iOS 18 is Disrupting Your Email Metrics: Industry Benchmarks and What to Do Next

Since the launch of iOS 18 in late December, many retailers have seen a substantial drop in email click-through performance. How big of a hit are we talking about? On average, email click-throughs from iOS devices have dropped by up to 25%.

This isn’t about attribution. It’s not a tracking issue. This is a real, industry-wide performance loss. Fewer users engaging with emails, fewer site visits, and less revenue from what’s long been a cornerstone of retail marketing.

Let’s dig into the data and what you can do about it.

The Data: iOS 18’s Impact in Numbers

To understand the impact of iOS 18, our data team analyzed performance across hundreds of retail brands, segmenting them based on their pre-iOS 18 exposure to iOS clicks:

• High Exposure: 60%+ of clicks came from iOS
  
• Medium Exposure: 40–60% of clicks from iOS
  
• Low Exposure: Less than 40% of clicks from iOS

From there, we took a closer look at 153 retailers with more than 40% of their email clicks coming from iOS devices. We compared click rates before and after the iOS 18 rollout, segmenting performance by device.

A Steep Decline in Click Rates

As iOS 18 adoption ramped up, the click gap between iOS and non-iOS devices narrowed. From January to April 2024, the average difference in engagement across devices was 0.18 percentage points. By early 2025, that difference shrank to just 0.08 percentage points—a clear sign that iOS is pulling down the average.

Here’s how it breaks down:

Click Loss Among iOS Users (vs. Pre-iOS 18)

• High Exposure: 25% drop (100 clicks → 75 clicks)
  
• Medium Exposure: 17% drop (100 clicks → 83 clicks)
  
• Low Exposure: 12% drop (100 clicks → 88 clicks)
  

Impact on Total Clicks

When we zoom out to look at total email program impact (not just iOS):

• High Exposure: up to 16% total click loss
  
• Medium Exposure: up to 10% total click loss
  
• Low Exposure: around 7% total click loss
  

What’s Going On? iOS 18 Is Changing the Inbox

While Apple hasn’t provided exhaustive transparency, the signs point to how iOS 18 now groups emails by sender and changes how emails are previewed and displayed. This reshaping of the email experience has real consequences for how users interact with marketing messages.

6 Things Marketers Can Do:

To combat CTR performance losses, marketers need to take immediate, strategic action:

1. Activate BIMI or Apple Branded Mail Profile

Leverage Apple Business Connect to ensure your logo replaces the generic icon next to your emails. It builds trust and improves visibility.

2. Review and Optimize Your “Friendly From”

Your sender name influences how emails are grouped. Test into variations of your “Friendly From” to stand out, but beware of redundant content in headers or subject lines that may hurt visibility.

3. Focus Above the Fold

iOS 18 emphasizes the first portion of an email. Optimize headers and consider dynamic banners to immediately deliver personalized and compelling content.

4. Reconsider Send Time

Email grouping still prioritizes newer emails. To stay visible, aim to land in the inbox during peak user activity.

5. Embrace Sequential Storytelling

Grouped emails can work in your favor—think in terms of serialized messaging. A well-timed series may now be read in order, giving new life to your campaigns.

6. Adapt Your Measurement

Understand that your click metrics are now shaped by a new user experience. Recalibrate your benchmarks and monitor iOS-specific performance to accurately assess what’s working.

Final Thoughts

The changes Apple introduced in iOS 18 may not dominate headlines, but for marketers, the impact is real and immediate. With up to 25% of clicks evaporating, now is the time to evolve your email strategy to meet the moment. The brands that adapt quickly could emerge stronger in a more curated, user-first inbox experience.