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Apple’s iOS 15 comes with a slew of new privacy features like Mail Privacy Protection, iCloud+, and Hide My Email. The changes, announced by the company earlier this year, are certain to have an impact on the way marketers leverage email to communicate with audiences. More specifically, the new privacy features will make it more difficult for email marketers to track open rates. A/B testing could also get more complicated in light of these changes.

Apple iOS 15 Privacy Features

Mail Privacy Protection: Apple users will have the option to use Mail Privacy Protection. This free feature makes it impossible for third parties to track email opens for users who have it enabled.

iCloud+: Users must subscribe to access this privacy feature. It works like a VPN to stop websites from tracking users browsing on Safari.

Hide My Email: This feature is located in iCloud. It hides users’ real email addresses from companies. Brands’ emails will still be sent to real email addresses, but they won’t have access to the addresses themselves.

What This Means for Email Marketers

The new privacy features aren’t unexpected. As more tech companies adapt to consumers’ increasing demands for internet privacy, marketers will have to adjust, too. Consumers still want personalized emails, but they also want to feel in control about the information they share with companies.  From small businesses to large corporations, marketers will need to focus on building real relationships with customers and crafting content that is truly interesting to their audience.

How Email Marketers Can Succeed Despite Privacy Changes

It’s understandable that marketers are feeling apprehensive about how these privacy updates will impact their strategies. However, there are a few steps you can take to navigate these changes successfully.

First, it’s important to stay abreast of any new updates from Apple. The more you know about what’s coming, the easier it will be for you to adjust your marketing strategies. It always pays to stay ahead of the game!

Next, take comfort in the fact that these changes only apply to Apple users. Your audiences on Google and other email platforms are currently unaffected, so you can still gain insights on open rates from these groups. However, be aware that other tech giants may follow Apple’s lead in the near future, especially as more people push for a more private online experience.

Other data from your email marketing campaigns, like clickmaps, unsubscribe rates, click-through rates, and traffic are still available. You can still leverage this information. Because a sizeable portion of open rates might not trackable anymore, you may need to adjust your goals for this metric accordingly.

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