Phone number links not working in the Gmail app on iPhone

If you've sent an Engage email that includes a phone number (a tel:  link), and your customers report that tapping it on their iPhone doesn't do anything — this is a known, long-standing bug with the Gmail app on iOS. It is not an issue with Metorik or Engage.

The tel:  link in your email is correctly formatted. The problem is that Gmail's iOS app doesn't handle tel:  links the same way as other email apps. This has been widely reported across Apple and Google support forums for years, affecting all kinds of email senders — not just Metorik.

The same email opened in Apple's native Mail app, or in Gmail on Android, will typically work without any issues.

Workarounds for your customers

If a customer reaches out about this, here are a few things you can suggest:

  1. Long-press the phone number

    Instead of tapping the phone number, tap and hold it. This triggers the iOS context menu, which gives options to call, send a message, FaceTime, or add to contacts. This is the most reliable workaround.

  2. Copy and paste the number

    Long-press the phone number to copy it, then open the Phone app and paste it in to make the call.

  3. Open the email in Apple Mail

    If the customer has their email account connected to the built-in iPhone Mail app, they can open the same email there. Apple Mail handles tel:  links natively without any issues.

  4. Reinstall the Gmail app

    Deleting and reinstalling the Gmail app from the App Store can sometimes resolve persistent link-handling bugs.

  5. Check Gmail's link settings

    In the Gmail app, go to Settings → Default apps and check the Open web links in Gmail option. Toggling this on or off has been reported to resolve broader link interaction issues for some users.

What about on your end?

There's nothing you need to change in your Engage email or automation. The tel:  link Metorik generates is valid and works correctly in every major email client. It's specifically Gmail on iOS that has trouble with it.

If you'd like, you can include the phone number as plain text in addition to the tel:  link, so customers can easily copy and dial it manually regardless of their email app.

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