Topic

Provider rules

What Gmail, Yahoo, Microsoft and Apple require, with the numbers they enforce on.

Who should care. Bulk and lifecycle senders — especially over ~5,000/day to a single provider.

If you are new. Mailbox providers (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook.com, iCloud) set extra rules for high volume. Spam/complaint rates and one-click unsubscribe matter as much as pretty design.

Common mistake. Treating Gmail rules as the only rules; Yahoo, Microsoft and Apple have teeth too.

7 rules below · Glossary · Filter to your desk

SharedUpdatedInbox · Global · Yahoo

Yahoo requires authentication and a spam rate below 0.3 percent

Yahoo has the same kind of bulk rules as Gmail: authenticate, keep complaints under 0.3%, honour fast.

Skip if You never send to Yahoo-hosted consumer domains.

SharedNew on siteInbox · Global · Apple

iCloud Mail rejects bulk mail that misses Apple's sender requirements

iCloud can reject bulk mail that fails Apple’s sender rules — and you will not get a classic spam-complaint feedback loop.

Skip if You have no recipients on Apple's iCloud Mail domains.

SharedInbox · Global · Gmail

Gmail enforces authentication, PTR, TLS and a 0.30 percent spam rate

Gmail only trusts senders that prove who they are and keep “report spam” rare — under about 0.3%.

Skip if You never send to personal Gmail addresses.

Already handledInbox · Global

Bulk senders must support one-click unsubscribe

Gmail and Yahoo want marketing mail to in one click from the inbox chrome — your usually already does this.

Skip if You are on a mainstream and it is the only thing that emails your list.

SharedNew on siteInbox · Global · Microsoft

Microsoft SNDS and JMRP expose per-IP and junk-report data

Microsoft SNDS/JMRP show Outlook IP health and junk reports — they diagnose; they do not auto-fix delivery.

Skip if You send no mail to Outlook.com consumer domains.

SharedUpdatedInbox · Global

Complaint feedback loops are provider-specific — Gmail is not Yahoo CFL

There is no single FBL — Yahoo, Microsoft, and Gmail expose complaints differently.

Skip if You send negligible volume to consumer webmail and never look at complaint metrics.

FYINew on siteInbox · Global · Gmail

Gmail Promotions annotations are eligible, not guaranteed

Gmail promo annotations can make a deal look richer — they are not a promise of and do not fix .

Skip if You do not care about Gmail Promotions-tab UI chrome.