Why are emails sent through Apple Private Relay going to spam?

Email marketer from Reddit suggests it might be an authentication issue that causes emails sent via Apple Private Relay to go to the spam folder. The poster suggested it has to do with DMARC failures because of the forwarding.

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that one reason emails go to spam is due to poor sender reputation. If a sender's IP address or domain has been associated with spam in the past, email providers are more likely to filter their emails as spam. This could be due to sending unsolicited emails, having low engagement rates, or being listed on blocklists.

Email marketer from Litmus notes that with Apple Private Relay, the service rewrites email headers, which can cause authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to fail if not properly configured. Since the relay effectively becomes the sender, the recipient server may not recognize the email as authorized, leading to spam placement.

Email marketer from Reddit suggests that Apple Private Relay emails might be going to spam because the receiving mail server doesn't recognize the relay's IP address as a legitimate sender. This can happen because Apple uses a vast network of relay servers, and not all mail servers have caught up with recognizing them.

Email marketer from GlockApps suggests that the relaying IP address may not be whitelisted with some ISPs and ESPs. As the Apple Private Relay changes the originating IP address, it can result in mails failing validation checks that rely on IP allow lists. This will see the messages treated as spam

Email marketer from Sendinblue suggests that emails sent through Apple Private Relay may experience deliverability issues due to the relay's impact on email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. The relay changes the email's sending path, which can cause these authentication checks to fail, leading email providers to flag the messages as spam.

Email marketer from Email Geeks updates that mail going through Apple Private Relay is signed with Apple SPF and DKIM and is therefore passing DMARC. The marketer leans towards a possible Apple reputation issue at Gmail.

Email marketer from Email Geeks describes a case where emails via Apple Private Relay consistently go to spam in Gmail, even with passing authentication. The client is considering discontinuing the 'sign in via Apple' option.

Email marketer from Constant Contact explains the content can trigger spam filters. Although it's unlikely in this context, they mention using spam trigger words can cause emails to be sent to spam.

Email marketer from EmailToolTester explains that sender reputation is a score that email providers assign to each sending IP address and domain, based on their sending behavior. A poor sender reputation can lead to emails being filtered as spam. Factors affecting sender reputation include sending volume, spam complaints, engagement rates, and authentication practices.

Email marketer from Validity explains that if the recipient's mail server can't verify that the email is coming from an authorized source, it's more likely to flag the message as spam. This can happen because the sending server's IP address doesn't match the authorized IP addresses in the sender's SPF record, or because the DKIM signature doesn't validate.

Expert from Email Geeks says that it is likely a temporary issue until machine learning filters catch up and differentiate between senders using Apple Private Relay, but this could take months. Reaching the inbox is Apples responsibility with their DKIM signature.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that using Apple Private Relay means sharing the authenticated reputation of every company that uses privaterelay.appleid.com, placing inbox deliverability in Apple's hands. Suggests alerting users to check their bulk folder.

Expert from Email Geeks confirms that Apple is wholly rewriting the headers to cope with the DMARC problem.

Expert from Email Geeks confirms that there is not much senders can do with apple private relay and are at Apple's mercy because they are using a different from address and the machine learning filters don't have a lot to grab on to in order to split out the different senders. Until ML filters catch up, everyone using Apple Private Relay is sharing the same reputation.

Expert from Email Geeks suggests comparing headers between emails sent to the Apple Private Relay address and the actual email address. If nothing is found, reach out to Apple via their postmaster page. Also suggests adjusting DMARC from reject to none, although is doubtful that it would do anything.

Expert from Spamresource.com explains that email deliverability issues are complex. One reason is that Apple hides actual email addresses, leading to potentially different sending patterns. This can lead to messages being filtered as spam since the new address hasn't established a reputation or trust with mailbox providers.

Expert from Email Geeks suggests that Apple Private Relay might be forwarding mail that users don't want, leading Gmail to filter it as spam. Mentions that Apple might be rewriting headers to not break authentication.

Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, explains that email privacy initiatives like Apple's MPP might affect authentication. The article explores how such initiatives change message content, and this alteration of content impacts authentication results (DKIM, SPF, DMARC), potentially causing deliverability issues and raising the likelihood of emails landing in the spam folder.

Documentation from Google explains that to prevent emails from being blocked or sent to spam for Gmail users, senders need to authenticate their email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. This helps prove that the email is genuinely from the sender it claims to be, improving deliverability and reducing the chances of being marked as spam.

Documentation from RFC Editor explains that forwarding an email can cause SPF to fail. SPF checks if the sending server is authorized to send emails on behalf of the domain in the 'From' address. When an email is forwarded, the original sending server might not be authorized, leading to SPF failure, which can increase the likelihood of the email being marked as spam.

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that email forwarding often breaks DMARC authentication. DMARC relies on SPF and DKIM to verify the sender's identity. When an email is forwarded, the SPF and DKIM records may no longer align with the sending server, causing DMARC to fail. This can result in the email being rejected or sent to the spam folder, depending on the recipient's DMARC policy.

Documentation from Apple Support indirectly addresses the issue by explaining how 'Hide My Email' works. It creates unique, random email addresses that forward to a user's real inbox. While not explicitly stating the reason for spam filtering, it's implied that the forwarding process or the nature of these randomly generated addresses could trigger spam filters.