Everything you need to know about Apple's Mail Privacy Protection and how it impacts email tracking.

Apple’s iOS 15 update, released in September 2021, introduced Mail Privacy Protection (MPP)—a feature that allows Apple Mail users to block email open tracking. If you send marketing emails, you’ve likely already noticed changes in how your open rates are reported.

While this update has made open tracking less reliable, we see it as a positive step for user privacy and a great opportunity to focus on what truly matters: creating valuable content, driving real engagement, and serving your audience well.

We know any change can feel intimidating, so we’ve rounded up answers to the most common questions below to help you navigate this new landscape.

Mail Privacy Protection is a feature in Apple Mail that prevents senders from knowing when an email has been opened. When enabled, Apple Mail pre-loads email content (including tracking pixels) through a proxy server, making all emails appear as “opened” regardless of whether the recipient actually viewed them.

If some of your subscribers use Apple Mail with MPP enabled, your open rates may appear inflated due to automatic pre-loading. This means:

• You can no longer rely on open rates as an accurate measure of engagement.

• Open-based automations, like resend-to-unopens or open-triggered workflows, may not function as expected.

• Cleaning your email list based solely on open rates could lead to inaccurate results.

Should I be worried?

Not at all! This change is an opportunity to shift focus from open rates to more meaningful engagement metrics—like clicks, replies, and conversions. Many marketers have already adapted successfully by prioritizing these deeper indicators of interest.

Here are some best practices to keep your email strategy strong:

• Track clicks instead of opens. Include clear calls to action (CTAs) in every email to measure engagement more accurately.

• Create compelling content. Focus on delivering valuable, personalized content that encourages subscribers to interact.

• Use segmentation. Target engaged subscribers based on clicks, purchases, or other meaningful actions.

• Optimize re-engagement campaigns. Instead of relying on opens, ask inactive subscribers to click a link if they want to stay subscribed.

• Leverage preference centers. Allow subscribers to choose what content they want to receive and how often.

• Implement UTM tracking. Adding UTM parameters to your email links can help you drill deeper into your email marketing efforts and tie your email campaigns to conversion goals in platforms like Google Analytics.

Anyone who sends marketing emails and all email service providers. This is not a Flodesk-specific change—every email marketing platform is affected by Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection.

No, this change only affects emails opened in the Apple Mail app on iOS 15 and later, as well as macOS Monterey and later. If your subscribers use other apps like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo Mail, open tracking remains unchanged—at least for now. However, we expect other providers to introduce similar privacy-focused updates in the future.

Features that rely on open data may be affected, including:

• Email and workflow analytics

• Open-based workflow conditions

• Resend to unopens

• Subscriber activity tracking

Instead of relying on open rates to clean your list, consider these approaches:

• Track clicks and other engagement signals to identify active subscribers.

• Send a periodic “stay subscribed” email asking recipients to confirm their interest by clicking a link.

• Use subscriber preferences to tailor content and improve retention.

Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection, introduced in iOS 15, prevents accurate email open tracking by pre-loading emails through a proxy. While this impacts open-based analytics, it’s an opportunity to shift towards more meaningful engagement metrics like clicks and conversions.

The best way to adapt is by focusing on high-quality content, clear CTAs, and alternative engagement strategies to keep your email marketing strong and effective.

Embrace the change, and keep building deeper connections with your audience!