Why are emails from my company going to spam on @me.com but not @gmail.com and how to fix it?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 23 Jun 2025
Updated 17 Aug 2025
5 min read
It can be frustrating when emails from your company consistently land in the spam folder for some recipients, especially when they reach the inbox for others. This is a common scenario, and I often see it with domains like @me.com, @icloud.com, or @mac.com, while emails to @gmail.com recipients sail through without a hitch. The disparity suggests that different email providers have unique filtering algorithms and criteria.
Apple's email services, including those associated with @me.com, tend to employ stricter and sometimes more personalized spam filtering compared to Google's Gmail. Understanding these differences and how to address them is key to improving your email deliverability.
Understanding the differences between Apple and Gmail filtering
Apple's approach to spam filtering can be distinct. Their algorithms consider various factors, sometimes weighting them differently than Google's systems.
One notable difference is the emphasis on certain reputable IP blocklists. An IP address listed on these blocklists might impact deliverability to Apple domains more significantly than to Gmail.
Apple Mail also has client-side filtering that can learn from user behavior, potentially misclassifying emails even from reputable senders. This means individual user actions can affect deliverability, as seen with Apple's Mail Privacy Protection.
Apple's filtering focus
IP reputation sensitivity: Apple gives substantial weight to IP listings on certain blocklists, influencing inbox placement.
Personalized filtering: Individual user interactions like marking emails as junk or not junk influence future filtering.
Mail Privacy Protection: This feature can obscure open rates, making traditional engagement metrics less reliable.
Gmail's filtering focus
Sender reputation: Focuses on historical sending behavior and compliance with best practices.
Authentication standards: Strong emphasis on DMARC, SPF, and DKIM for verifying sender identity.
Content analysis: Evaluates email content for spammy patterns, links, and formatting issues.
Aggregate engagement: Looks at overall user interaction with emails from your domain across all Gmail users.
Key factors influencing deliverability to Apple domains
Robust email authentication is the bedrock of good deliverability. Ensure your domain has correctly configured SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. These protocols prove your emails are legitimate and from authorized senders.
Sender reputation is another critical factor. A poor domain or IP reputation can lead to emails being blocklisted (or blacklisted) and sent to spam, especially by vigilant ISPs like Apple. Maintaining a good reputation requires consistent positive sending behavior. You can learn more about understanding your email domain reputation.
Email content and recipient engagement also play a significant role. Overly promotional language, broken HTML, or low engagement rates can flag your emails as spam. Apple, like other providers, analyzes email content for spammy characteristics.
Essential authentication records
Properly configured SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are fundamental for proving your email's legitimacy and preventing spoofing. These DNS records tell receiving servers that your email is authorized. For simple DMARC, SPF, and DKIM examples, refer to our guide.
Begin by checking your sending IP and domain against major blocklists (or blacklists). While some blocklists are less impactful, a listing on a prominent one can significantly hinder deliverability, particularly to Apple mail services. Regularly monitoring blocklists is a proactive measure.
Review your email content for common spam triggers, such as excessive links, suspicious phrasing, or large images without accompanying text. Ensure your HTML is clean and responsive. Issues with content can cause your emails to be flagged as spam.
Pay close attention to bounce messages. They often contain specific clues about why emails are not being delivered. Look for error codes or messages from Apple's servers, as these can pinpoint the exact cause of the problem.
For individual @me.com users experiencing issues, advise them to mark your emails as "not junk" and add your sending address to their contacts. This user action can help retrain their personal Apple Mail client's filters over time, improving future inbox placement. Users can refer to Apple's guidance on reducing junk mail for more information.
Issue
Cause
Solution
IP blocklist entry
Your sending IP is listed on a reputable blocklist.
Check for blocklist entries and request removal if necessary.
Authentication failure
Incorrect or missing SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records.
Verify and update your DNS records to ensure proper authentication.
Low engagement
Recipients rarely open, click, or reply to your emails.
Improve email content relevance and segment your audience to increase engagement.
Content issues
Email content contains spammy keywords or broken formatting.
Audit your email templates and text for compliance with best practices.
Maintaining long-term inbox placement
Regular monitoring of your email deliverability metrics is crucial. This includes tracking bounce rates, spam complaint rates, and engagement. While Google Postmaster Tools provides excellent insights for Gmail, direct engagement data for Apple domains requires a more holistic approach. You can get a deeper understanding by reviewing how to improve domain reputation.
Implement a clear and easy unsubscribe process. This helps reduce spam complaints, which can significantly harm your sender reputation. Also, regularly clean your mailing lists to remove inactive or invalid email addresses, helping you avoid spam traps and maintain a healthy list.
Continuously test your email campaigns before large sends. Send test emails to various domains, including @me.com, to observe how they render and where they land. This proactive testing can help identify potential issues before they impact your broader audience.
Best practices for sustained deliverability
List hygiene: Regularly clean your email lists to remove inactive users and invalid addresses.
Content optimization: Create engaging, relevant, and well-formatted emails that provide value to your recipients.
Monitor engagement: Pay attention to open, click, and reply rates to gauge recipient interest.
Segmentation: Send targeted emails to specific audience segments to increase relevance and engagement.
Feedback loops: Sign up for feedback loops (if available) to be notified of spam complaints.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Ensure strong email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is correctly set up for your sending domain.
Actively monitor your IP and domain against various blocklists and address any listings promptly.
Regularly clean your email lists to remove inactive subscribers and prevent hitting spam traps.
Common pitfalls
Solely relying on open rates as a measure of deliverability, especially due to Apple's Mail Privacy Protection.
Ignoring bounce messages or not understanding the specific error codes they provide.
Failing to adapt email strategies based on the unique filtering rules of different email providers.
Expert tips
Adopt a holistic approach to email deliverability, considering all aspects from technical setup to content and engagement.
Be aware that personal mail clients, like Apple Mail, can have internal junk filters that require retraining by the user.
For Apple domains, IP reputation and personalized filtering can weigh more heavily than with other providers.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says: Gmail and Apple use different algorithms to determine spam. Apple often places more weight on the sending IP being listed on certain reputable blocklists.
2024-02-15 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says: Open rates are no longer a fully reliable indicator of inbox placement, partly due to features like Apple's Mail Privacy Protection.
2024-02-15 - Email Geeks
Navigating the nuances of email deliverability
Solving deliverability issues requires a deep dive into various factors beyond just technical configurations. The disparity between @me.com and @gmail.com deliverability often highlights the unique filtering mechanisms employed by different email providers. For broader troubleshooting, explore why your emails go to spam.
Focusing on strong authentication, maintaining a good sender reputation, creating relevant content, and diligent monitoring will set the foundation for consistently reaching the inbox, regardless of the recipient's email service.
Apple Mail client's filters over time, improving future inbox placement. Users can refer to Apple's guidance on reducing junk mail for more information.
Google Postmaster Tools provides excellent insights for Gmail, direct engagement data for Apple domains requires a more holistic approach. You can get a deeper understanding by reviewing how to improve domain reputation.
