Does Gmail accurately track email opens?

Email marketer from Sendinblue responds that Apple's Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) significantly impacts open rates. MPP pre-loads all images, inflating open rates even if the recipient doesn't actually open the email.

Email marketer from Quora explains that a user's email client settings greatly affect open tracking. If images are disabled by default, the tracking pixel won't load, and the open won't be recorded.

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that Gmail and Gsuite accounts often return open events almost immediately after message delivery, even if the user hasn't opened the message.

Email marketer from Reddit shares that Gmail caches images, including tracking pixels, which can result in only the first open being recorded, even if the email is opened multiple times.

Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog explains that open rates are not always accurate due to factors like image blocking and preview panes, leading to inflated or deflated numbers.

Email marketer from Mailchimp shares that open tracking isn't foolproof. Things like how people view emails and their settings affect whether Mailchimp can track an open. Some email providers might also mess with the tracking pixels.

Email marketer from Email on Acid responds that testing your emails helps make sure the tracking pixel works right. It's important to test to see if your opens are actually being tracked properly.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that Apple's Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) has significantly altered open rate tracking, as it pre-loads images, leading to inflated open rates regardless of user interaction.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that Gmail does track opens completely, but senders can’t track every open on any platform because recipients can always disable image loading. Gmail also caches images, so you may never see multiple opens.

Expert from Email Geeks shares that if your tracking pixel is at the bottom and your email is clipped, and the recipient doesn't view the full version, then opens are not tracked.

Expert from Word to the Wise responds that some email clients block images by default, preventing the tracking pixel from loading and thus not registering an open. Users concerned about privacy often enable this feature.

Documentation from Litmus explains that Apple's MPP impacts open rates by pre-loading images, leading to inaccurate open tracking. This affects anyone sending emails to users on Apple Mail, regardless of the ESP.

Documentation from SparkPost details that open rates can be skewed by various factors including image blocking, preview panes, and automated image loading by certain email clients. This means the reported open rate might not reflect true user engagement.

Documentation from MDN Web Docs shares that image blocking in email clients prevents the loading of tracking pixels, thus preventing accurate open tracking. Users often disable image loading for privacy reasons.

Documentation from Microsoft responds that email clients often block images by default due to security concerns. Users must explicitly enable image loading, otherwise the tracking pixel will be blocked.