How Unify Tracks Email Opens

Last updated: October 14, 2026

Unify shows you when a prospect opens an email you sent from a sequence. This article explains how open tracking works, what the numbers mean, and how to get the most reliable data.

How it works

When open tracking is on, Unify adds a tiny, invisible 1x1 image (a tracking pixel) to the bottom of the email's HTML. When the recipient's email app loads images, it requests that pixel from Unify's tracking server. Unify records the request as an "open" and attributes it to the right contact, email, and sequence.

The pixel is served from a tracking domain. Using a custom tracking domain that matches your sending domain helps with deliverability and keeps links and images branded to your company.

What counts as an open

An open is recorded the first time the pixel loads. Opening the same email again may add repeat opens, depending on your reporting view.

Opens are only recorded when:

  • Open tracking is enabled for the sequence or mailbox

  • The email is sent as HTML (plain-text emails have no pixel)

  • The recipient's email client loads images

Why open data isn't always exact

Open tracking is a useful signal, not a precise count. A few things affect accuracy:

  • Apple Mail Privacy Protection (MPP). Apple Mail can preload images automatically, so an email may register as opened when the recipient never read it. This inflates open rates.

  • Image blocking. Some clients and corporate security tools block images by default, so a real open may go unrecorded.

  • Security scanners. Some email security tools load images to scan messages, which can create opens that aren't human.

  • Forwarded emails. An open by a forwarded recipient may be attributed to the original contact.

For these reasons, we recommend treating replies, clicks, and meetings booked as your primary success metrics, and using opens as a directional signal.

Turning open tracking on or off

Open tracking can be enabled or disabled in your sequence and mailbox settings. Some teams turn it off for highly personal, one-to-one outreach, since removing the pixel can make an email look less like a mass mailing and may help inbox placement.

Best practices

  • Set up a custom tracking domain so tracking links and the open pixel are on a domain you control.

  • Make sure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are configured for your sending domains.

  • Judge performance on replies and meetings, not open rate alone.

  • Don't trigger time-sensitive follow-ups from a single open.

Privacy

The tracking pixel only records that the image was requested, along with standard request details such as time and email client. It does not read the contents of the recipient's inbox. Make sure your outreach complies with the privacy and email regulations that apply to your recipients, such as CAN-SPAM, GDPR, and CASL.