Get rid of blue links added on iOS devices

Sometimes links inside emails viewed on an iPhone or iPad are automatically turned blue and underlined.  These words include phone numbers, addresses, dates, and sometimes random words like "tonight."

The Solution: How to Remove Blue Links on iOS Emails

To prevent iOS from changing these words into blue links, you'll need to add a style to the header of the message as well as a span tag class around the target text.  Even though inline CSS is the rule of thumb for HTML email since Gmail strips out CSS in the <head> of emails, this solution is okay to use since native mail client in iOS supports embedded style sheets.

  1. Specify this style in the <head> of the email (change the black #000001 to another color if you prefer)

    .appleLinksBlack a {color: #000001 !important; text-decoration: none;}
  2. Add a <span> tag around the text you want to prevent from turning blue

    <span class="appleLinksBlack">1-800-111-0000</span>
  3. Test your message!  Make sure it looks as expected either on your phone or in the Inbox Preview for iOS devices.

 

The formerly blue and underlined text should now appear black and blend in with the text of the email. It’s important to note, however, that each of the formerly blue links are still active. Tapping these links will still trigger their associated app-based events, such as opening the phone number to call it.