Does Apple Mail Privacy Protection pre-fetch images from spam folders or only the inbox?
Summary
What email marketers say8Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Reddit shares that after the launch of Apple MPP, open rates should only be used as directional metrics.
Email marketer from HubSpot recommends focusing on other metrics like clicks and conversions due to MPP's impact on open rates. Doesn't detail spam folder behavior specifically.
Email marketer from Mailchimp explains that MPP masks IP addresses and preloads email content, potentially affecting open rate metrics. They do not specifically address the spam folder, but the implication is pre-fetching occurs regardless of placement.
Email marketer from SuperOffice talks about how after the launch of MPP the need to focus on engagement is more important than ever, although there is no specific mention of spam vs inbox folder.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign explains that Apple’s MPP makes open rate metrics less reliable by pre-loading tracking pixels. They also explain that click throughs are better metrics to base email quality on now.
Email marketer from Litmus responds that Apple's Mail Privacy Protection impacts the accuracy of open rates, since images are pre-loaded, even if the user doesn't open the email.
Email marketer from StackOverflow talks about how since the launch of MPP, Apple products will pre-fetch the pixel and the opens will no longer be accurate, although there is no specific mention of spam vs inbox folder.
Email marketer from EmailToolTester shares that Apple's MPP impacts email open rates by pre-loading images, making it harder to track genuine engagement.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks explains that Apple MPP only works from the inbox and that the Apple spam folder is user-centric, with Apple not globally controlling the inbox/spam folder decision.
Expert from Word to the Wise responds that Apple's Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) preloads email content, affecting open rate accuracy, regardless of whether the email lands in the inbox or spam folder. This makes traditional open rates a less reliable metric.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that Apple Mail is a mail client, and its behavior depends on what happens before the email reaches it. If Apple Mail puts an email in its Junk folder, it likely won't fetch images, but the mail provider might have already done so. MPP can also interact poorly with VPNs, potentially preventing image loading even for emails in the inbox.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Campaign Monitor explains that MPP will load images regardless of the recipient opening the email, making open rates less accurate. There is no delineation of how it handles emails in spam vs inbox folders.
Documentation from Sendinblue explains how Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection affects open rates and provides guidance on leveraging other metrics to gauge campaign performance.
Documentation from Apple Developer explains that Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) works by pre-loading remote content, including tracking pixels, through a proxy server, regardless of whether the email ends up in the inbox or spam folder. This makes open rates less reliable.
Documentation from Oracle explains how Apple's MPP works by masking IP addresses and pre-loading email content, regardless of the folder it's in.