Google forcing us to use gmail in standard mode

Right from the early days of gmail, I have used it in "basic html view". However, recently it has been coming up in "standard view", and despite trying to set it back to basic html view, persists in coming up in standard view.

Gmail UI used to have this option to set default as basic html view:

I got that image from here:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6292027/no-longer-possible-to-set-basic-html-as-default-view-in-gmail

That option is no longer there, nor is there any other way to set basic html view as the default. Now, gmail will automatically come up in standard view if gmail thinks the browser is capable of viewing it.

I even know when Google made the change, as the Brave browser guys found, from August 13, gmail always comes up in basic html view. The opposite problem! Link:

https://community.brave.com/t/gmail-as-of-aug-13-will-not-open-in-standard-mode-it-forces-html-mode-only-on-brave-browser-please-help/

...it seems, gmail looks at the user-agent string, and does not recognise Brave browser. Feedback at the above link says changing the user-agent string in Brave to Chrome* fixes it.

There is a fix, if you want to force basic html view, it can be specified in the URL. A couple of sites give this URL, and I even found it recommended at a Google help site:

https://mail.google.com/?ui=html

...works for me, but some people are reporting that it only works "sometimes".

Here are two more, both work for me:

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/h/?v=lui

https://mail.google.com/mail/h/

Some links for more information:

https://support.google.com/mail/answer/15049?ctx=gmail

https://support.google.com/mail/thread/125430722/how-to-restore-basic-html-as-default-view?hl=en

https://ladedu.com/how-to-access-simple-html-gmail-in-any-browser/

https://www.reddit.com/r/GMail/comments/pl9i6s/no_basic_html_view/     

Tags: tech