Why am I seeing multiple opens for one email contact, and how does Apple MPP affect this?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from StackExchange suggests that multiple opens may come from a proxy server between the user and the internet; or the recipient forwarded the email to another party. It depends if the opens are within seconds of each other.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor explains that multiple opens could be due to the recipient opening the email on various devices or email clients or due to email security software pre-loading images to scan the email for security threats. These pre-loads are registered as opens.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign points out that some email security software, such as firewalls or spam filters, may open the email to scan its contents before delivering it to the recipient. This generates an additional open event, even if the recipient hasn't actually viewed the message.
Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog explains that multiple opens can occur when a recipient views an email across different email clients or devices, each registering as a separate open.
Email marketer from SuperOffice mentions that an email is registered as an open when the recipient loads the images in the email. If the recipient opens the email several times, or if their email client automatically loads images, the email can be registered as opened multiple times.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that one reason you might see multiple opens is that the recipient is opening the email on multiple devices (phone, tablet, desktop) or email clients. Each one will register as a separate open.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that emails are often consumed on multiple devices. Apple Mail might prefetch, while the email is actually read on webmail like Yahoo, leading to multiple 'bot opens'.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that with MPP, all emails opened in Apple Mail will appear as opened, regardless of whether the recipient actually read the email. This can distort open rate metrics.
Email marketer from HubSpot Blog shares that Apple's Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) inflates open rates by pre-loading images for users who have opted in, leading to opens being recorded even if the email isn't actually read.
Email marketer from EmailGeeks Forum states Apple MPP significantly reduces the reliability of open rates as an indicator of engagement, and encourages focusing on other metrics like clicks or conversions.
What the experts say6Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource explain that some opens are not from humans. An email message might have multiple opens based on different proxy providers opening the mail or forwarding that might be occurring. This can occur instantly when a mail is sent which is impossible by a human.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that calendaring and task management systems sometimes sniff through inboxes.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that it is possible the email is opened on multiple devices, some that prefetch and some that don't, impacting MPP detection.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that the mail client used can affect MPP, as only Apple clients use the proxy, also other clients or webmail could be in use.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that MPP is per-device. Also, clients might fetch an image even if it's already been pre-loaded.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that Apple's MPP has fundamentally changed the way email opens are tracked and how this can affect deliverability. Opens are no longer reliable as a metric for engagement due to pre-fetching.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Oracle details how an open is registered in several different email types - plain text, rich text or HTML. HTML mail opens rely on an invisible image downloaded when the mail is viewed.
Documentation from SendGrid shares that open tracking relies on a small, invisible image embedded in the email. When the recipient's email client downloads the image, it registers as an open. Multiple downloads (or pre-fetches) will register as multiple opens.
Documentation from Mailchimp explains that factors like image blocking, preview panes, and email client settings can lead to inaccurate open tracking. Also details how Apple MPP impacts their deliverability stats.
Documentation from Apple explains that Mail Privacy Protection hides the IP address and masks when an email is opened, by pre-loading email content, impacting the reliability of open tracking. Prefetching all mail also counts as an open.