“Always show images”

Checklist

• I have used the search function to see if someone else has already submitted the same bug report.
• I will describe the problem with as much detail as possible.

App

Thunderbird for Android

App version

8.2

Where did you get the app from?

Google Play

Android version

15

Device model

Google Pixel 8A

Steps to reproduce

1. Go to “Account settings > Reading mail > Always show images”.
2. Select “From anyone”.
3. Check various emails for images.

Expected behavior

All images should be displayed exactly as they appear in the original email.

Actual behavior

Email containing in-line images are sometimes not displayed. Instead, there is usually (but not always) a button at the bottom of the email body which must be tapped to view them as attachments, causing confusion about where they originally appeared in context with the rest of the message.

Worse, in some other instances images are missing altogether, with a “broken image” icon displayed. In those cases, the bottom button is absent so there’s no way to view them at all.

All this behavior makes no sense to me considering the “Always show images” option is ticked.

Logs

No response

Start by reproducing the problem in Thunderbird for Android 8.2 on Android 15: open Account settings > Reading mail > Always show images, select “From anyone,” and inspect emails with inline images. Compare images that appear inline, become attachments, or show as broken, then use the result to define what correct behavior should be.