This upcoming September, Apple will release IOS 15. With that release, there will be additional privacy in place for emails. Given that IOS is the predominant mobile operating system, here are a few questions to consider:
What changes can you expect? Apple’s iOS 15 update gives its users:
The ability to remove email open tracking
The ability to block their IP address
The ability to use randomly-generated email addresses for email signups
How will this effect you?
These changes are exclusive to Apple Mail users who update to iOS 15. Those who use other email apps (such as Microsoft Outlook or Gmail) will not be effected. Considering that, we shouldn’t expect this to be the case forever as other internet providers or device manufacturers could follow similar guidances in future updates.
How can you prepare for these changes?
While open rates aren’t going away entirely, they will be less accurate moving forward. It is recommended that you start focusing on other key metrics like conversions and click rate. These important metrics will not be affected by IOS 15 and should remain key variables when testing successes or judging the effectiveness of your email campaign.
You may want to take some time before the upcoming September release to create a baseline to measure against going forward. Consider testing subject lines, send times, days of the week, and other elements while open rates are still most accurate.