• by Ray Schultz , November 16, 2021

Apple, which is slowing down the email marketing business with its Mail Privacy Protection (MPP), apparently does not think it should be subject to the same limitations. The company fails to provide MPP in its own Apple Watch Mail app, reports state. 

“Heads-up: The mail privacy protection introduced in iOS 15 doesn't apply to the Mail app on the Apple Watch,” iOS developer and security researcher Mysk tweets. “Both the Mail app and the notification preview on the Apple Watch download remote content using your real IP address.”

Introduced with iOS15, MPP is enabled in Settings > Mail > Privacy Protection.

“Once enabled, the feature works with the Apple Mail app on the iPhone,” 9to5 Mac explains. “However, it does not apply if you view emails – or even previews of them – on your Watch.”

According to 9to5 Mac, Mysk “was able to demonstrate this by hosting an image on his own server, embedding it into an email, and then sending it. He then checked the IP address that downloaded the image and found that it was the real IP address of the Watch, not the proxy one which ought to be used with the privacy feature enabled.”

Apple had not responded to a request for comment at deadline. 

MPP reportedly is generating billions of false opens per day.

“Apple’s MPP implementation has led many marketers that legitimately relied on opens as a measure of intent to be left without clear answers or direction,” says Ryan Phelan, managing director of RPE Origin and chairman emeritus of the Email Experience Council.