Why is SoftBank showing up in user agent data for Macintosh devices in the US?

Key findings

• SoftBank's role: SoftBank is a significant mobile carrier in Japan and also operates Yahoo Japan. Its presence in user agent strings for US users is unexpected without specific reasons.
• User agent complexity: User agent strings can be complex and may include information about the browser, operating system, and sometimes the network or device manufacturer, which can be affected by proxies or specific configurations. For more detail, refer to Sindastra's article on user agent strings.
• Apple privacy features: Apple's Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) can obscure user IP addresses and other data, potentially routing traffic through various proxies globally. This can sometimes lead to an inaccurate representation of the user's actual location or ISP.
• Hardware customization: SoftBank is known to produce or customize various hardware, and if these devices (or software on them) find their way to the US market, they might carry SoftBank identifiers in their user agents.

Key considerations

• Impact on data accuracy: Such discrepancies can skew geographic and device-based analytics, leading to misinformed marketing strategies. It's important to consider how email client market share data can be inaccurate.
• VPN and roaming users: Users traveling or using VPNs might appear to originate from different regions or network providers than their actual location. This could explain a Japanese carrier appearing in US data.
• Obfuscated data: The issue highlights the broader trend of increasing data obfuscation by email clients and ISPs, making it harder to get precise user agent information. This is especially true for soft bounces from iCloud email addresses.
• Identifying bot traffic: It is important to differentiate between legitimate user traffic and bot activity, as unusual user agents can sometimes indicate bot interactions.

Key opinions

• Data confusion: Many marketers find it confusing when data shows unexpected entries like SoftBank for US Macintosh devices, as it contradicts their understanding of typical user behavior.
• Audience segmentation challenge: Inaccurate user agent data makes it difficult to segment audiences by device or geography, impacting the relevance of email content and offers.
• Impact on open rates: Given Apple's Mail Privacy Protection, precise open rates and device information are already challenging. SoftBank appearing adds another layer of complexity to understanding true engagement. Omeda highlights the impact of MPP.
• Trust in platforms: Some marketers question the accuracy of data provided by their email service providers when such anomalies are observed.

Key considerations

• Data validation: It's important for marketers to validate their data sources and understand the potential for proxy services or VPNs to mask actual user details.
• Segmentation adjustments: Marketers may need to adjust their audience segmentation strategies to account for potentially misleading user agent data, focusing on other engagement metrics. Learn how to increase email click-through rates effectively.
• Deliverability impact: While not directly a deliverability issue, inaccurate data can indirectly affect decisions related to sender reputation and list hygiene if misinterpretations lead to poor sending practices. This ties into why emails go to spam.
• Focus on reliable metrics: Prioritize more reliable engagement metrics like clicks and conversions rather than solely relying on open data influenced by privacy features or unusual user agents.

Key opinions

• Global presence: Experts acknowledge SoftBank's broad global reach, including its significant mobile operations in Japan and investments in various technology companies (e.g., Uber, OpenAI). This extensive footprint makes their network infrastructure potentially involved in global internet traffic. Fortune discusses SoftBank's Uber investment.
• Email client behavior: Some email clients, particularly those with privacy features, may route traffic through proxies or data centers owned by various global entities, which could inadvertently lead to a SoftBank tag.
• Device or app-specific: It's possible that a specific app or customized Macintosh device used by the recipient includes SoftBank in its user agent, perhaps if it was configured for use with SoftBank services in the past or currently uses a SoftBank-provided service.
• Yahoo Japan connection: SoftBank's operation of Yahoo Japan might mean some email services or associated apps carry their identification, even if the user is in the US.

Key considerations

• User agent verification: Experts often recommend examining the full user agent string to identify any other clues that might explain the SoftBank entry. Tools that parse user agents can provide deeper insights.
• Proxy services: The involvement of proxy services or content delivery networks (CDNs) in relaying email content, especially with Apple Mail Privacy Protection, can result in unexpected network provider information. This often leads to issues like emails bouncing to Apple domains.
• International users: Consider the possibility of users with Japanese SoftBank accounts (e.g., expatriates, military personnel) accessing US-based services, as their devices might retain the SoftBank user agent regardless of their physical location.
• Monitoring deliverability: While SoftBank in a user agent isn't a direct deliverability problem, any signs of unusual traffic patterns should prompt a review of broader deliverability metrics to ensure emails reach the inbox. This includes investigating increased bounce rates from Apple Mail.

Key findings

• User agent structure: User agent strings are defined to include information about the user agent (e.g., browser, OS) making the request, primarily for statistical and tracing purposes.
• Proxy influence: Network proxies, VPNs, and email privacy features (like Apple's MPP) can modify or obscure the original user agent or IP address, routing traffic through various global data centers, including those potentially tied to SoftBank's network.
• Device-specific data: Some devices or pre-installed software might embed carrier or manufacturer-specific identifiers in the user agent, even if the device is used in a different region.
• Mail privacy protection: Apple Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) pre-fetches email content through proxy servers, masking user IP addresses and potentially altering apparent user agent data, as detailed by Omeda's explanation of MPP.

Key considerations

• Advanced parsing: Utilizing robust user agent parsing libraries (like 'device-detector-js' referenced on npm's documentation) can help deconstruct complex strings and identify components.
• Understanding network routes: Investigating the IP addresses associated with SoftBank in the user agent data could reveal if they belong to known proxy networks or Apple's infrastructure. This can be compared to what happens when an IP gets blocklisted.
• Evolving standards: The interpretation of user agents is continuously evolving, with browsers and platforms introducing new privacy features. Stay informed about these changes to accurately interpret data. This is similar to understanding what RFC 5322 says versus what works.
• Source of truth: Relying on direct documentation from Apple or SoftBank regarding their network and privacy practices can provide the most accurate explanations for such observations.