Email Behavior on Mobile

Mailchimp's email templates use responsive design to adjust the layout of your email to look great on any device. But, not every device handles responsive code the same way, which can make your email look a little different on mobile than in a web browser.

In this article, you'll find out how we display emails on mobile and how to troubleshoot some issues you might run into.

Things to know

Here are some things to know.

• We use media queries to find out the capability of a device, and we optimize the email for it. If something looks wrong, that device might not support media queries and you may need to develop a custom template.
• These apps and devices don't support media queries: Android Yahoo Mail App, Blackberry OS 5, Samsung Galaxy S3+, Windows Mobile 6.1, Windows Phone 7 and 8.
• We recommend that you preview and test your email before you send it. If you have a paid plan, our Inbox Preview tool shows you how your email will appear on a variety of mobile devices.

Issues with email layout

My email layout changes

Each time your email is viewed on a mobile device, the content blocks will be rearranged to appear in single column format. This means that if you choose a template from the email builder with side-by-side blocks, the blocks will be stacked on top of one another.

If you'd like your email content to display in the same order when viewed on all devices, use a single-column template. For more information, check out Create an Email Template.

My images stretch on mobile

Large images in a text or paragraph block may stretch your layout when viewed on mobile. Our responsive templates are designed to constrain images that are in certain image content blocks.

To keep your image from stretching, use the paragraph block in the new builder, or one of these image blocks in the classic builder: Image, Image Group, Image Card, Image + Caption.

I want my email to look like the desktop version

The drag-and-drop templates provided in the email builder are designed to be mobile responsive. If you want a template that isn't mobile responsive, or if you want more control over the template design, you can use a custom-coded template.

This is an advanced feature and is recommended for users familiar with custom coding. Contact your developer or hire a Mailchimp Expert if you need assistance. Check out Import a Custom HTML Template for information about importing, reusing, and sharing custom templates.

If you use a non-responsive layout, your subscribed contacts may need to zoom in or scroll horizontally to view content on a mobile device.

Issues with formatting

I want to change the font size on my responsive email

The style settings in Mailchimp's drag-and-drop templates are designed with mobile devices in mind. Each content block in the email builder includes a mobile styles section where you can change things like font size. Read Edit and Test Mobile Styles in an Email for more information about mobile styles.

There are blue links in my email

Some mobile devices, especially iPhones and iPads, automatically hyperlink addresses, dates, or phone numbers. This is a function of the device's operating system and is not something that we can control in Mailchimp.

To change the appearance of the linked text, contact your developer or hire a Mailchimp Expert to edit the email’s HTML. For more information about editing the HTML code of a template, check out Export Template HTML.

My date, phone number, or link has disappeared

Any time your links are formatted to match the background color of an email section, they will seem to disappear. This is particularly common with automatically linked dates and phone numbers.

In the content block, change the background color or change the link styles for sections in your email so they aren't the same color as your email background. Check out View and Edit Section Design in Email and Landing Pages for help with email design.

My anchor links don't work

If you have anchor links in your email, the links may not work as expected on a mobile device. For example, iPhones require your subscribed contacts to double-tap the link to jump to the linked section. Devices with iOS 9 or later don't support anchor links at all.

Before you send an email to your subscribed contacts, you can preview and test links in the email with Inbox Preview.

For information about anchor links, check out Add a Table of Contents to Your Email or Landing Page and Add a "Read More" Link.