IMPORTANT: This is a preview version of a future feature of Mailbutler. Please only use this if you want to experiment with potentially unstable functionality and want to provide feedback on your experience.

How does it work?

When you send an email from your phone, it usually goes through an SMTP server (which is often linked to an IMAP server for incoming emails). This server sends your email to the recipient's mailbox.

With Mailbutler's tracking SMTP relay, your email will go through the relay first. The relay will add tracking capabilities to your email and then send it to your regular SMTP server, which will then deliver the email to the recipient's mailbox. This way, you can keep track of whether the recipient has opened your email or clicked on any links inside it.

Prerequisites

Using Mailbutler's tracking SMTP relay is only supported when your current email account is sending emails through an SMTP server. If you are not sure whether your email account is using SMTP, you can look up your email provider's documentation or support pages to see if they mention the use of SMTP for sending emails. In general, most email providers use SMTP for sending emails, so it is safe to assume that your email account is using SMTP unless stated otherwise.

  • Microsoft Exchange accounts are not compatible.

  • For AOL, Yahoo! and iCloud, the outgoing email server cannot be configured. For these accounts, you need to set these up as standard IMAP/SMTP email accounts. Then, the server configuration can be customized. For more information on how to do this, please look at your email provider's documentation or support pages.

  • For Gmail you might need to create an application-specific password first to allow Mailbutler access to your SMTP account. 

  • For iCloud you might need to create an application-specific password first to allow Mailbutler access to your SMTP account. 

Configuration

Important: Please make sure that you copy (or have it accessible somewhere else) the original SMTP server configuration you have set up before you replace it with the one below for Mailbutler's tracking SMTP relay.

Example for iOS Mail on your iPhone

1. Open iOS's Settings app and navigate to Mail's Accounts settings

2. Select Accounts.

Select the email account that you want to change.

Navigate further down by selecting the IMAP account until you reach this screen.

3. Navigate to the "Outgoing Mail Server" and copy or write down the information from your current SMTP setup: Host Name, Username and password. You’ll need them later on to finish the set up.

4. Edit the information under "Primary Server".
Replace the current information in these 3 fields with:

Host Name (1): smtp.mailbutler.io

Username (2): <Your Mailbutler account email address>

Password (3): <Your Mailbutler account password>

5. Save the SMTP server configuration with the "Done" button. The configuration will be validated by iOS afterwards.

6. To finish the set up, go back to iOS Mail and try to send an email. Since Mailbutler doesn't have information about your original email server, you'll receive an email asking you to add the necessary SMTP settings to make it work.

7. Follow the instructions as described in the email and enter the info you copied or wrote down in step 3: the server address plus credentials that you were using before you replaced them with the Mailbutler tracking SMTP relay.

For Gmail you might need to create an application-specific password first to allow Mailbutler access to your SMTP account. 

For iCloud you might need to create an application-specific password first to allow Mailbutler access to your SMTP account. 

8. After having added your original SMTP configuration as an integration to your Mailbutler account, you can go back to your email application. The email that could not be sent before through Mailbutler's SMTP relay, should now be able to be sent successfully.

This is it!

From now on, whenever you send an email for this email account, it will first go through Mailbutler's tracking STMP relay before it gets immediately delivered through your regular SMTP server.

Try to send more tracked emails and check whether they appear in Mailbutler's list of tracked emails.

 

2. For Android

  1. Open your mail application and select the account you want to set up tracking for
  2. Go to account settings, and select “outgoing settings”
  3. Copy or write down the information from your current SMTP setup: Host Name, Username and password. You’ll need them later on to finish the set up.

  4. Edit the info, and replace the current information in these 3 fields with:

    Username: <Your Mailbutler account email address>

    Password: <Your Mailbutler account password>

    Host Name: smtp.mailbutler.io


  5. To finish the set up, go back to your email app and try to send an email. Since Mailbutler doesn't have information about your original email server, you'll receive an email asking you to add the necessary SMTP settings to make it work.
  6. Follow the instructions as described in the email and enter the server address plus credentials that you were using before you replaced them with the Mailbutler tracking SMTP relay.
  7. For Gmail you might need to create an application-specific password first to allow Mailbutler access to your SMTP account. 
  8. After having added your original SMTP configuration as an integration to your Mailbutler account, you can go back to your email application. The email that could not be sent before through Mailbutler's SMTP relay, should now be able to be sent successfully.

This is it!

From now on, whenever you send an email for this email account, it will first go through Mailbutler's tracking STMP relay before it gets immediately delivered through your regular SMTP server.

Try to send your more tracked emails and check whether they appear in Mailbutler's list of tracked emails.

Privacy 

As always, Mailbutler protects your privacy as much as possible. Our tracking SMTP relay does not store or analyze anything about your outgoing emails! It simply attaches the required tracking functionality to your email and stores basic meta information in your account for you to find and monitor the tracked email afterwards.

The rest of the sending process is unchanged and should behave the same way as you know it when not using our SMTP relay.

Having any issues?

If you encounter any issues with the setup or experience any other issues when sending tracked emails from your mobile phone or from other email applications, Mailbutler would be happy to receive feedback from you. You can reach us by sending an email to support@mailbutler.io. Keep in mind that this is a preview feature and is not yet ready for an official release.