Enhancing Data Accuracy: Bot Filtering & Apple Mail Privacy Protection Compliance

Enhancing Data Accuracy: Bot Filtering & Apple Mail Privacy Protection Compliance

Dear Marketers,

 

The wait is over! We’re thrilled to share that the enhanced bot filtering feature is now live in Zoho Marketing Automation. Thank you for your patience as we refined this tool to deliver deeper insights into your campaign performance.

 

Here's a quick overview of what bot filtering means:

 

What are bot opens/clicks? 

Bot opens/clicks are actions performed by automated software, not humans. These programs often scan emails for security threats like viruses or malicious links. As a result, they can inflate your engagement metrics by showing multiple opens/clicks from a single contact, even if no one actually interacted with the email.

 

Why bot filtering matters 

Bot-generated activity can distort your campaign performance metrics. Our bot filtering feature helps you eliminate this noise, providing a more accurate picture of your audience's engagement.

 

Key features of bot filtering

Based on your feedback and our technical improvements, here’s how the feature has evolved:

  • Easy toggle: Enable or disable bot filtering with a simple switch in Settings > Marketing Channels> Email. Bot filtering will be enabled by default to ensure your reports prioritize reliable, human-generated engagement from the start.

  • Transparency: A visual indicator in your reports shows whether bot filtering is active, ensuring full transparency in your data analysis.

  • Reporting: Whether you enable or disable the filter, your dashboard will display two distinct metrics:

    • Reliable opens/clicks (verified engagement by individuals)

    • Bot opens/clicks (automated activity)
      This dual view offers a clearer picture of your campaign’s true performance and highlights potential discrepancies.

    • Apple MPP tracking: We’ve added visibility into Apple Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) activity. Reports now include a dedicated metric for Apple MPP opens, allowing you to analyze how privacy-focused auto-opens impact your data.

  

Apple Mail Privacy Protection (MPP)

Apple Mail offers users the option to enable Mail Privacy Protection (MPP), a feature designed to enhance privacy by preventing email senders from accurately tracking email opens. This feature is not enabled by default, but once activated, Apple Mail pre-loads tracking pixels—regardless of whether the recipient actually opens the email.

As a result, all emails received in Apple Mail appear as opened, leading to inflated and unreliable open rates. Since tracking pixels are triggered automatically, distinguishing between genuine user engagement and automated activity becomes challenging.

How Does Zoho Marketing Automation Address This?  

To counteract the impact of MPP, Zoho Marketing Automation provides dedicated metrics (MPP Opens) to show open rate. Using intelligent data modeling, our system delivers reliable engagement metrics, helping you assess the effectiveness of your campaigns despite Apple’s privacy changes.

Here's how to enable the bot filtering option in Zoho Marketing Automation.

Step 1: Bot filtering option

Locate the Bot Filter link under Settings > Marketing Channels.




Step 2: Toggle the bot filtering option

In the Bot Filter setting, you can see that bot filtering capability has been enabled for you by default.
 


Step 3: Enable/disable the option

  • Filter enabled: Your primary reports will focus on human engagement, while bot activity is shown separately along with primary reports.

  • Filter disabled: Similar to the option above, all opens/clicks (human + bot) will be shown in main reports, with bot metrics still visible for comparison.

Here's how you can see it in the campaign reports:
When the bot filter setting is disabled



When the bot filter setting is enabled



Step 4: Pop-up confirmation to disable bot filtering

You'll see a pop-up while disabling bot filtering.



 

Info
Notes:

  • While disabling bot filter, users will be prompted whether to allow bots to enter segments or workflows based on which follow-up actions will be triggered.

 

  1. The Apple MPP opens will be part of segments and workflows by default.

  2. Campaigns executed from 6th Feb 2025 will be shown the new reports along with reliable opens, Unreliable opens, and bot opens. Existing campaign reports won't be impacted by this change.

  3. We have introduced new filters within the contacts section in the campaigns report to analyze both reliable opens and bot opens.

  4. Bot engagement metrics will be available now while exporting campaign reports.

  5. Users can track when the bot filter was enabled or disabled by accessing Audit Logs.



We're here to help

We’re confident this balanced approach will help you optimize campaigns with greater precision. Give it a try, and let us know how it works for you!

 

Happy marketing!

Best regards,
Zoho Marketing Automation

    • Sticky Posts

    • Marketer’s Space - Automating CRM Actions with Journeys – Part 2

      Hello marketers! Welcome back to another post in Marketer’s Space. In our previous post, we explored how CRM actions in Journeys help marketing and sales teams work together by nurturing CRM leads and pushing only engaged prospects back to sales. If you

    • Introducing automation and utility conversations in WhatsApp marketing

      We’re excited to announce the addition of two new features to our WhatsApp integration: Automation and Utility conversations. These enhancements will allow you to streamline your marketing efforts and engage with your customers more effectively by automating

    • Tip of the week 02 - The art of 'seeing' your leads

      What's the last page that your lead visited before signing up for your brand? What was the page that first convinced your lead to explore more about you? Where are your leads coming in from? Well, these are some perennial questions today's marketers live upon. And, knowing the answers to these questions is crucial, considering the vitality of leads in every business. In the journey of finding lead opportunities, it's important to understand that every detail about a lead is useful. While the channels

    • Zoho Marketing Automation Update: Topics, Contacts, and List Management

      At Zoho Marketing Automation, our highest priority is making it easier for you to use our product to accomplish your business goals. With that in mind, we are updating three of our pivotal features: Topic, Contacts, and List Management.   These existing

    • Important: Zoho MarketingHub is now Zoho Marketing Automation

      Hello Everyone,   We hope you all are doing well. We'd like to notify you that we have rebranded Zoho MarketingHub to Zoho Marketing Automation. We'll discontinue using the term "MarketingHub" from May 26, 2021. However, there will be no changes in the

    • Recent Topics

    • Zoho CRM Client Script - SetCriteria in lookup Field

      Hello All One More Zoho CRM Client Script Tips & Trick. Now you can Set the Criteria on Your lookup in zoho CRM, It Comes With a Create Page, Edit Page, and Details Page (Standard). Example:- We have a Room Module that includes Room Name, Status, Campus,

    • Kaizen #71 - Client Script ZDKs for Detail (Canvas) Page

      Hello everyone! Welcome back to another interesting Kaizen post. In this post, we can discuss Client Script ZDKs support for Detail (Canvas) Page. What is Detail (Canvas) Page? A Detail(Canvas) Page allows you to customize the record detail page to your

    • Zoho Reports Duplicating Entries

      I have a custom costing tab with a table where we entre invoices. These are under a Heading (PO Subject) and notes added in the form with different line items. In the reports, I have organised the report to group per PO Subject, with the total of the

    • Validation Rule Not Working for Mandatory Field in Zoho Blueprint

      As a Zoho user, we created a validation rule for a specific field. However, we noticed that when we made the same field mandatory within a Blueprint, the validation rule we defined did not work. When we reported this issue to Zoho Support, they stated

    • Notes Issues

      Been having issues with Notes in the CRM. Yesterday it wasn't showing the notes, but it got resolved after a few minutes., Now I have been having a hard time saving notes the whole day. Notes can't be saved by the save button. it's grayed out or not grayed

    • Export from Contacts module to Products module in Zoho CRM

      Good afternoon, I would like to send a number of contact info from the Contacts module into the customized module (tickets to an event) in one operation. I have selected several contacts in the Contact module (people who I have labelled as people I want

    • Can’t receive emailI c

      I have generated a basic for but when I submit it I don’t get a email, I’ve been in the settings and tested me email, all appears correct, can you please help me

    • Data Capture for Historical Activity (Especially One Lead Downloading Variois reports without Overwriting the info)

      Is there a better way in Zoho CRM to capture and archive a lead’s historical activity—specifically whenever they download reports—so that the data is stored without being overwritten?”

    • Client Script - Updating Field Value in Detail Page of a Lead

      Hello, I'm trying to use Client Script To enrich some data of the Lead when one of my User fill the "City" field in the detail page of the Lead. This is my Script: log (value); var response = ZDK.Apps.CRM.Functions.execute("getInfoCitta", { "nomeCitta":

    • Auto shapes in Zoho sheet.

      Does Zoho sheet supports inserting auto shapes (rectangle, circle...). I did not see any option to do so.  If its not supported currently, is there any plans on bring in this features. Any timelines ?

    • I Can't Clone Webinar that I Co-Organize

      How do i get our account admin to give me permission to clone our webinars? I am a co-organizer

    • How to get the call recording external ID via desk API

      I have enabled phonbridge integration with Zoom Call. I am trying to access the call recording in Zoom by calling Zoom API. I have built a Desk workflow to trigger on a new call, to call a custom function. when calling the API, the response doesn't contain

    • Can't View Project Names in Mobile App

      I can't view project names on PO's in the app, nor can I add that as a viewable PDF field in inventory on the computer. I've attached screenshots showing that in the mobile version whether you are on the PO, editing the PO, or viewing the PO line items,

    • How do you print a refund check to customer?

      Maybe this is a dumb question, but how does anyone print a refund check to a customer? We cant find anywhere to either just print a check and pick a customer, or where to do so from a credit note.

    • Notebook

      I have purchased the monthly pro subscription of Notebook. But it does not support my XP-Pen to write something in it. So it is not useful to me. Hence I am requesting you to help me to discontinue this subscription.

    • Domain Mapping & Image Publishing Issues on Zoho Sites

      Hello, I am facing two issues with my Zoho Sites account: 1. Images not visible after publishing. 2. Domain mapping error: "Domain already exists". I am a paid customer. Please connect me with Live Chat Support or Zoho Assist so I can show my issue

    • Prevent duplicate with custom fields?

      I was wondering something about custom field/custom modules in Zoho Desk. For some reason you can make a custom field mandatory but not unique? For example, if I create a custom module to manage equipment and renewal and make a field serial number no

    • Generate leads from instagram

      hello i have question. If connect instagram using zoho social, it is possible to get lead from instagram? example if someone send me direct message or comment on my post and then they generate to lead

    • Where is the desktop app for Zoho Projects???

      As a project manager, I need a desktop app for the projects I manage. Yes, there's the web app, which is AWESOME for cross browser and platform compatibility... but I need a real desktop app for Projects that allow me to enter offline information where

    • How to Automate Monthly PDF Reports with Filters in Zoho Creator

      Hi everyone, I’m trying to build an automated monthly reporting process in Zoho Creator and would appreciate suggestions or best practices from anyone who has done something similar. What I’m trying to do: I have a form called New_Customer with fields

    • Feedback: Streamlining Note Management in Zoho Notebook

      Dear Team/Support, I would like to share some feedback regarding the note management system that could help improve usability and accessibility for users like myself. Notebook 1 (screenshot attached): Currently, the system does not allow selecting and

    • showing Limit exceeded

      Good afternoon...trust you're good. I've been having issues working with but it's not responding. it's showing Limit exceeded, sorry it seems like too many people are working on the sheet right now please try again later. meanwhile no one is working on

    • Sorting columns in Zoho Projects

      Hi, In project management best practice, sorting columns (ascending, descending) is an important tool. Sorting dates to see the order of tasks starting, sorting on priority or even on planned hours is a must for an efficient project control. Currently,

    • Upload API

      I'm trying to use the Upload API to upload some images and attach them to comments (https://desk.zoho.com/DeskAPIDocument#Uploads#Uploads_Uploadfile) - however I can only ever get a 401 or bad request back. I'm using an OAuth token with the Desk.tickets.ALL

    • Losing description after merging tickets

      Hello, We merge tickets when they are about the same topic from the same client. It happens sometimes. We recently noticed that after the merger only the description from the master ticket is left in a thread. And the slave-ticket description is erased.

    • update linked contacts when update happens in account

      Hi, I have a custom field called Licence in the Accounts module. When someone buys a licence, I’d like to update a custom field in the related Contacts. How can I achieve this? I noticed that workflows triggered on Accounts only allow me to update fields

    • Problem Management Module

      I am looking for a Problem Management module within Zoho Desk. I saw in some training videos that this is available, and some even provided an annual price for it. I want an official confirmation on whether this is indeed available. This is not a particularly

    • Unable to explore desk.zoho.com

      Greetings, I have an account with zoho which already has a survey subscription. I would like to explore desk.zoho.com, but when I visit it while logged in (https://desk.zoho.com/agent?action=CreatePortal) I just get a blank page. I have tried different

    • Offline support for mobile app

      Accessing your files and folders from your mobile devices is now quicker and simpler, thanks to the power of offline support. Whether on an Android or iOS device, you can use the Offline function to save files and folders, so you can review them even

    • Zoho Desk KB article embedded on another site.

      We embed KB articles from Zoho Desk on another site (our application). When opening the article in a new tab, there is no issue, but if we choose lightbox, we are getting an error "To protect your security, help.ourdomain.com will not allow Firefox to

    • List of packaged components and if they are upgradable

      Hello, In reference to the article Components and Packaging in Zoho Vertical Studio, can you provide an overview of what these are. Can you also please provide a list of of components that are considered Packaged and also whether they are Upgradable?

    • Does Attari Messaging app have Bot option and APIB

      Hi, Does Attari also have Bot and API as we use in WhatsApp??

    • How to add application logo

      I'm creating an application which i do not want it to show my organization logo so i have changed the setting but i cannot find where to upload/select the logo i wish to use for my application. I have seen something online about using Deluge and writing

    • Email login error

      Login successfully but email page error

    • Zoho Analytics Regex Support

      When can we expect full regex support in Zoho Analytics SQL such as REGEXP_REPLACE? Sometimes I need to clean the data and using regex functions is the easiest way to achieve this.

    • Change of Blog Author

      Hi, I am creating the blog post on behalf of my colleague. When I publish the post, it is showing my name as author of the post which is not intended and needs to be changed to my colleague's name. How can I change the name of the author in the blogs?? Thanks, Ramanan

    • How to sync from Zoho Projects into an existing Sprint in Zoho Sprints?

      Hi I have managed to integrate Zoho Projects with Zoho Sprints and I can see that the integration works as a project was created in Zoho Sprints. But, what I would like to do is to sync into an existing Zoho Sprints project. Is there a way to make that

    • how to differentiate if whatsapp comes from certain landing page?

      I create a Zobot in SalesIQ to create a Whatsapp bot to capture the lead. I have 2 landing pages, one is SEO optimized and the other want is optimized for leads comes from Google Ads. I want to know from which landing page this lead came through WhatsApp

    • How to record company set up fees?

      Hi all, We are starting out our company in Australia and would appreciate any help with setting up Books accounts. We paid an accountant to do company registration, TFN, company constitution, etc. I heard these all can be recorded as Incorporation Costs, which is an intangible asset account, and amortised over 5 years. Is this the correct way to do it under the current Australian tax regulations? How and when exactly should I record the initial entry and each year's amortasation in Books? Generally

    • Show Payment terms in Estimates

      Hi,  we are trying to set up that estimates automatically relates payment terms for the payment terms we introduced on Edit contact (Field Payment terms).  How can it be done? Our aim is to avoid problems on payment terms introduced and do not need to introduce it manually on each client (for the moment we are introducing this information on Terms and Conditions.  Kind Regards, 

    • Next Page