What Gmail Does With a Countdown Timer
Gmail Animates GIFs
Gmail on the web, Android, and iOS plays the 60-second animation from the moment the email is opened.
Gmail Fetches Through a Proxy
Google downloads images through its own servers. DynaPictures serves the timer with a one-minute cache header, so each new open gets a current image.
A Cached Image Can Lag by a Minute
Within the same minute Gmail may reuse an image. The countdown is never more than about a minute behind the clock.
Opens Are Still Counted
Proxy fetches reach DynaPictures, so opens appear in analytics; the client shows as Gmail's image proxy.
How a DynaPictures Timer Behaves in Gmail
Fresh on Each Open, Proxy Included
Gmail's proxy respects the timer's short cache lifetime, so reopening an email later fetches a new image with the current time left rather than the copy from the first open.
Design for the Mobile Gmail App
Most Gmail opens happen on a phone. Design the banner in the countdown timer generator at 600 pixels wide with large digits so it stays legible when scaled down.
Personalization Works Through the Proxy
The expire parameter is part of the image URL, and Gmail's proxy forwards it unchanged, so per-recipient deadlines and campaign parameters work as they do in any other client.
Everything in Every DynaPictures Timer
A GIF in a Standard img Tag
No JavaScript, no HTML5 animation, no client-side script. The image loads in Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook, and mobile clients; Outlook for Windows shows the first frame.
Rendered per Open, Cached per Minute
Each open fetches an image with the exact time left at that moment. Images are cached for one minute per deadline and then regenerated, and each one animates for 60 seconds.
The expire Parameter
Append ?expire=DD-MM-YYYY--HH-MM (interpreted in the timer's timezone) or an ISO 8601 timestamp with an offset to the URL. Merge tags from your email service provider (ESP) fill it per recipient.
Stages by Offset
Each timer holds several designs, each with an offset from the target. Before, at, and after stages are selected on every render.
Every Open Logged
Email client, country, locale, and any custom query parameter are stored per open. Raw IP addresses are never kept, only a hash and the derived location.
Countdown-Driven Gauges
Radial tick gauges, simple gauges, and line progress bars take their value from the remaining time, next to or instead of digits.
REST API
Create, update, publish, preview, and read analytics for timers programmatically with an API key.
Plan Limits, Stated Plainly
Timers run up to 30 days ahead on Free, Lite, and Standard and without limit on Pro. Free serves 100 opens in total; paid plans have a monthly view allowance and no hard cap.
How to Set Up a DynaPictures Countdown Timer
Design It in the Generator
Open the DynaPictures countdown timer generator, set the target date and timezone, design one or more stages, and publish. You get a URL ending in .gif.
Embed the URL
Place the URL in an img tag or an image block in your email service provider (ESP). Append ?expire= with a merge tag for per-recipient deadlines.
Read the Analytics
Add any custom query parameter to segment opens, then watch them arrive in the analytics dashboard or pull them through the API.
Who Sends Countdown Timers to Gmail Inboxes
Consumer ecommerce brands
Whose lists open mostly in the Gmail app.
Newsletter publishers
Adding deadlines to sponsor and product offers.
Course and community businesses
Counting down to enrollment close.
See the Timer Render Live
Book a short walkthrough of the generator, the expire parameter, stages, and the analytics dashboard.
Where DynaPictures Differs From Other Timer Tools
Rendered at Open
Many timer services generate one GIF at send time. DynaPictures generates per open, so the number on screen matches the clock.
Per-Recipient Deadlines
One URL, a different deadline per recipient through the expire parameter. Many tools support one date per timer.
Multi-Stage Designs
Before, at, and after designs switched automatically. Many tools show one design and a zeroed clock.
Gauges and Progress Bars
Remaining time as a gauge or bar, not only digits. Elsewhere, digits are usually the only option.
A Real Design Editor
Google Fonts, uploaded fonts, images, and an AI background generator. A fixed layout with a color picker is the common alternative.
Segmentable Analytics
Opens by custom parameter, client, country, and hour. A single total is what many tools offer.
Related Email Countdown Timers
Frequently Asked Questions
For campaigns, design and publish the timer in the countdown timer generator and paste its image URL into an image block in your email service provider (ESP). For a single message written in Gmail, insert the image by URL.