Impacts of IOS 17: Link Tracking Protection

Apple has recently announced IOS 17, whilst revolutionising how a phone is used from a user experience perspective, the update may prove to be challenging for marketers, just as IOS 15 proved to be. The update includes new privacy and security features, such as Link Tracking Protection, which removes certain user identifiers from links.

IOS 15 brought major changes to email with Mail Privacy Protection (MPP). That change heavily impacted email marketers, altering open rates and causing a shift away from using these rates as a measure of success.

This update, although it sounds scary on the surface, impacts only a small percentage of email marketers…

Understanding iOS 17 Link Tracking Protection

Emails track open rates and click rates in different ways. Open rates use a transparent image pixel within the email, which is counted as an open when the email is displayed. Click rates utilise tracking links within the newsletter. These links first lead the reader to a hosted link to track the click before redirecting them to the final URL. Much like a URL shortener, but instead of shortening the URL, the URL is altered to redirect before arriving at its final destination.

Will this impact email reporting?

Short Answer? Not Really...

The iOS17 changes won't alter how newsletters track clicks. Although Apple might remove some extra information from the final URL, the tracking links will still work correctly. This means some types of user tracking may be affected after a reader clicks out of their inbox, but UTMs added to URLs won't be removed.

Apple's primary focus is on big marketing and social media platforms that share personal information about users. This information is often included in the website address (URL) as extra data, helping to identify users who might otherwise be anonymous. Marketers and the platforms they use usually add these details. Apple aims to take out this personal information from URLs, making it harder for marketers to track users across different platforms. However, the rest of the URL and any UTMs (used for email tracking) will remain unchanged.

Will e-shot be effected?

No, e-shots tracking is not effected by this IOS Update, as e-shot uses the redirect method, the final destination URL remains unchanged.

Why is Apple doing this?

Apple doesn’t sell your data, which means that they have nothing to lose from making it harder for platforms to track you. They gain trust points in the public eye for rolling out these changes whilst causing major issues for large marketing companies, which leads to even more press coverage surrounding Apple and this update. Win for Apple across the board.

Top tip

With the limitations imposed by Link Tracking Protection, marketers should focus on collecting first-party data. By encouraging users to provide their information directly through sign-up forms or surveys, marketers can build their own databases of engaged subscribers. This first-party data can provide valuable insights into user behaviour and preferences, enabling more targeted and personalised email campaigns.

Conclusion

In summary, while iOS17's new privacy and security measures may impact some aspects of email marketing, particularly for those who heavily rely on cross-platform tracking, most email marketers are unlikely to see a significant impact on their data tracking or strategies.