Still using basic HTML version of Gmail? Google will discontinue it next year

According to a recent report by The Register, which asked the tech giant about when and why the decision was made, a Google spokesperson said, “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 report also suggests that it took around 1200 milliseconds to fully load the HTML version of Gmail using Chrome Inspect’s Network tool, while the standard view loaded in 700 milliseconds, but web elements continued to load for almost a minute.

Designed for legacy browsers and those on a slow connection, the basic HTML version of Gmail lacks several features compared to its modern-looking counterpart but is really handy if you want to check emails in an area with poor internet connectivity. It looks like some visually impaired people also use the basic HTML version of Gmail since it is easier to read and easier for screen readers to understand.

Google has a long history of discontinuing products and services.  The tech giant has already discontinued six products this year- Google OnHub, Stadia, Code Jam, Jacquard and Currents. However, sometimes, the tech giant continues supporting services for those who do not want to make a transition, like how they offer a G Suite legacy edition for those who do not want to move to Google Workspace.