Apple iOS18 Updates to Emails

Apple’s latest update to iOS18 is bringing an end to email preheaders - at least in Apple Inboxes.

After updating to Apple iOS18 (available beginning 9/16), emails opened by the native Apple email app will have AI-generated summaries in place of the preheaders. This change does not affect emails opened on Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo applications. Each generated email preheader is reported to be tailored to the user — focusing on their history of interactions and preferences.

Here’s a few things to keep in for email strategies in the wake of this update:

• What to expect in your data

  • The iOS18 update will take more control away from email marketers and impact open rates on Apple devices using the native email app. Open rates are already inflated — due to the 2021 iOS15 mail update that led to any messaging sent to an Apple account was automatically counted as “opened” — and this isn’t changing. It does mean subject lines will be even more critical than ever.

• What to keep top of mind in your strategy

  • The first few lines of an email have always been critical. They should attract the attention of the reader and generate interest or curiosity to continue reading.  While we don’t know the specifics of how Apple’s AI will work, we do expect that it will use key sections of the email (including the first few sentences) to generate the personalized preheader, so it’s important   t to be more purposeful than ever about the offer, the lead, etc.

• Don’t forget about best practices

  • Email preheader text is still a crucial part of a maximizing email strategy and remember that they will still appear as is for non-Apple platforms. Preheaders should add value to the subject line (not repetition of it!). Be sure to still keep this second impression under 70 characters for best performance.

• Consider the effects

  • On average, 50% of Americans are Apple users, and it will be important for you to understand how much of your file will be impacted with the iOS18 update. If you expect this to be a significant disruptor, consider isolating Apple email addresses  into a separate list to experiment with different subject lines and content without impacting the full active list.  Internal testing (deploying emails a group of internal and client contacts) may be helpful in analyzing and understanding how preheaders may appear to end users when emails are deployed to your list.

• Looking ahead…

  • Although the nature of AI means that the model will learn over time and become more personalized to users based on their individual behavior, it will be critical to understand how the tailored approach will impact fundraising for each recipient. There is no answer on what exactly this change means for the future or how the AI will evolve with further updates, so be mindful of testing strategies and remain adaptive.

Want a more individualized approach to navigating this and future digital fundraising updates? Connect with us by clicking the link here!

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