Klaviyo open rate after Apple Mail Privacy Protection: what to measure

Klaviyo open rates are inflated because Apple Mail Privacy Protection loads email images automatically, which records an open even if the person never read the message. Klaviyo's own help centre says this causes a false open to be tracked. For a small shop, clicks and orders per email are better measures, and engaged segments should exclude Apple privacy opens.

How Klaviyo flags the problem

From Klaviyo's help article on identifying Mail Privacy Protection opens:

• Opened Email events carry a property called Apple Privacy Open, set to True or False, for events from 20 November 2021 onwards.
• True means the open may have come from Apple's preloading, and there is no way to tell it apart from a real read.
• False means Klaviyo did not tag it as an Apple privacy open, which still does not guarantee the person read the email.

What to measure instead

• Click rate. A click needs a person.
• Placed orders and revenue per recipient. The measure that pays the bills.
• Unsubscribes and spam complaints. Rising numbers mean the content or frequency is wrong.
• Open rate excluding Apple privacy opens, if you still want an open figure.

Fix your engaged segment

Klaviyo recommends adding "Apple Privacy Open is false" to the Opened Email condition in engaged segments, so automatic opens do not count. A profile can still qualify through a real open, a click or a recent sign-up. Match the time window for opens and clicks to how often you send.

Klaviyo also suggests reviewing profiles whose only recent opens are Apple privacy opens, with no clicks. You cannot confirm they read anything, so consider sending them less often.

What a good open rate means now

Published average open rates include inflated opens, so comparing yourself with them tells you little. Compare your own emails with each other: subject lines, send times and content, using clicks and orders.

Reading it every morning

VirtualPA shows Klaviyo flows, opens and revenue per send in its Email section, next to ads and Shopify sales. You can ask its AI Guru which flow earned the most last month, and the figures come from code working on your data. Our post on what to read in a marketing dashboard each morning covers the routine.

Related reading from Braivex

If your newsletter goes out to owners or clients, a regular LinkedIn post can reach the same people; see LinkedIn hook examples. Holiday let owners emailing past guests should read our holiday let marketing guide.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my Klaviyo open rate so high?

Apple Mail Privacy Protection records opens when it preloads images, which inflates the figure.

Can I exclude Apple opens in Klaviyo?

Yes. Use the Apple Privacy Open property, set to false, in your segment conditions.

What should I track instead of opens?

Clicks, placed orders and revenue per recipient.

Next step

See email revenue next to your ads and sales each morning. Try VirtualPA free for 15 days at mypa.services.