How iCloud Private Relay Affects Email Marketing & How to Adapt

What is iCloud Private Relay?

iCloud Private Relay is a privacy feature by Apple that hides users' IP addresses and encrypts their internet data. It prevents websites, internet service providers (ISPs), and network providers from tracking or identifying users. When enabled, Private Relay routes traffic through two relays: one managed by Apple and another by a third-party provider. This way, no one can connect a user’s IP address to the websites they visit.

How iCloud Private Relay Affects IP Tracking and Analytics

Since Private Relay changes users' IP addresses and locations, it makes tracking less reliable. Analytics tools that depend on IP data for insights, like IP2Location, may show inaccurate results. This can make it harder to:

• Track user locations correctly.
• Identify returning visitors using IP-based tracking.
• Allow or block traffic based on specific ISP or proxy data.

3 Ways to Protect Analytics Without Breaking User Privacy

1. Use IP2Location for Better Insights
   Integrate IP2Location’s API or database to detect if traffic comes from proxies, VPNs, or anonymizers. If the IP is masked, you can:

   • Exclude it from key metrics.
   • Log it separately for further analysis.
     This helps identify patterns from Private Relay users and other masked connections.
     
     

2. Adopt CDN Services like Cloudflare
   Use a content delivery network (CDN) to cache and serve your website. This ensures your site remains accessible even if your main server goes down.

3. Focus on Cookie-Based or Token Tracking
   Instead of relying on IPs, use cookies or unique tokens to recognize returning visitors. This method offers more accurate tracking without compromising user privacy.

These strategies allow you to maintain accurate analytics while respecting users' privacy, even with iCloud Private Relay enabled.