Summary
Apple's Hide My Email (HME) impacts email marketing and deliverability significantly. HME generates unique, random email addresses that forward to a user's primary inbox, protecting their real email. Apple rewrites headers, complicating feedback loops (FBL) and potentially impacting sender reputation. The effectiveness of FBLs hinges on whether Apple preserves original headers or provides necessary information in ARF reports. For senders, understanding Apple's handling of forwarding and header rewriting is crucial. Additionally, HME and related privacy features make user tracking and personalization more challenging. Marketers should focus on gaining explicit consent, providing value, utilizing first-party data, and adapting their measurement strategies due to unreliable open rates. Maintaining a clean IP, authenticating sending domains with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and avoiding spam triggers are also essential to prevent email blocking.
Key findings
- Header Rewriting & FBL: Apple rewrites headers with `privaterelay.appleid.com`, affecting FBLs. Yahoo FBL depends on DKIM; Apple's actions determine complaint attribution.
- Tracking & Personalization: HME obscures user addresses, complicating tracking and personalization efforts.
- Spam Handling: Spam complaints are likely handled by Apple, potentially impacting sender reputation if HME addresses are misused.
- Open Rate Inaccuracy: Apple Mail Privacy Protection makes open rates unreliable, forcing a shift to alternative metrics.
- Header Info: Proper FBL reporting is dependant on providing enough information in the headers of the forwarding mail.
Key considerations
- Explicit Consent & Value: Focus on obtaining explicit consent and providing value to encourage sharing real email addresses.
- First-Party Data: Prioritize collecting and leveraging first-party data for targeting and personalization.
- Alternative Metrics: Rely on click-through rates, conversions, and other engagement metrics instead of open rates.
- SPF, DKIM, DMARC: Implement and maintain SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for domain authentication and deliverability.
- Sender Reputation: Maintain a clean IP reputation and avoid spam triggers to prevent email blocking.
- Monitor Apple's impact on metrics: Closely monitor the impact that apple mail privacy and HME have on tracking and engagement.
What email marketers say
9 marketer opinions
Apple's Hide My Email feature creates unique, random email addresses that forward to a user's real inbox, impacting email marketing in several ways. It complicates tracking and identifying users, potentially affecting segmentation, personalization, and attribution. Marketers must adapt by focusing on first-party data, explicit consent, and providing value to encourage users to share their real email addresses. The feature also affects feedback loops and spam complaints, with Apple likely handling spam reports and potentially impacting sender reputation. Furthermore, Apple Mail Privacy Protection changes how email open rates are measured, making it more difficult to track individual behavior and requiring marketers to rely on other metrics like click-through and conversion rates.
Key opinions
- Header Rewriting: Apple rewrites the header from and signs it with `privaterelay.appleid.com`, impacting ARF reports.
- Deliverability Impact: Misuse of Hide My Email addresses for spam can negatively affect sender reputation and lead to blocking.
- Tracking Challenges: Hide My Email makes it harder to track users and personalize emails, affecting segmentation and attribution.
- Feedback Loop Complications: Spam complaints from Hide My Email addresses are likely handled by Apple, with potential impacts on sender reputation.
- Open Rate Inaccuracy: Apple Mail Privacy Protection makes email open rates unreliable, requiring marketers to focus on other metrics.
Key considerations
- First-Party Data: Focus on collecting and utilizing first-party data to improve targeting and personalization.
- Explicit Consent: Obtain explicit consent from users to ensure compliance with privacy regulations and improve engagement.
- Value Proposition: Provide value to users to encourage them to share their real email addresses willingly.
- Alternative Metrics: Rely on click-through rates, conversion rates, and other engagement metrics to measure campaign success.
- Monitor Engagement: Closely monitor engagement metrics to identify and address any negative impacts from Hide My Email.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Validity shares that Apple Mail Privacy Protection changes the way email open rates are measured. Due to the privacy features, it becomes more difficult to track individual behavior and personalize emails. Marketers may need to rely on other metrics, such as click-through rates and conversion rates, to measure success.
11 Sep 2023 - Validity
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that Apple rewrites the header from and signs it with `privaterelay.appleid.com`. This is different than auto-forwards (where mail gets automatically forwarded from gmail to yahoo for example and the headers remain intact), where you could get Yahoo ARF reports for emails sent to gmail.
20 Feb 2023 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
2 expert opinions
Apple's Hide My Email complicates feedback loops (FBL) and email blocking by masking the user's real email address. The effectiveness of FBLs depends on how Apple rewrites headers during forwarding. If the original DKIM signature passes, Yahoo may treat complaints as originating from the sender. If Apple re-signs with their DKIM, they bear the impact. Understanding Apple's handling of forwarding, header information, and mechanisms for reporting spam is crucial for senders.
Key opinions
- Yahoo FBL & DKIM: Yahoo's FBL relies on DKIM. Apple's header rewriting determines complaint attribution.
- Complaint Attribution: If Apple re-signs with its own DKIM, Apple takes the hit for spam complaints.
- Header Information Key: Success of feedback loops hinges on whether Apple provides enough header info to trace complaints.
Key considerations
- Understand Apple's Handling: Marketers must understand how Apple handles forwarding of HME emails.
- Monitor Header Rewrite: Monitor how Apple rewrites headers, especially DKIM signatures, with HME.
- Investigate Complaint Mechanisms: Investigate how Apple provides complaint reporting so senders can address issues.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that Apple's Hide My Email service, by masking the user's real email address, complicates the feedback loop process. It's crucial to understand how Apple handles forwarding and whether they provide any mechanism for reporting spam complaints back to the original sender. The key is whether Apple provides enough information in the headers to trace the complaint back to the original sender.
5 Feb 2022 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that Yahoo FBL is based on DKIM and it depends on how/if Apple rewrites the headers when dropping the HME mail in your Yahoo account. If they leave the sender DKIM in place and it passes then it'll count as a Yahoo complaint as far as Yahoo is concerned. If not, if Apple re-signs it with their own DKIM, then Apple takes the hit.
19 Nov 2022 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Apple's Hide My Email provides users with unique, random email addresses that forward to their primary inbox, enhancing privacy. Apple manages this forwarding and can disable addresses used for spam. For feedback loops (FBLs) to function correctly with masked addresses, the email service must provide necessary information to the sender, typically through header preservation or appropriate ARF reporting. To prevent blocking, it is crucial to authenticate the sending domain using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, maintain a clean sending IP, avoid spammy content, and keep the spam complaint rate low.
Key findings
- HME Functionality: Apple's Hide My Email creates random addresses, forwards emails, and disables addresses used for spam.
- FBL Requirements: Feedback loops with masked emails rely on proper header information to identify the original sender.
- ARF Reliance: Automated Feedback Reports (ARF) require header preservation or inclusion of original sender info for accurate reporting.
- Prevention: Prevent email blocking by authenticating the sending domain, maintaining a clean IP, and avoiding spam triggers.
Key considerations
- Header Preservation: Ensure the email service preserves original headers for accurate feedback loop processing.
- SPF, DKIM, DMARC: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to authenticate the sending domain and improve deliverability.
- IP Reputation: Monitor and maintain a clean IP reputation to avoid being placed on blocklists.
- Content Quality: Create high-quality, non-spammy content to reduce the risk of spam complaints.
Technical article
Documentation from Apple Support explains that Hide My Email allows users to create unique, random email addresses when signing up for services. These addresses forward to the user's primary email address, protecting their real email from being shared. Apple handles the forwarding and can disable the address if it's used for spam or other unwanted communications.
15 Dec 2021 - Apple Support
Technical article
Documentation from Google Support explains that to prevent emails from being blocked, ensure that the sending domain is properly authenticated with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Also, ensure that the sending IP address is not on any blocklists and that the email content is not considered spammy. Also keep your spam complaint rate low.
29 Jul 2024 - Google Support
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