My countdown timer is not showing correctly on Apple Mail

Apple Mail and dynamic elements such as countdown timers

Apple mail caches emails aggressively since about 2023. What this means is that Apple's servers store a copy of emails users receive, including dynamic elements such as countdown timers. So when a user opens an email using Apple Mail, instead of the countdown timer gif loading from our servers, it loads the version stored by Apple Mail.

For many Apple Mail users, the first time they open the email, the timer will be correct.

Apple Mail's caching often happens at the time the email is first loaded, so the first time the user loads the email, it will show the correct time remaining on countdown timers. However, once cached, the timer will show the cached version instead of our live one and for subsequent opens of the email, the timer will not show the correct time remaining.

In some cases, Apple Mail caches emails even before the user opens it for the first time. In these cases, the timer may show the incorrect time even on the first open.

The Apple Mail issue is for all dynamic countdown providers

The issue described above is an Apple Mail issue. Sendtric and other countdown timers cannot prevent Apple from caching emails. Some other widget providers hide behind the issue, but we believe that being transparent and offering choice to our clients is the best way to ensure your satisfaction.

What we do offer at Sendtric is to enable our 'fallback image' option to either show a replacement static image or hide the timer when we detect that the timer will not show correctly in Apple Mail. Other email client users will see the correct timer.

We recommend enabling the 'Apple Mail - Fallback Image' option

The reason at Sendtric we recommend using our 'Fallback Image option' is because it both shows the correct timer for non Apple Mail users, and does not confuse Apple Mail users by showing them an out of date timer when they re-open an email. Enabling the Fallback image option either shows a static image you upload instead of the countdown timer, or if you enable the option but do not upload an image, it just hides the timer for Apple Mail users.

The option works by detecting whether the timer will show correctly and if not (in the cases of Apple Mail or on very rare cases for Outlook users) then it shows the fallback image or hides the timer.

We also recommend that you create a new timer for every campaign

If you are using standard timers for countdown timer that counts down to a specific event - e.g. for a promotion, sale, holiday, product launch, or event, then even if the timer that you want to use is exactly the same, it is better to create a new version of it for each email campaign to the same recipients.

The reason for this is that sometimes Apple Mail can notice that the URL of the countdown timer is the same, and display the cached timer from the previous campaign sent to that recipient.

The quickest way to do this is to create a template of the timer and then create a new one using the same template. (In the near future, we will be adding a duplicate button, which will make this easier and quicker).

Some clients prefer to show the timer to Apple Mail users, even if there is a risk

The biggest benefit of countdown timer is the psychology behind dynamic elements that hook you in and the urgency and FOMO created by the deadline. Also, for many Apple Mail users, they will see the correct timer when they first open the email anyway. So unless it is absolutely critical that the timer is always correct for Apple Mail users, then you can leave the fallback image option disabled.