now that we’ve explored a number of the fundamental options of each electronic mail apps, their similarities, and their variations, let’s go over some Gmail-specific options. Beneath, we’ve included a listing of key Gmail capabilities to bear in mind whereas designing emails:
- Gmail clips messages bigger than 102kb. In case you exceed this measurement, Gmail will show the primary 102kb of your message adopted by the textual content [Message clipped] View total message. Learn how to stop Gmail clipping.
- Gmail’s attachment interface is extra intuitive. Although each Gmail and Apple Mail apps help attachments, Gmail’s massive attachment button is extra intuitive than Apple Mail’s attachment answer. In Apple Mail, you’ll have to faucet and maintain on to the message space of an open electronic mail to add a file.
In case you’re designing emails for the Gmail app, you should definitely try our ideas for creating emails for Gmail and Google apps.
What are some key options of the Apple Mail app?
Inquisitive about designing emails for Apple Mail? On this part, we’ll go over some Apple Mail-specific options to bear in mind when you work:
- Apple Mail works with many electronic mail companies. Apple Mail helps different electronic mail companies, together with Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, AOL Mail, Yahoo Mail, and iCloud. You may arrange your Apple Mail to import and combination emails from different suppliers. As an illustration, let’s say you obtain an electronic mail by means of Gmail. This message may look totally different relying on whether or not you open it within the Gmail or Apple Mail app.
- Apple Mail helps responsive designs. You should use the type tag to incorporate your CSS stylings for responsive electronic mail designs.
- Apple Mail could resize your electronic mail primarily based on the most important component. Use the type tag to create responsive designs. In any other case, Apple Mail may resize your electronic mail design primarily based on the most important component, like a big picture, to make it “match.” In consequence, the app can incorrectly scale back your textual content to a smaller print.
Like the following pointers? They’re simply the tip of the iceberg. Try our ideas for designing for iOS gadgets.
Wrapping up
And that’s it! We’ve gone by means of the foremost similarities and variations between the Gmail and the Apple Mail apps. In case you’re new to the world of electronic mail improvement, the conclusion that these shoppers don’t show campaigns identically could be a little bit of a shock.
That’s why there’s Electronic mail on Acid by Sinch. We constructed our electronic mail testing platform to assist with challenges similar to this. Use our electronic mail previews to view your campaigns on dozens of shoppers and gadgets. See how the e-mail renders and repair any points earlier than you hit ship.
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This text was up to date on Could 24, 2022. It first printed in September 2013.
Writer: The Electronic mail on Acid Crew
The Electronic mail on Acid content material crew is made up of digital entrepreneurs, content material creators, and straight-up electronic mail geeks.
Join with us on LinkedIn, observe us on Fb, and tweet at @EmailonAcid on Twitter for extra candy stuff and nice convos on electronic mail advertising.
Writer: The Electronic mail on Acid Crew
The Electronic mail on Acid content material crew is made up of digital entrepreneurs, content material creators, and straight-up electronic mail geeks.
Join with us on LinkedIn, observe us on Fb, and tweet at @EmailonAcid on Twitter for extra candy stuff and nice convos on electronic mail advertising.
