Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Micka88

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 25, 2019
351
134
What kind of total nonsense is that ?? Not being able to see pictures in the email and to have to click on Load directly?? I have no network preferences like this. How to get rid of this absurdity? It does not make any sense.

You get email with 2 pictures (the same type), one you see and the other not? This is just absurd?

Screenshot 2025-04-28 at 15.44.24.png

Screenshot 2025-04-28 at 15.36.20.png
 
  • Like
Reactions: ledzep1
Change Privacy settings in Mail on Mac
&
Turn off Private Relay
I have same issue as OP, only in recent weeks has this started for me, always had private relay enabled.

Whats changed that we need to suddenly disable something that has been issue free for years?
 
  • Like
Reactions: drrich2
I have same issue as OP, only in recent weeks has this started for me, always had private relay enabled.

Whats changed that we need to suddenly disable something that has been issue free for years?
Does disabling those solve the problem? If the answer is yes, ask Apple support why https://support.apple.com

If the answer is no, let’s look for other possible causes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ledzep1
Does disabling those solve the problem? If the answer is yes, ask Apple support why https://support.apple.com

If the answer is no, let’s look for other possible causes.

Hi

Private Relay, no difference.

Not tried the other setting within mail settings, but I would have thought its best to keep that enabled. Its not a big issue really, just odd why its only started happening for me this past month.
 
What kind of total nonsense is that ?? Not being able to see pictures in the email and to have to click on Load directly??
It’s an anti-tracking feature. The images in question aren’t attached to the email - the email contains links to the images on the senders server, and fetches them when you read the email. At that point, the sender’s server can track your IP address, know when you opened the email etc.

The “private relay” is a Mail feature that routes the requests via an Apple proxy and hides your IP address from the server.

It can’t be that new a feature on Mac because Ive recently started getting the issue in Monterey… I’ve also started getting it on my Android Phone - so I guess that mail app has a similar system, and the problem may be that some of these trackers are now blocking private relays. Complaints to the people using this stupid, intrusive and unnecessary way of tracking your email reading (or reward them by turning off private relay, your choice).
 
  • Like
Reactions: drrich2 and ledzep1
I have Mail - Settings - Privacy - Block all remote content not selected, yet it happens.

The entire stupidity of this "function" is quite obvious when you have few pictures in your email (like some e-shop order) and some of them are visible, some "hidden" with "?"

How to really stop this?
 
Its not a big issue really, just odd why its only started happening for me this past month.
It is quite an annoying issue - to see just "?" instead of pictures in every email and to have to click on "load directly" every single time.
 
I have Mail - Settings - Privacy - Block all remote content not selected, yet it happens.

privacy.png

On Monterey, if you turn off "Protect Mail Activity" then you can then turn off "Hide IP Address" separsately which is what is causing the issue.

As I said, the feature has been there for years - and there are similar features in other mail apps - but the issues have only shown up for me fairly recently, so its possible that the mail senders have started actively blocking the proxy servers because they really want to track you.

Its also a way of sending you self-destructing email messages, or ensuring that your e-tickets won't show up on your phone when you need it if you can't get a mobile signal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ledzep1
The only question is - how to disable not seeing the pictures in the email and get rid of this "your network preferences and" nonsense ? I have no network preferences like this and I don't wish this constant strange behaviour and to have to click Load every time an email comes.
Screenshot 2025-04-30 at 9.37.20.png
 
View attachment 2506336
On Monterey, if you turn off "Protect Mail Activity" then you can then turn off "Hide IP Address" separsately which is what is causing the issue.

As I said, the feature has been there for years - and there are similar features in other mail apps - but the issues have only shown up for me fairly recently, so its possible that the mail senders have started actively blocking the proxy servers because they really want to track you.

Its also a way of sending you self-destructing email messages, or ensuring that your e-tickets won't show up on your phone when you need it if you can't get a mobile signal.

This makes sense, as its a bit strange that we are only just noticing it recently when all settings have remained the same.
Im going to keep it enabled and just put up with it, a lot of emails I get are just junk anyway, anything important I will just click on load remote content above the email.
 
The messages you are seeing means that you have the option to load the content thru iCloud Private Relay, but for some reasons it can't be done with the current Network settings. Maybe you have some other VPN software or something else that blocks iCloud Private Relay.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.