What should I do if Apple blocks my emails due to a local policy issue?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 6 Jun 2025
Updated 15 Aug 2025
4 min read
Receiving a bounce message from Apple with the error "Message rejected due to local policy" can be frustrating, especially when your email program seems to be running smoothly. This generic error indicates that Apple's mail servers, including those for iCloud, mac.com, and me.com, have decided your email doesn't meet their internal criteria for delivery. It's a common issue that can impact even senders with high reputation scores on other platforms.
The phrase "local policy" points to an internal decision made by Apple's filtering system, suggesting that something about your sending practices or email content triggered a block. This isn't always related to a public blacklist or blocklist entry but often reflects real-time evaluations of sender behavior, recipient engagement, or authentication setup.
When your emails are being blocked by Apple due to a local policy issue, the first step is to accurately diagnose the root cause. This involves more than just seeing the generic bounce message. You need to gather as much detail as possible from the bounce logs and consider recent changes in your email program. Remember, even minor shifts in sending patterns or content can sometimes trigger these internal blocks.
Start by examining the full bounce message. While the "local policy" error is vague, there might be additional codes or URLs that provide more specific context. For instance, you might see codes like 554 5.7.1 [CS01], which specifically points to content or policy violations. Understanding these nuances is crucial for developing an effective resolution strategy.
Next, review your email authentication records. Ensure your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly set up and passing. Improperly configured authentication can severely impact your sender reputation, making it more likely for mail servers, including Apple's, to block your messages. You can use a free email deliverability tester to check these quickly.
Steps to resolve the block
Once you've diagnosed potential issues, you can begin taking steps to resolve the block. The most direct approach is often to engage with Apple's Postmaster team. They are the official channel for communicating about email delivery issues and can provide insights or delisting assistance.
Contacting Apple Postmaster
Apple provides a postmaster page for system administrators encountering issues with iCloud Mail. You can find their official information at Apple's Postmaster information for iCloud Mail. It's also been reported that direct email to icloudadmin@apple.com is an effective way to reach them, as noted in various community discussions (e.g., Reddit discussions). When contacting them, be polite and provide as much detail as possible about the issue.
Error message: Include the full bounce message you received.
Sending IP addresses: Provide the IP addresses from which you send email.
Sender domain: Your sending domain (e.g., example.com).
Email content type: Describe the nature of your emails (transactional, marketing, etc.).
List acquisition: Explain how you collect your email addresses (e.g., double opt-in, website sign-ups).
Unsubscribe process: Detail your unsubscribe methods and how often you process requests.
Good sending practices
To prevent future blocks and maintain a strong sender reputation, consistently apply these practices:
Maintain proper authentication: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly configured and aligned.
Focus on engagement: Regularly remove inactive subscribers. High engagement signals legitimacy to ISPs like Apple.
Segment your audience: Send relevant content to specific groups, reducing spam complaints.
Common pitfalls
Avoid these mistakes that can lead to local policy blocks:
Poor list hygiene: Sending to old, unengaged, or purchased lists can quickly trigger blocks.
Spam trap hits: Hitting spam traps is a major red flag for Apple.
After contacting Apple's Postmaster and implementing necessary changes, continue to monitor your deliverability closely. Pay attention to your bounce rates, particularly those from Apple domains. Gradual improvement indicates that your efforts are successful.
Be prepared for the process to take some time, as reputation rebuilding is not an overnight task. Maintaining consistent, high-quality sending practices will be key to long-term success with Apple and other major ISPs.
Proactive measures for deliverability
Preventing email blocks requires a proactive approach to deliverability, focusing on consistent monitoring and adherence to best practices. This ensures your emails reliably reach your recipients, even as ISP policies evolve.
Implement robust email authentication protocols such as DMARC monitoring. DMARC provides detailed reports on your email authentication status, helping you identify and fix issues that could lead to blocks. Consistent authentication is a cornerstone of good sender reputation.
Regularly check blacklists and blocklists to ensure your sending IP or domain hasn't been listed. While local policy blocks are internal, a general blocklist entry can certainly exacerbate the problem. Staying off these lists is crucial for maintaining overall email deliverability. Consider using a blocklist monitoring service for real-time alerts.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Actively monitor your bounce logs for granular insights beyond the generic local policy error.
Ensure all your sending domains and IPs have proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication.
Segment your email lists and send highly targeted content to improve engagement metrics.
Regularly clean your email lists to remove inactive or problematic addresses and minimize spam complaints.
Maintain a consistent sending volume to build and maintain a predictable sending reputation.
Common pitfalls
Ignoring vague bounce messages, which can lead to escalating deliverability issues over time.
Failing to set up DMARC or not moving it to an enforcement policy (quarantine/reject).
Sending emails to purchased or old lists, leading to high bounce rates and spam trap hits.
Making drastic, sudden changes to email volume or content without warming up new IPs/domains.
Not having a clear, easy-to-use unsubscribe process, which increases spam complaint rates.
Expert tips
Engage with Apple's Postmaster team proactively, providing thorough details about your sending practices.
Focus on email engagement by sending relevant content and maintaining a clean, active subscriber list.
Implement DMARC with a reporting address to gain visibility into your email authentication status.
Monitor your domain and IP reputation using available postmaster tools.
Regularly check major blocklists and take immediate action if your domain or IP is listed.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says they had a similar issue six months prior and resolved it by explaining their sending practices, acquisition methods, and unsubscribe processes to Apple, leading to a fix within hours.
2020-10-20 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that Apple's Postmaster team has been very responsive lately, often providing human responses to inquiries.
2020-10-20 - Email Geeks
Restoring your email deliverability
Dealing with email blocks from a major ISP like Apple can be concerning, but it's a manageable situation with the right approach. By thoroughly diagnosing the issue, promptly engaging with Apple's Postmaster, and maintaining diligent email sending practices, you can restore and maintain healthy email deliverability.
Remember, email deliverability is an ongoing process of optimizing and adapting to ISP requirements. Proactive monitoring and a commitment to best practices will help ensure your messages consistently reach the inbox.
Apple's filtering system, suggesting that something about your sending practices or email content triggered a block. This isn't always related to a public blacklist or blocklist entry but often reflects real-time evaluations of sender behavior, recipient engagement, or authentication setup.
