Why are my emails being blocked by Apple Mail and Proofpoint?

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum suggests Proofpoint blocks often result from IP reputation issues. Check your IP against known blacklists and ensure your sending practices align with best practices.

Email marketer from Stack Overflow suggests creating separate segments for apple domains and proofpoint in order to determine if the issues are unique to these and so you can monitor and resolve

Email marketer from Quora responds that contacting Apple Postmaster directly can help resolve blocking issues, especially if you maintain good sending practices and can demonstrate responsible list management.

Email marketer from Email Marketing Tips explains throttling your sending volume can help avoid triggering spam filters. Gradually increasing sending volume over time allows receiving servers to learn your sending patterns.

Email marketer from Reddit shares that sudden blocks from Apple could indicate a spike in spam complaints or a sudden change in sending volume that triggers their filters. Review your recent campaigns and list hygiene practices.

Email marketer from Deliverability Blog shares that ensuring proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential. Incorrect or missing authentication records are a common reason for emails being blocked.

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that since they are on dedicated IPs, their email traffic is responsible for Apple's (or proofpoint's) reaction ... the most permanent fix there could be would probably require a change in their emailing behavior!

Email marketer from EmailPrivacyPro shares that the roll out of Apple's Mail Privacy Protection significantly impacts email marketing. You should adapt by focusing on engagement-based segmentation and respecting user privacy preferences.

Email marketer from Cybrary explains that Apple Mail's increased focus on privacy may lead to more aggressive filtering. Ensure your emails are highly relevant and respect user privacy.

Email marketer from Reddit recommends regularly cleaning your email list to remove inactive or invalid addresses. Sending to these addresses increases bounce rates and harms your sender reputation.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that delivery changed ‘all of a sudden’ doesn’t mean that there was a threshold event, it could just mean that you filled your bucket too full and overtopped it.

Expert from Email Geeks shares that Apple Postmaster is *really* responsive. The bounce message will have a link and there will be an email on the page. Tell them when the bounce started, what email(s) it is, the audience of the email, how you acquire, how people leave your list -- basically show them you're a competent and responsible mailer -- and usually things are fixed within 2-3 hours.

Expert from Email Geeks shares to validate that it is *everything* - I've had individual emails blocked by Apple before.

Expert from Spam Resource explains that being listed on Spamhaus blocklists can lead to widespread blocking, including by Proofpoint. Check your IP against Spamhaus and resolve any listing issues promptly.

Expert from Email Geeks explains using the bucket metaphor that if the filters changed it shouldn’t change how you address the issue. Think of a ML filter as if it were a bucket. Everything you do either puts water in the bucket (bad reputation) or removes water (good reputation). When the bucket overflows, your mail is blocked. Filters changing are as if the bucket size changed. They may make the bucket smaller.

Expert from Spam Resource shares that Proofpoint often blocks emails due to poor IP reputation. Monitor your IP reputation and address any issues contributing to a negative reputation, such as high bounce rates or spam complaints.

Expert from Word to the Wise responds that Poor list hygiene practices (e.g., sending to old, unengaged addresses) can significantly impact deliverability to both Apple Mail and Proofpoint. Regularly clean your list to remove inactive and invalid addresses.

Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes that Apple Mail heavily relies on authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Missing or misconfigured authentication records are a primary reason for emails being blocked.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that the content detective checks are meaningless here. You’re blocked at an IP level (and likely before apple sees the content, although I don’t remember if they reject after DATA or not). That means something about your traffic caused your recipients to act in a way that told Apple they didn’t want your mail and Apple listened to them and blocked it.

Documentation from RFC Documentation outlines that SMTP error codes (e.g., 550) received during email delivery can indicate a block. Analyzing these codes helps identify the specific reason for the rejection and address the underlying issue.

Documentation from Apple Mail Server Documentation details the importance of proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and adhering to best practices for bulk email sending to ensure deliverability to their domains.

Documentation from Proofpoint Knowledge Base explains that maintaining a positive IP reputation is critical. High spam complaint rates, low engagement, and sending to invalid addresses can negatively impact your reputation and lead to blocking.

Documentation from Spamhaus explains that checking your sending IP against their blocklists can identify potential reputation issues. If your IP is listed, investigate the cause and take steps to resolve it before contacting them for removal.

Documentation from DMARC.org explains how DMARC policies can affect email deliverability. Implementing a strict DMARC policy without proper SPF/DKIM configuration can lead to legitimate emails being blocked by receiving servers like Apple Mail and Proofpoint.