Apple Mail Privacy Protection: What’s the impact on my email campaigns?

by | Jul 28, 2022

Also called Apple MPP, the new feature was created for iPhone users. Apple’s goal is to strengthen the privacy of its users. When users choose to activate this option, Apple blocks the feedback of information on email activity.

The update is significant and affects certain email campaign KPIs, and therefore, our emailing strategies. Decryption and advice.

Apple MPP - improve my email campaigns after apple updates mindbaz

 

What is Apple MPP? 

The details of the Apple update

With the IOS 15 update, Apple sparked concern among email professionals and marketing managers. Among the new features, “Apple Mail Privacy Protection” is drawing attention: Apple users will now be able to hide their IP address,  while content is downloaded privately. 

In practice, it is now impossible to use a pixel to detect email openings in Apple Mail. Moreover, geolocation can no longer be detected through the IP address. 

With this feature, Apple downloads email content remotely before delivering it to the recipient. That means that if a pixel was used in the email to track an opening, an opening will automatically be recorded in this case. However, it wasn’t the recipient who opened the email, it was Apple. 

Apple MPP - automatically opening email for iphone user mindbaz

An automatic open isn’t a human open

What does that mean? 

An “open” will be systematically recorded for your contacts who use Apple Mail and Apple MPP, whether they actually opened the email or not. It is therefore no longer possible to determine exactly which Apple Mail users have opened an email.

iPhone, Ipad, Mac… Which Apple devices are concerned? 

We are talking about contacts who use Apple Mail. Most of the time, they are on iPhone, sometimes on iPad. Your contacts who use Gmail on their iPhone, for example, are not affected by Apple Mail Privacy Protection.

Apple MPP - device concerned by apple updates mindbaz

An optional feature… but popular.

Mail Privacy Protection is an optional feature. But it seems to be appreciated by Apple users since its release. 

They are presented with two options:

  • “Protect Mail activity”
  • “Don’t protect Mail activity”

Which one would you choose?

Should we be concerned about Apple Mail Privacy Protection?

Your statistics will be impacted. But your return on investment will not necessarily be affected.
Do I need to take Apple MPP into account in my emailing strategy?

Ask yourself : 

  1. What is the percentage of Apple users in your audience? 
  2. Of this percentage, how many check their email with Apple Mail? 
  3. Does your user on Apple have any reason to behave differently than a user on Android? 

Apple mail privacy protection - analysis by mindbaz

We are going to help you answer these questions now 👇

Which email statistics are concerned? 

Apple MPP and open rate: understanding the statistics  

👉 Keep an eye on these statistics

Go to your email router to analyze your statistics.

Since the IOS 15 update, non-human opens from Apple Mail are counted in opens and openers.

👉 Segmentation of your campaigns

When you target openers, you also target Apple Mail openers. 

As explained above, some of them are potentially from a non-human opener

For those of you who use Mindbaz, don’t forget that this is also the case for openers of a campaign with a certain theme. 

Lastly, you will have less information about the geolocation of your contacts.

OK, now you understand the impact of Apple Mail Privacy Protection. How can you optimize your email campaigns?

How can I optimize my email campaigns following the Apple update?

Mindbaz is adapting to Apple Mail Privacy Protection

Mindbaz allows you to measure the impact of Apple MPP on your campaigns by providing a filter in your campaign statistics.

With the “switch” button, decide to include or exclude Apple MPP opens from your statistics. By default, they will be included. 

Apple mail privacy protection - mindbaz allows you to see who opened your emails

Why is it so useful?

  1. You’ll see how automatic opens are affecting your statistics
  2. Find out if your Apple users who have enabled Data Protection are behaving like the majority of your audience
  3. If your click-to-rate has dropped, understand why

Rethink your email marketing strategy

Understand Apple Mail Privacy Protection ✅
Analyze your campaign statistics with Apple MPP in mind✅
Know to what degree you are impacted by Apple MPP ✅

Your email strategy now. If…

➡️ your open rate has dropped:

  • Check the spam rate of your email campaigns
  • Work on your email subject lines
    They must be short, punchy and avoid spam words
  • Contact your email router if the open rate remains low

➡️ your Apple audience doesn’t behave like your Android audience

  • Create a specific segment: Apple or even Apple MPP
  • Identify their pain points
  • Create dedicated relaunch campaigns

➡️ your click-to-rate has dropped

  • Imagine a strategy that relies on the incentive to click
  • Change the text of the call to actions (the call to action buttons)
  • Use A/B Test campaigns
  • The trick to successful AB test campaigns: Change one, and only one, aspect between two campaigns. For example:
    • 🔎 The Call to action position
    • 🔎 The title
    • 🔎 An image
    • 🔎 The color of your buttons
    • 🔎 The text of the call to action

Is Apple Mail Privacy Protection a good thing? 

On the marketing side: a novelty that is bound to develop

A growing trend

Keep in mind that this trend is bound to grow. Rather than wondering if this is good news, think of Apple Mail Privacy Protection as a way to identify your audience’s concerns. 

An engaged audience

If the majority of your Apple audience doesn’t have the option turned on, you can deduce that they are willing to give you information. They’re probably eager to receive highly personalized content. This is an advantage for you: 

This signal tells you that your audience is made up of users who are ready to be solicited. Don’t disappoint them!

An audience attentive to the use of personal data

If your audience has overwhelmingly embraced the Apple MPP update, don’t worry: they are sensitive to the protection of their personal data. No wonder: our behavior is constantly being studied and analyzed. 

To make matters worse, we are aware that the situation could become more complicated for personal data. In China, for example, personal data is increasingly becoming less protected. 

Black Mirror has also shown the dangers of the massive use of this data. 

It is not surprising that your audience is sensitive to it. 

Apple MPP - improve my email campaigns after apple updates mindbaz

What can you do? 

  • Reassure them about the data you collect
  • What you do with it
  • On how long the data will be kept
  • Be educational and patient

If you follow these tips, your statistics will improve!

How can I easily follow Mailbox Service Provider updates? 

Email stakeholder groups

Join and follow email industry groups like the Digital Marketing Association that regularly communicate what’s new. They are attentive to trends and are a good way to stay up to date on emailing news.

Twitter email lists

Twitter is THE social network for continuous, fast and pertinent information. 

We have created a list with the most important accounts that talk about email: associations, Mailbox Service Providers, Internet Service Providers, email routers, content curation accounts… 

Follow the list to receive directly the information on your account. 

your email watch by mindbaz twitter list

Blogs on email and deliverability news

If you’re looking to understand what’s new and get detailed advice, blogs are for you. 

On our blog, Mindbaz experts cover email marketing news. We also explain the latest techniques and technologies to help you. 

Feel free to browse our articles.