Apple Mail Privacy Protection stops senders from using invisible pixels to know when an email is opened and masks the user's IP address
Verified Confidence: high
Primary source found; it says the same thing, the scope matches, and it is reasonably current.
- Commonly cited as
- "Are email open rates still accurate?"
- True origin
- Apple Newsroom — Apple advances its privacy leadership with iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey, and watchOS 8 (June 7, 2021)
- Type
- Reference fact: A frequently needed number or rule taken directly from a primary source (e.g. Pew, Census, IAB/PwC, FTC), with its as-of date.
- Year
- Current documentation
- Data as of
- Announced June 7, 2021
- Last checked
- What the source says
In the Mail app, Mail Privacy Protection stops senders from using invisible pixels to collect information about the user. The new feature helps users prevent senders from knowing when they open an email, and masks their IP address
- Method & sample
- Official Apple announcement.
- Drift between quote and source
- None — open rates from Apple Mail users are unreliable as a result
- Interest
- Apple markets privacy features.
Safe rephrasing
Since Apple's 2021 Mail Privacy Protection, the Mail app blocks tracking pixels from revealing when users open emails and masks their IP address, which makes open rates less reliable.
Sources we opened
Machine-readable: /api/claims/apple-mail-privacy-protection-hides-opens.json · Last checked 2026-10-16