How to Tell If an Email is Truly from Apple

How to Tell If an Email Was Truly Sent from Apple
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Today, almost every Apple user has come across a fake email that appears to have been sent by Apple. We present to you a thorough guide to determine whether the email message truly originated from Apple, or is actually a scam targeted to gain information about your email account, Apple ID, or even worse – your credit card. While the process might seem highly-technical at first, we’re sure that most people will be able to understand this tutorial quickly and easily.

Most Frequent Emails Sent from Apple

Friendly From Email Address IP Address Nature of Email Safe
App Store AppStore@new.itunes.com 17.xx.xx.xx App Promotions, App Store Spotlight ✔
Apple news@insideapple.apple.com 17.xx.xx.xx Apple Products and release promotions ✔
Apple noreply@email.apple.com 17.xx.xx.xx Apple ID and iCloud Alerts ✔
Apple Beta Software Program betaprogram@InsideApple.Apple.com 17.xx.xx.xx Beta Software Updates ✔
Apple News newsdigest@insideapple.apple.com 17.xx.xx.xx Apple News Digest ✔
Apple Store noreply@apple.com 17.xx.xx.xx Appointment Follow Ups ✔
Apple Support AppleSupport@insideapple.apple.com 17.xx.xx.xx Surveys and Support Follow Ups ✔
Apple Support AppleSupport@email.apple.com 17.xx.xx.xx Product notifications ✔
Apple Support Communities Updates discussions-updates@apple.com 17.xx.xx.xx Apple Support Communities Updates ✔
Find My iPhone noreply@insideicloud.icloud.com 17.xx.xx.xx Find My iPhone Alerts ✔
iBooks iBooks@new.itunes.com 17.xx.xx.xx iBooks Newsletter ✔
iCloud do_not_reply@icloud.com 17.xx.xx.xx iCloud transactional emails ✔
iCloud no_reply@me.com 17.xx.xx.xx iCloud transactional emails ✔
iCloud noreply@insideicloud.icloud.com 17.xx.xx.xx iCloud Alerts (storage, Apple ID, etc.) ✔
iTunes discover@new.itunes.com 17.xx.xx.xx iTunes newsletter (Apps, Movies, etc.) ✔
iTunes itunes@new.itunes.com 17.xx.xx.xx iTunes Spotlight Newsletter ✔
iTunes Store do_not_reply@itunes.com 17.xx.xx.xx iTunes Billing and Store emails ✔
iTunes U iTunesU@new.itunes.com 17.xx.xx.xx iTunes U Newsletter ✔
no friendly from noreply@apple.com 17.xx.xx.xx Apple Support Community Notifications ✔
no friendly from marketresearch@insideapple.apple.com 17.xx.xx.xx Market Research Surveys ✔
no friendly from postmaster@mac.com 17.xx.xx.xx Delivery notifications ✔

We compiled the most frequent email messages sent from Apple. The table below shows that in all instances the sending IP address starts with the number 17 (e.g.  17.254.6.138,  17.171.37.29,  etc.). This quick check is the most effective way to validate any messages you might receive from Apple. This is because all IP addresses that follow 17.xx.xx.xx are owned and operated by Apple, Inc.

Secondly, all Apple messages contain “received: from” (e.g. nwk-txn-msbadger0504.apple.com). While this “received: from” field alone can be faked or spoofed, the combination of IP address and passing DKIM on the apple.com domain is a the highest security credential an email message can have.

How to view “Received: from” field or the sending IP address in iCloud, Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, and AOL.

In iCloud Mail:

  1. Double click the email message.
  2. Click on the wheel icon.
  3. Select “Show long headers.”
  4. Look for “Received: from” under “Original-recipient” (e.g. msbadger0506.apple.com. [17.254.6.160])

Show long headers in iCloud mail.

In Gmail:

  1. Select the message.
  2. Click on the drop-down triangle in the top right corner.
  3. Select “Show original.”
  4. Look for “Received: from” (e.g. msbadger0506.apple.com (msbadger0506.apple.com. [17.254.6.160]))

How to show original email in gmail.In Yahoo:

  1. Select the message.
  2. Click on “More.”
  3. Select “View Raw Message.”
  4. Look for “Received: from” (e.g. msbadger0506.apple.com. [17.254.6.160])
How to view email source in yahoo.

In Hotmail/Outlook:

  1. Select the message.
  2. Click on the drop-down arrow in the top right corner.
  3. Select “View Message Source.”
  4. Look for “Received: from” right above the “From:” field (e.g. msbadger0506.apple.com. [17.254.6.160])
How to view message source in hotmail/outlook.

In AOL:

  1. Select the message
  2. Click on the drop-down arrow in the top right corner
  3. Select “View Message Source.”
  4. Look for “Received: from” right above the “From:” field (e.g. msbadger0506.apple.com. [17.254.6.160])
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