I’m working on an email project where I need to include images directly in the HTML content using base64 encoding. The emails are being sent from an iPad app I’m developing.
It’s odd because when I test these emails in most desktop email programs like Outlook and Apple Mail, the images appear as intended. However, when I open the same email in Gmail, I only see base64 text strings on the screen instead of the actual images.
Has anyone else faced this issue with Gmail and base64 image embedding? Is there a specific format Gmail requires for these images, or does it not support this feature?
I’m open to exploring other methods for including images in HTML emails sent from iOS devices. What would be the best alternative to ensure images display properly in all email clients, including Gmail?
Hit this same issue last year building email templates for a client. It’s not just Gmail - Yahoo and Outlook.com strip base64 images too as a security thing against malicious content. I ended up using AWS S3 with CloudFront for hosting, which made loading faster. Just make sure your images have direct URLs and are sized right for email clients. Need private or temporary images? Generate signed URLs that expire after whatever timeframe you want. Or go with email providers that include image hosting in their API - they handle all the messy stuff for you.
Gmail’s been blocking base64 embedded images since around 2013 for security reasons. I hit the same issue building automated email reports at work. Gmail strips out the base64 data during processing, so you end up seeing raw text instead of images. I switched to hosting images on a CDN or web server and using regular img tags - works way better across Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, and mobile. Just make sure your server allows hotlinking and use HTTPS URLs for better deliverability. You could also try email services like SendGrid or Mailgun that handle image hosting automatically.