Most email tracking services (including Mailsuite) use web beacons, or 1x1 pixel images, to track when emails are opened. The way this works is simple: When a recipient opens an email, their browser loads the image, and that in turn sends a message to Mailsuite’s servers that the email was opened.
Therefore, the most effective way to avoid being tracked is to not allow images to be displayed in the emails you receive.
The process for turning off automatic image loading is different in each email service, so in order to do so, check the settings of your specific email service and turn off the option to display images. Below, you can find the steps for turning off automatic image loading in Gmail and Outlook.
How to turn off automatic image loading in Gmail
The steps to turn off automatic image loading and avoid tracked emails in Gmail depends on the device you’re using. Below are the steps to block email trackers on your desktop computer. Read this article if you wish to complete this process on your Android or iOS device.
- Open Gmail on your computer.
- Click Settings and then click See all settings.
- Scroll down and look for the Images section.
- Click Ask before displaying external images.
- At the bottom of the page, click Save Changes.
Once you save your changes, Gmail will ask you before it loads any external images, including images added by email tracking services. This allows you to choose whether or not you want your email activity to be tracked by each email’s sender.
How to turn off automatic image loading in Outlook
Unlike Gmail, Outlook is configured to block automatic pictures by default. This means that if you use Outlook as your primary email service, no further action is required. However, should you wish to enable or unblock the downloading of images, including those from email tracking services, you can reference this article.
How to opt out of email tracking in other services
Most major email service providers allow you to avoid being tracked via web beacons. Each email services has a different process for blocking email trackers, so here are additional help articles that show you how to disable automatic image downloading:
- Apple Mail: Mail Privacy Protection
- Yahoo Mail: Block Images
- GMX: Administrate External Content
- AOL Mail: Block Images
What to expect after you’ve blocked automatic image downloads
After you disable automatic image downloads in your email account, you will not be able to see any images in your incoming emails without manually approving them, whether they’re images from trusted senders, third parties, or web beacons from email trackers.
In the case of Mailsuite, please be aware that even if you receive emails with the Mailsuite signature ("Sender notified by Mailsuite"), your email activity will not be tracked.
How to know if your emails are tracked
Our Incoming Tracked Emails Indicator lets you know if an email is tracked by displaying a green dot next to it in your inbox:
Learn more about this feature by reading the full article here:
https://mailsuite.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005941337-Incoming-tracked-emails-indicator