Outlook Actionable Messages dont show up on mobile

Question

I am trying to create outlook actionable messages and have registered the provider on Actionable Email Developer Dashboard. When i send an email, the adaptive card shows up on browser and desktop outlook but not on mobile (iOS or Android). The only thing i see on mobile is 'This message has no content'. I have tried different versions of adaptive card and various different adaptive cards but the behavior is consistent.

Can you please advise on what I can try?

Answer 1

It seems that you are experiencing issues with Outlook actionable messages not displaying correctly on mobile devices (iOS and Android). Here are a few points to consider:

1. Compatibility: Ensure that the versions of Outlook you are using on mobile devices support actionable messages. According to the documentation, actionable messages are supported on Outlook for iOS and Android, but it’s important to verify that you are using the latest version of the app.
2. Dark Mode: Currently, actionable message cards do not change their rendering when Outlook is in dark mode. If you are testing in dark mode, this could affect visibility.
3. Message Format: Make sure that the email body is in HTML format, as plain-text messages are not supported for actionable messages. The JSON for the adaptive card must be wrapped in a <script> tag of type application/adaptivecard+json.
4. Download Preferences: Check the download preferences in Outlook settings. If options like "Download Headers and then Full Items" or "On Slow Connections Download Only Headers" are enabled, it might prevent the full content from being downloaded properly on mobile.
5. Testing on Mobile: Since you mentioned that the card shows up in the browser and desktop Outlook, try sending the email directly to your mobile device and ensure that you are not forwarding it, as Office 365 removes markup when emails are forwarded.

If you have already checked these points and the issue persists, consider reaching out to Microsoft support for further assistance with your specific setup.

---

References:

• Designing Outlook Actionable Message cards with the Adaptive Card format
• Outlook version requirements for actionable messages

Answer 2

Hi @Jindal, Rohan,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

I completely understand how this can feel limiting, especially when the adaptive card works perfectly on desktop and web but not on mobile.

Currently, Outlook for iOS and Android does not support rendering Actionable Messages or Adaptive Cards. On mobile, these messages will appear as plain text with the note “This message has no content”. This is expected behavior because the mobile apps do not include the Actionable Message framework.

You can consider providing a fallback experience for mobile users, such as including a link in the email that opens the action in a browser.
For reference: Actionable messages in Outlook and Office 365 Groups

If this feature is important to your workflow, I highly recommend submitting a suggestion directly with the product team:

You can do this in Outlook mobile app by selecting Help > Feedback, or through the Microsoft 365 Feedback Hub > Send Feedback > Describe your proposal in detail so the team can consider it for future improvements.

Once you've submitted your feedback, feel free to share the link here in the comments. I’ll be happy to upvote it to help bring more visibility.  

Additionally, since many other users have expressed similar concerns but may not know where to submit feedback, if my response has helped you better understand the situation and guided you toward a possible next step, please mark it as the “Accepted Answer.” Your action will help pin this post to the top, making it easier for others in the community who are experiencing the same issue to find your feedback and support it.  

Thank you again for your time and for raising this important usability concern. 

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Answer 3

We were able to get adaptive cards to render on iOS. This is the solution that worked for us:

Add <p></p> Tags in the Body Section

To fix the rendering issue specifically in iOS devices, ensure that you include <p></p> tags in the body section of your Adaptive Card's JSON. This simple HTML snippet can resolve the visibility problem, making your cards display correctly on iOS.

Answer 4

Hi @Jindal, Rohan,

Thank you for your update. I'm glad that the issue has been resolved. I truly appreciate your effort in finding a resolution.

I believe many users may encounter a similar issue, and your case could serve as a valuable reference for them. Here’s a brief summary so other forum members can easily find useful information:

Issue Description:

• Adaptive Cards were not rendering on Outlook for iOS, showing “This message has no content” despite working on desktop and web.

Assessment:

• The root cause was related to how the card content was structured. Outlook mobile clients require proper HTML wrapping for rendering Adaptive Cards.

More Information:

• Adding <p></p> tags in the body section of the Adaptive Card JSON resolved the rendering issue on iOS devices. This simple adjustment ensures the card displays correctly on mobile.

Additionally, since many other users have similar concerns but may not know how to resolve it, please mark this as the “Accepted Answer.” Your action will help pin this post to the top, making it easier for others in the community who are experiencing the same issue to find the solution to resolve this issue.

Thank you again for your time and for sharing the fix.

Wish you a great day.

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.