Why are my app emails going to spam?

App emails usually land in spam because mailbox providers don’t trust the sender, the content looks suspicious, or the sending setup has authentication/delivery problems. Common causes:

1) Missing email authentication

If your domain isn’t properly set up with:

• SPF
• DKIM
• DMARC

providers like Gmail/Outlook may treat your messages as untrusted.

2) Poor sender reputation

If you send from:

• a new domain
• a shared IP with bad reputation
• an IP with high bounce/complaint rates

your mail is more likely to be filtered.

3) Spammy content

Emails with:

• too many links
• link shorteners
• all-caps or salesy wording
• misleading subject lines
• image-only content
• attachments

can trigger spam filters.

4) Low engagement

If recipients don’t open, reply, or click your emails, providers infer the mail may be unwanted.

5) Bad recipient list hygiene

Sending to:

• old addresses
• invalid addresses
• purchased lists
• users who never opted in

causes bounces and complaints, which hurt deliverability.

6) Sending pattern issues

Sudden spikes in volume, inconsistent sending, or a brand-new app sending lots of email quickly can look suspicious.

7) Technical setup problems

Examples:

• From address doesn’t match the sending domain
• reverse DNS is missing/mismatched
• using a generic SMTP service incorrectly
• broken tracking links or malformed headers

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What to check first

1. Test authentication with a tool like mail-tester.com or GlockApps
2. Verify SPF/DKIM/DMARC for your domain
3. Check sender reputation and bounce/complaint rates
4. Review message content for spam triggers
5. Send only to opted-in users and clean bad addresses
6. Warm up your sending volume if the domain/IP is new

If you want, I can help you diagnose it step by step—tell me:

• what email service you use (SendGrid, SES, Mailgun, Gmail SMTP, etc.)
• your sending domain
• whether this is transactional or marketing email
• one example of the email content/headers (redact sensitive data)