Orange.fr Postmaster is Tightening the Screws: What Their August 2025 Deliverability Updates Mean for You

Another major mailbox provider is turning up the heat on email senders. Following in the footsteps of Google and Yahoo, Orange, a major player in the French market, has announced significant updates to its email deliverability guidelines, set to take effect in mid-August 2025. I've seen these changes coming for a while. It's all part of a broader industry trend towards a more secure and user-friendly email ecosystem. But what do these new rules from Orange.fr actually mean for your email program? Let's break it down.

One thing is crystal clear: the days of "spray and pray" are long gone. Mailbox providers are getting smarter, and they're prioritizing the user experience above all else. These new guidelines from Orange are a clear signal that if you want to land in the inboxes of their users, you need to be a responsible and respectful sender.

You can find the nitty-gritty details on Orange's official postmaster page, but I'll give you the high-level view and, more importantly, what you need to do to prepare.

The changes Orange is implementing can be boiled down to three key areas: strengthening email authentication, cracking down on spam complaints, and improving the user's ability to manage the emails they receive.

Just like we saw with Gmail and Yahoo, Orange is making robust email authentication non-negotiable. This means you'll need to have the following set up for your sending domains:

If you're already compliant with the recent Google and Yahoo changes, you're likely in good shape here. However, now is the time to double-check your configurations and ensure everything is properly aligned. At Suped, we've been helping our customers navigate these authentication standards for years. If you need a refresher, we have some great resources on our blog that can walk you through the process. A great place to start is our guide on understanding DMARC.

This is a big one. Orange is lowering its spam complaint threshold. Starting in mid-August 2025, a spam complaint rate of 0.6% or higher could trigger protective measures, meaning your emails are more likely to be filtered to the spam folder or blocked altogether. To put that into perspective, that's just 6 complaints for every 1,000 emails you send.

What does this mean for you? It means you need to be laser-focused on sending content that your audience wants and expects. This goes beyond just having a clean list. You need to segment your audience, personalize your messaging, and make sure your sending frequency isn't overwhelming.

Another user-centric change is the requirement for a one-click unsubscribe link in the header of your emails. This is becoming a standard best practice across the industry. The easier you make it for someone to unsubscribe, the less likely they are to mark your email as spam out of frustration.

From a deliverability perspective, a high spam complaint rate is far more damaging than an unsubscribe. An unsubscribe is simply a user telling you they're no longer interested. A spam complaint is a user telling their mailbox provider that you're a nuisance. Embrace easy unsubscribes; it's a sign of a healthy and respectful email program.

Interestingly, Orange is also requiring that the domain in your "Header From" address hosts a website with clear information about your company. This includes your company address, identity information, and a reminder of how you obtained the user's consent.

This is a move to increase transparency and accountability. It's no longer enough to just have a sending domain; you need to have a legitimate online presence associated with it. This helps to build trust with both users and mailbox providers.

The deadline of August 2025 might seem far away, but in the world of email, it's just around the corner. Here are the steps I recommend you take now to ensure you're prepared for Orange's new guidelines:

These changes from Orange are another step in the right direction for the email industry. By raising the bar for senders, they are helping to create a more trusted and effective communication channel for everyone. Don't wait until the last minute to get your house in order. Start preparing now, and you'll be well-positioned for success when August 2025 rolls around.