JIRA's HTML update emails make use of columns. The left-hand column (Issue, key, issue type, etc.) takes up about 40% of the screen. The right-hand column is the body, and takes up about 60% of the screen. the fields (reporter type, new comment, etc.) often have fixed indent sizes.

The result of that formatting is that the actual content of the alert is only one character wide. It creates a gigantic vertical scroll, reading a long, vertical sentence.

Workaround: use plain text emails. use a different email client.

Still, it would be nice if I could view my emails on my iPhone.