Gmail iOS
Gmail on iOS uses the same sanitization pipeline as Gmail Web and Android — <style> blocks are stripped, classes are rewritten, and media queries are ignored. The iOS version renders slightly better in some edge cases due to WebKit's influence on the container, but the limitations are functionally identical.
Popular among iOS users who prefer Gmail over Apple Mail. Often used in personal and small-business contexts.
CSS coverage profile for Gmail iOS
Gmail iOS renders with the Gmail Mobile engine and supports 84 of 251 tracked CSS and HTML features fully, with 51 partially supported and 116 unsupported. That places it in a narrow coverage band.
Most modern CSS is unsupported. This client effectively requires a separate, table-based fallback path for any non-trivial layout.
84
Supported
51
Partial
116
Unsupported
251
Total
Key gotchas in Gmail iOS
<style> blocksStripped entirely. Inline styles only.
@media queriesSee detailsIgnored. Use fluid layout with percentage widths.
Web fonts (@font-face)Gmail iOS strips @font-face declarations. Only system fonts render reliably.
How Gmail iOS renders email
- Gmail iOS renders inside a WebKit container, so basic CSS interpretation skews modern, but Gmail's sanitizer pipeline still strips <style> blocks and rewrites classes the same way it does on web and Android.
- Custom fonts loaded via @font-face are usually stripped — supply system-font fallbacks at every level of typography.
- iOS-specific viewport meta directives (e.g., -webkit-text-size-adjust) help prevent Gmail's auto-text-resizing from altering display sizes.
- Image proxying through Gmail's CDN can add a brief load delay on the first open of a campaign — design for placeholder-friendly rendering before images resolve.
Dark mode behaviour in Gmail iOS
Follows the device's dark mode setting. Gmail applies its own color inversion algorithm, similar to the Android version. Results can differ slightly from Gmail Android due to iOS-specific rendering.
QA checklist for Gmail iOS
- Test layout at iPhone SE width (375px) and iPad Mini (744px) viewports — Gmail iOS spans both phone and tablet.
- Verify -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100% prevents Gmail's auto-typography enlargement on small text.
- Inspect link colours in dark mode — Gmail iOS inverts color but not text-decoration, which can leave underlines mismatched.
Related clients
HTML Elements40
| Feature | Support |
|---|---|
| <abbr> | Supported |
| <acronym> | Supported |
| <address> | Supported |
| <audio> | Unsupported |
| <base> | Partial |
| <bdi> | Unsupported |
| <blockquote> | Supported |
| <body> | Partial |
| <code> | Supported |
| <del> | Supported |
| <dfn> | Supported |
| <dialog> | Unsupported |
| <div> | Supported |
| <form> | Partial |
| <h1> | Supported |
| <hr> | Supported |
| <img> | Supported |
| <link> | Unsupported |
| <marquee> | Unsupported |
| <meter> | Unsupported |
| <object> | Unsupported |
| <p> | Supported |
| <picture> | Unsupported |
| <pre> | Supported |
| <progress> | Unsupported |
| <rp> | Unsupported |
| <rt> | Unsupported |
| <ruby> | Unsupported |
| <select> | Partial |
| <small> | Supported |
| <span> | Supported |
| <strike> | Partial |
| <strong> | Supported |
| <style> | Partial |
| <svg> | Unsupported |
| <table> | Supported |
| <textarea> | Supported |
| <ul> | Partial |
| <video> | Unsupported |
| <wbr> | Unsupported |
CSS At-Rules5
| Feature | Support |
|---|---|
| @font-face | Unsupported |
| @import | Unsupported |
| @keyframes | Unsupported |
| @media | Unsupported |
| @supports | Unsupported |
Pseudo-Elements6
| Feature | Support |
|---|---|
| ::after | Unsupported |
| ::before | Unsupported |
| ::first-letter | Unsupported |
| ::first-line | Unsupported |
| ::marker | Unsupported |
| ::placeholder | Unsupported |
Pseudo-Classes & Selectors32
| Feature | Support |
|---|---|
| :adjacent-sibling | Partial |
| :attribute-selector | Partial |
| :chaining | Partial |
| :checked | Unsupported |
| :child-combinator | Partial |
| :class-selector | Partial |
| :descendant-combinator | Partial |
| :first-child | Unsupported |
| :first-of-type | Unsupported |
| :focus | Unsupported |
| :general-sibling | Partial |
| :grouping | Partial |
| :has | Unsupported |
| :hover | Unsupported |
| :id-selector | Partial |
| :lang | Unsupported |
| :last-child | Unsupported |
| :last-of-type | Unsupported |
| :link | Unsupported |
| :not | Unsupported |
| :nth-child | Unsupported |
| :nth-last-child | Unsupported |
| :nth-of-type | Unsupported |
| :only-child | Unsupported |
| :only-of-type | Unsupported |
| :target | Unsupported |
| :type-selector | Partial |
| :universal-selector | Partial |
| :visited | Unsupported |
| pseudo-class-active | Unsupported |
| pseudo-class-default | Unsupported |
| pseudo-class-nth-last-of-type | Unsupported |
CSS Functions8
| Feature | Support |
|---|---|
| calc | Partial |
| clamp | Partial |
| conic-gradient | Unsupported |
| fit-content | Partial |
| linear-gradient | Supported |
| max | Partial |
| min | Partial |
| radial-gradient | Supported |
CSS Properties160
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Try Emailens FreeSupport data last updated Apr 27, 2026 · synced from caniemail.com via @emailens/engine.