Sending limits and image optimisation
In short: Every email you send from aishaa must fit within the limit of the sending method: 10 MB for most routes, 25 MB via Gmail, and with your own SMTP server the limit of that server (1 to 150 MB). aishaa takes care of this itself: large photos in the message are shrunk automatically, attachments that do not fit are sent as a download link, and only if the message is still too large does aishaa block sending. In the reply box you see in advance exactly how each file will reach the recipient.
Where to find this
Open an email ticket via Tickets and look in the reply box under Attachments. When forwarding and when replying to an external party, the same information is shown in the What the recipient will get panel of the dialog. The limit itself depends on the sending method of the organisation (Organisation > Channels > Mail).
Who: from the Agent role. The limits apply per organisation, depending on how that organisation sends.
The reply box of an email ticket with two files under Attachments: a photo with the Optimized, in the message chip and a large file with the Download link chip, plus the Estimated message size line with the limit.
The limit per sending method
The limit applies to the total email as the mail server receives it: text, images in the message and attachments together. Files in an email are sent encoded and are therefore about 37% larger than on your disk; aishaa takes this into account. In addition, aishaa keeps a safety margin of 5%, so that a message never goes just over the server’s limit.
| Sending method | Limit |
|---|---|
| aishaa Mail address or your own domain via aishaa | 10 MB |
| Outlook or Microsoft 365 | 10 MB |
| Gmail or Google Workspace | 25 MB |
| Own SMTP server, with Maximum message size (MB) filled in | The value entered, 1 to 150 MB |
| Own SMTP server, no value entered, recognised provider | Gmail/Google Workspace 25 MB, Office 365 25 MB, Postmark 10 MB, SendGrid 30 MB, Mailgun 25 MB, Zoho 25 MB, Amazon SES 40 MB |
| Own SMTP server, no value entered, unknown server | 10 MB |
With your own SMTP server, you set the limit on the SMTP connection under Organisation > Channels > Mail > Advanced settings, field Maximum message size (MB) (empty = the smart default from the table; with a recognised server you see Recognized server: default (x) MB., otherwise Empty = safe default of 10 MB.). A value you enter always wins. See Sending through your own SMTP server.
What you see in the reply box
As soon as you add files, aishaa calculates how the message will be delivered (Calculating how the message will be delivered…). A chip appears for each file:
| Chip | Meaning |
|---|---|
| In the message | An image that is in the text and is small enough; it is sent unchanged. |
| Optimized, in the message | A large photo in the text that aishaa shrinks before it is sent. Tooltip: Large photos are automatically optimized for reliable delivery. |
| Attachment | The file is sent as a normal attachment (with its size). |
| Download link | The file does not fit as an attachment and is sent as a link. Tooltip: Too large to attach, this file will be sent as a download link (the app shows a dash here). |
Below that is Estimated message size: (size) (limit (limit)). If the message still does not fit even with download links, you see This message is too large to send. Remove content or send fewer files. and you cannot send.
When forwarding and when replying to an external party, the same information is shown in the What the recipient will get panel, with the delivery form, the estimated size and the limit for each file.
The What the recipient will get panel in the forwarding dialog, with the delivery form for each file, the Also send the originals in full quality switch and the message Large photos are automatically optimized for reliable delivery.
How aishaa optimises images in the message
Images in the text of your email (for example photos you paste into the reply or that are quoted from the customer’s message) always remain visible in the text. aishaa shrinks large photos automatically and always in the same way, so that what you see in the preview is also what the recipient gets:
- Which files: JPEG, PNG, WebP and TIFF. GIF (animations), SVG and HEIC/HEIF stay unchanged, but do count towards the message size.
- When: if the longest side is larger than 1600 pixels or the file is larger than 400 KB. Smaller images, such as logos and signatures, are left untouched.
- Result: the longest side becomes at most 1600 pixels. PNG stays PNG (useful for screenshots and transparency); other formats become JPEG.
- Metadata: aishaa first rotates the photo correctly and then removes all metadata, such as location data (GPS) from customer photos. So that data never leaves aishaa.
- Safety net: if the result is not smaller than the original, the original is sent.
Also send the originals in full quality
By default, the recipient only gets the shrunk photos. If the recipient needs the original (for example damage photos for an insurer or warehouse), switch on Also send the originals in full quality. The switch appears as soon as at least one photo is being optimised. Explanation: The originals travel along as attachment or download link. So the originals follow the normal attachment route: if they fit within the limit, as an attachment; otherwise as a download link.
What happens if the message is too large
aishaa works in fixed steps:
- Each file is sent exactly once. A photo that is in the text is not also added as an attachment.
- Large photos in the text are optimised (see above).
- Attachments are added in order as long as they fit within the remaining space. Whatever no longer fits is sent as a download link. The recipient sees a block of links at the top of the message, before the quoted text, so that the links are not hidden at the bottom of a long email.
- If the message still does not fit (for example because of an extremely long text or a great many images in the text), aishaa blocks sending before the message goes out. You see This message is too large to send reliably ((size) of at most (limit)). Remove content or send fewer files; large attachments are sent as download links automatically. Your text stays intact, so you can remove content and send again.
If the mail server still rejects the message afterwards because of its size, you see Not delivered: the message was too large for the mail server. next to the message in the ticket, with the option to edit the message and send it again. This can happen, for example, if the actual limit of your own SMTP server is lower than the Maximum message size (MB) entered. See Email not arriving or not being sent.
Good to know
- When uploading, there is also a maximum of 250,000 KB (about 244 MB) per file. You cannot add larger files; you then see an error message about the file size.
- If you send many large photos, sending can take a moment because aishaa optimises the photos first. When forwarding to several recipients, this happens once per photo, not per recipient.
- The chips and the estimated size in the reply box come from the same calculation that aishaa uses when actually sending. So what you see is what happens.
- WhatsApp has different limits per file type; a file that is too large is also sent as a download link there (Larger than WhatsApp allows for this file type). See WhatsApp in the inbox.
- There is no setting to switch off photo optimisation. If you want to be sure a photo is sent unedited, use Also send the originals in full quality.