How will pixels be affected?

Open pixels are effectively blocked. Apple pre-fetches all images, so all emails opened in Apple Mail clients with MPP enabled report as opened regardless of actual engagement.

What about clicks? Will tracking be affected?

No. Apple does not modify query strings or user-agent strings for link clicks. First-party click tracking is not impacted by MPP. Bounces and complaints are also unaffected.

Does the user need to actively use Mail.app to be affected?

No. Even if a user rarely opens email in Apple Mail but has their account set up there, MPP will still pre-load images because the email account is configured in the app.

How is Bird handling this in their products?

Bird's Inbox Tracker and Competitive Tracker don't use open pixels. On the sending side, Bird flags pre-fetched opens in Events API and Webhooks so senders can distinguish machine opens from real engagement.

Is there a technical workaround to bypass MPP?

While some workarounds exist in testing, Bird strongly recommends against using them. They are short-lived, harm your reputation, and betray user trust. Focus on adapting your strategy to rely on clicks and deeper engagement signals.

Does MPP work if the message lands in spam?

No. Testing has not shown MPP pre-fetching images for emails delivered to the spam folder.

Will Apple report multiple opens if they pre-fetch and then the user opens?

No. The image is cached for a period of time and additional opens inside that window will not generate another open event.

What engagement metrics should I use instead of opens?

Clicks, site traffic from email, loyalty club status, purchase data, and cross-channel engagement are all reliable positive engagement metrics. Complaint rates and unsubscribe rates serve as negative engagement signals.

Apple Mail Privacy Protection's Impact on Email

The Basics of Mail Privacy Protection

What's Affected and What's Not

Technical Details: How MPP Works

Impact on Email Sender Workflows

Strategic Recommendations