Introduction
Not every email you send reaches the inbox immediately. Sometimes there is a temporary issue that prevents the email from being delivered. This is called a soft bounce.
What are soft bounces?
A soft bounce means that an email address is still valid, but the email cannot be delivered at that moment. In many cases, the email will be delivered successfully later.
- Full inbox: the recipient’s mailbox is full and cannot receive new messages temporarily. Once space is freed up, the email may still be delivered.
- Server temporarily offline: the recipient’s mail server is not available at the time of sending, for example due to maintenance or an outage. Once the server is back online, the email can be delivered.
- Email too large: some servers reject emails that are too large, such as those containing heavy images or attachments. In this case, the email cannot be delivered until the file size is reduced.
How does Xendy handle this?
Xendy automatically detects soft bounces and attempts to resend the email up to three more times. If the email is still rejected after these attempts, the contact will be marked as ‘Inactive’ to protect your sending reputation.
Why is this important?
Too many soft bounces can negatively affect your reputation with email providers like Gmail and Outlook. By automatically deactivating contacts that repeatedly soft bounce, Xendy keeps your email list healthy and improves overall deliverability.
Frequently Asked Questions
A soft bounce means that an email address is valid, but the email cannot be delivered at that moment. In many cases, the email will be delivered later.
- Soft bounce: a temporary issue, such as a full mailbox or a server that’s temporarily offline.
- Hard bounce: a permanent issue, such as an invalid address or a non-existent domain.
Xendy automatically detects soft bounces and retries sending the email up to three more times. If delivery still fails, the contact is marked as ‘Inactive’ to protect your sending reputation.
Too many soft bounces can harm your reputation with email providers such as Gmail and Outlook. By automatically deactivating repeatedly soft-bouncing contacts, Xendy helps maintain a healthy email list and improves your chances of landing in the inbox.
