All status for the emails are sent to us by Mailgun, and we don't have any additional data in our DB.
Mailgun relies on tracking mechanisms provided by email clients and providers to report events such as opens and clicks. While delivery is confirmed at the server level, “open” and “click” events depend on additional conditions that are not always guaranteed. Here are the main reasons for these discrepancies:
Image-based tracking limitations: Open tracking typically works by loading a small invisible image (tracking pixel). If the recipient’s email client blocks images by default or the user does not enable them, the open event is not recorded.
Privacy features: Many modern email providers (such as Apple Mail Privacy Protection, Gmail, etc.) intentionally limit or obscure tracking data. In some cases, they may preload content or block tracking entirely, leading to inaccurate or missing open statuses.
Email client or browser behaviour: Different apps and browsers handle email rendering differently. Some do not trigger tracking events consistently, especially in mobile apps or secure environments.
Forwarding and caching: If an email is forwarded or cached, the tracking pixel may not reload, meaning additional opens are not recorded.
Security filters: Corporate firewalls or antivirus tools may strip or block tracking elements, preventing open/click events from being registered.
Because of these factors, “Delivered” is the most reliable status we receive, as it confirms successful handoff to the recipient’s mail server. However, “Opened” and “Clicked” should be treated as best-effort indicators rather than guaranteed metrics. It is expected behaviour across the industry that some email interactions are not fully tracked, and this does not necessarily mean the recipient did not open or engage with the email.
So if the lead is using an app, a browser, or a network with high security, they all could prevent/block sending updated statuses to Mailgun.
These limitations are not specific to our system or Mailgun, but are a result of how email protocols and client-side privacy controls are designed. Once an email is delivered to the recipient’s mail server, neither we nor Mailgun or we have a direct insight into what the recipient does with the email unless the email client explicitly allows tracking. Tracking depends entirely on the recipient’s email client (e.g., Apple Mail, Gmail, Outlook). These platforms control whether tracking pixels or links are executed, and this behavior cannot be overridden externally.
All email service providers (not just Mailgun) face the same constraints, meaning there is no reliable way to guarantee 100% accurate open or click tracking.
Comments