Why are emails from my company going to spam on @me.com but not @gmail.com and how to fix it?

Summary

Emails from a company might be filtered as spam on @me.com (iCloud) more frequently than on Gmail due to a combination of factors. iCloud tends to have stricter spam filters and is more sensitive to email content and sending patterns. The specific mail client used, and whether or not a mailbox provider provides personalized email delivery capabilities, can also influence spam classification. Improving sender reputation, implementing proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), focusing on subscriber engagement, and maintaining a clean email list are crucial. Testing emails across different clients (including Apple Mail and Gmail) can identify rendering and spam trigger issues. Custom authentication shows mail servers that your email was sent from a safe source. Sending to unengaged subscribers lowers your sender score and should be cleaned from subscriber lists.

Key findings

  • Stricter iCloud Filters: iCloud Mail likely uses stricter and more sensitive spam filters compared to Gmail.
  • Sender Reputation: Maintaining a good sender reputation is vital for deliverability to iCloud.
  • Client Influence: The email client itself and personalised email delivery can affect how emails are classified as spam.
  • Email testing: Email testing across different clients can identify rendering and spam trigger issues.
  • Authentication: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and custom authentication are essential for iCloud deliverability.
  • Engagement: Subscriber engagement strongly affects deliverability.

Key considerations

  • List Hygiene: Regularly clean your email list to remove unengaged subscribers and reduce bounce rates.
  • Content Optimization: Review email content for potential spam triggers and ensure personalization.
  • Monitor tools: Monitor sender reputation and use Google Postmaster Tools to identify and resolve deliverability issues.
  • DMARC settings: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly set up and validated.
  • Check Mail Client: Determine the email client used by recipients experiencing spam issues.
  • IP Warmup: If using a new sending IP, warm it up gradually to establish a good reputation.
  • iCloud Junk Folder: Encourage users to check the iCloud Junk folder and mark legitimate emails as 'Not Junk'.

What email marketers say
8Marketer opinions

Emails may land in spam folders on @me.com (iCloud) more frequently than on Gmail due to iCloud's potentially stricter spam filtering algorithms and sensitivity to content and sending patterns. Improving sender reputation, email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and engagement are crucial. Regular list cleaning, personalized content, consistent sending volume, and testing across different clients (including Apple Mail and Gmail) are recommended.

Key opinions

  • Stricter Filters: Apple Mail (@me.com / iCloud) likely employs stricter spam filters compared to Gmail.
  • Sender Reputation: Maintaining a good sender reputation is vital for deliverability to iCloud.
  • Content Sensitivity: iCloud spam filters are sensitive to email content and sending patterns.
  • Authentication: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential for iCloud deliverability.
  • Email Testing: Email testing across different clients can identify rendering and spam trigger issues.

Key considerations

  • List Hygiene: Regularly clean your email list to remove unengaged subscribers and reduce bounce rates.
  • Content Optimization: Review email content for potential spam triggers and ensure personalization.
  • Sending Volume: Maintain consistent sending volume to avoid being flagged as spam.
  • Client Testing: Test emails specifically on Apple Mail to identify and resolve rendering and deliverability issues.
  • IP Warmup: If using a new sending IP, warm it up gradually to establish a good reputation.
  • Custom Authentication: Custom authetication shows mail servers that your email was sent from a safe source.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that different ISPs like Apple and Google have unique spam filtering algorithms. Advises monitoring sender reputation, segmenting email lists, and personalizing content to increase engagement and avoid spam filters.

August 2023 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit user /u/EmailExpert mentions that Apple's @me.com spam filters are more sensitive to content and sending patterns. Recommends reviewing email content for spam triggers and ensuring consistent sending volume.

October 2022 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus suggests testing emails across different email clients (including Apple Mail and Gmail) to identify rendering issues and spam triggers. Highlights the importance of mobile optimization and accessible design.

October 2024 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid promotes the use of email testing tools to test email rendering and deliverability across different clients. It also discusses the importance of content analysis and previewing

November 2021 - Email on Acid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum suggests that iCloud might be using stricter criteria for new sending IPs. Recommends warming up the IP address gradually by sending low volumes initially and increasing over time.

July 2024 - Email Marketing Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue highlights the importance of maintaining a clean email list, using double opt-in, and regularly cleaning out unengaged subscribers. Emphasizes that high bounce rates and low engagement can negatively impact sender reputation.

November 2023 - Sendinblue
Marketer view

Email marketer from Customer.io explains that custom authentication ensures that receiving mail servers will see that your email was sent from your sending source. Setting this up via a CNAME record will show that this is a safe place for the mail server to recieve email.

September 2023 - Customer.io
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog explains that Apple Mail has stricter spam filters than Gmail. Suggests focusing on improving sender reputation, authenticating emails (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and maintaining clean email lists to avoid being flagged as spam.

July 2022 - Neil Patel's Blog

What the experts say
4Expert opinions

Emails from a company may be filtered as spam on @me.com but not @gmail.com due to several interconnected factors. Personalized email delivery capabilities of the mailbox provider and the specific email client used can influence spam classification. Furthermore, sender reputation, the use of proper email authentication methods (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), content analysis, and subscriber engagement all play crucial roles. Maintaining a healthy subscriber list and removing unengaged users is vital.

Key opinions

  • Client Influence: The email client itself can affect how emails are classified as spam.
  • Authentication is key: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential for good deliverability.
  • Sender Reputation: Sender reputation remains a significant factor in email deliverability.
  • Engagement Matters: Subscriber engagement strongly affects deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Check Mail Client: Determine the email client used by recipients experiencing spam issues.
  • Implement Authentication: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly set up and validated.
  • Content Analysis: Regularly review email content for potential spam triggers.
  • List Hygiene: Remove unengaged subscribers from your mailing lists.
  • Monitor Performance: Monitor sender reputation and deliverability metrics.
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes the critical role of proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) in achieving good deliverability. Stresses the importance of validating and monitoring authentication settings to ensure emails are properly identified as legitimate.

August 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that personalized email delivery and the mail client used can influence spam classification. Suggests that the issue may not be IP related and that determining the mail client is important, as issues can arise there, for example an Apple mail client misclassifying mail.

August 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that several factors can cause email to land in spam folders, including sender reputation, email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), content, and engagement. They recommend focusing on improving these areas to improve deliverability.

December 2021 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource describes the importance of subscriber engagement metrics. Sending to unengaged subscribers lowers your sender score with many mailbox providers. Remove unengaged users from your subscriber lists.

January 2022 - Spam Resource

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

Emails from a company may be filtered differently by @me.com (iCloud) compared to Gmail due to differing spam filtering mechanisms. iCloud uses advanced filtering, while Gmail's filtering considers sender reputation, authentication, and engagement. Implementing DMARC helps protect against spoofing and improves deliverability. Managing bounces by cleaning up invalid email addresses is crucial, as sending to such addresses can trigger spam filters.

Key findings

  • Advanced iCloud Filtering: iCloud Mail employs advanced filtering techniques to identify junk mail.
  • Multi-Factor Gmail Filtering: Gmail's spam filtering relies on sender reputation, authentication, and user engagement.
  • DMARC Protection: DMARC helps prevent spoofing and improves deliverability by specifying how to handle unauthenticated emails.
  • Bounce Management: Sending to invalid email addresses negatively impacts deliverability.

Key considerations

  • iCloud Junk Folder: Encourage users to check the iCloud Junk folder and mark legitimate emails as 'Not Junk'.
  • Monitor Gmail Postmaster Tools: Use Google Postmaster Tools to identify and resolve deliverability issues.
  • Implement DMARC: Set up DMARC records to protect your domain from email spoofing.
  • Automated Bounce Processing: Implement an automated system to process bounces and remove invalid email addresses from your mailing list.
Technical article

Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools explains that Gmail's spam filtering is based on various factors including sender reputation, authentication, and user engagement. Suggests monitoring metrics in Postmaster Tools to identify and resolve deliverability issues.

March 2021 - Google Postmaster Tools
Technical article

Documentation from RFC Editor explains DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) implementation, which allows domain owners to specify how email receivers should handle unauthenticated emails. Suggests using DMARC to protect your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks, improving deliverability.

May 2022 - RFC Editor
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft shares that using an automated bounce processing system helps keep your mail good. You should clean your mailing list of bounced email addresses, especially when the error reported indicates that the email address is no longer in use. Email providers may use a spam filter when they believe that you are sending email to email addresses that are no longer valid.

June 2022 - Microsoft
Technical article

Documentation from Apple Support explains that iCloud Mail uses advanced filtering to detect and block junk mail. Recommends regularly checking the Junk folder, marking legitimate emails as 'Not Junk,' and creating rules to manage incoming mail.

May 2021 - Apple Support