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EoA Mobile TIP

Android

Coding tips for Android’s mobile email platforms, including Android 4.4.4 and Android 5, as well as Android’s Gmail/Gmail 5X, Outlook and Yahoo apps.

1. Can I write CSS that will only render on mobile devices?

Yes. You can use media queries in your embedded CSS.

For example:

                            

                                @media only screen and (max-device-width: 480px) {
    /* Here you can include rules for the Android and 
    iPhone native email clients. 
    */
}

@media only screen and (min-device-width: 768px) {
    /* Here you can include rules for the iPad native 
    email client.
    */
} 
                            
                        

Media queries will not work in the Gmail app.

2. How do I resize images to better fit a mobile screen?

To resize the image on mobile, try the code below.

                            

                                <style type="text/css">
    @media only screen and (max-device-width:480px;) {
        .header { width:300px;height:50px;}
    }
</style>

<body>
    <img src="https://www.example.com/image.jpg" class="header" width="600" height="100" />
</body>
                            
                        

3. How do I stop my text from wrapping inside the viewport?

Android wraps text for easier readability. 

If the box element parent of the text string is set to align: right or center, the text will not wrap within it.  It’s important to point out, that <font> and <span> are not considered box elements. Instead, you would add the alignment to its containing <td>, <div>, or <p>.

Another workaround is to set the box element parent’s line-height to a value that is equal to or lesser than the font-size within the container.

4. My fonts are enlarged on this device. How do I stop that from happening?

To control the font adjustment in the Android universally, try adding this to your embedded CSS:

                            

                                <style>
    * {-webkit-text-size-adjust: none}
</style>
                            
                        

Or you can control text on a case-by-case basis by adding the following inline CSS:

                            

                                <font style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none">
    Example
</font>
                            
                        

5. Why is there padding only on the left side of my email?

Android 4.4 has a nasty habit of adding this. To fix it, just add the following CSS to your head section:

                            

                                body { margin:0 !important; }
div[style*="margin: 16px 0"] { margin:0 !important; }
                            
                        

This fix was created by James White. Thank you James!

Revealing why emails appear off-centre in Android 4.4 (KitKat)

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