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Meet Gmail and Yahoo’s bulk sender requirements when sending email through OneSignal. Since February 2024, Gmail and Yahoo classify any domain that sends 5,000 or more emails per day to Gmail or Yahoo addresses as a bulk sender. The classification is per-domain and permanent. It does not expire if your daily volume later drops. Bulk senders must meet stricter authentication, unsubscribe, and spam-rate requirements or face throttling and spam folder placement. See Gmail and Yahoo bulk sender requirements for the full policy. This page covers the OneSignal-specific steps to meet it.

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Prerequisites

  • OneSignal Email is enabled on your app.
  • You’re sending from a custom domain. Sending with a gmail.com or googlemail.com From: address is not allowed.
  • You have access to your domain’s DNS records.

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1. Verify SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

SPF and DKIM are required for all senders. DMARC is required for bulk senders, but you should publish it regardless because it’s the only way to enforce From: alignment and prevent spoofing.
RecordRequired forPurpose
SPFAll sendersLists the mail servers permitted to send on behalf of your domain.
DKIMAll sendersCryptographic signature that proves the message wasn’t altered in transit.
DMARCBulk sendersPolicy that tells receivers what to do when SPF or DKIM fails, and requires alignment with your From: domain.
Configure all three in your domain’s DNS settings. See Email DNS configuration for the specific record values OneSignal provides. If you don’t have a DMARC record yet, start with a permissive policy. Add this TXT record to your root domain: 
v=DMARC1; p=none;
p=none is “monitor only” mode. It satisfies the bulk sender requirement without affecting deliverability. Tighten to p=quarantine or p=reject once you’ve reviewed a few weeks of DMARC reports.

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2. Align your From: header with your domain

DMARC alignment requires the domain in your From: header to match the domain that signs DKIM or appears in SPF. If you use a dedicated sending subdomain like email.example.com, your From: address must use the root domain:
  • Correct: news@example.com
  • Incorrect: news@email.example.com
Never use gmail.com or googlemail.com in your From: address. Sending mail with a gmail.com From: address through any third-party service, including OneSignal, will be rejected or filtered to spam.

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3. Enable one-click unsubscribe

Bulk senders sending marketing email must include a one-click unsubscribe option and must process opt-outs within two days. OneSignal handles both required pieces:
  • List-Unsubscribe header. Added automatically to every OneSignal email so inbox providers can display a one-click unsubscribe button in their UI.
  • Unsubscribe link in the body. Use the [unsubscribe_url] token in your email content. OneSignal renders it as a working unsubscribe link for each recipient.
See Email unsubscribe links and headers for setup details and Create a custom unsubscribe page to brand the unsubscribe experience.
Transactional emails (receipts, password resets, two-factor codes) are exempt from the one-click unsubscribe requirement. Marketing emails are not.

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4. Monitor your spam rate

Gmail and Yahoo require all senders to keep their reported spam rate below 0.3%. Above that threshold, messages start getting filtered or rejected. OneSignal’s Acceptable Use Policy is stricter at 0.08%.
ProviderWhere to monitor
GmailGoogle Postmaster Tools. The only source for Gmail-specific spam rates.
Yahoo and OutlookEmail reputation dashboard in OneSignal (feedback loop providers).
Connect Postmaster Tools before you reach 5,000 emails per day to Gmail so you have a baseline before scaling.

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FAQ

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Am I a bulk sender?

You’re classified as a bulk sender as soon as you send 5,000 or more emails to Gmail addresses (or 5,000 to Yahoo addresses) within any 24-hour period. The classification is per-domain and per-provider, and it’s permanent. It does not expire if your daily volume later drops.

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Do these requirements apply to transactional email?

SPF, DKIM, From: alignment, valid DNS, TLS, and RFC 5322 formatting apply to all senders regardless of volume or message type. DMARC and one-click unsubscribe only apply to bulk senders sending marketing email. Transactional messages (receipts, password resets, and similar) are exempt from the unsubscribe requirement but should still authenticate properly.

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What happens if I don’t meet these requirements?

Gmail and Yahoo will start throttling, filtering to spam, or rejecting your mail. The deliverability damage compounds over time and is hard to reverse once your domain reputation drops. There is no warning period and no appeals process for individual messages.

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Does OneSignal set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for me?

OneSignal provides the SPF and DKIM record values for you to add to your DNS during email setup. DMARC is your responsibility. You publish the DMARC TXT record on your root domain. See Email DNS configuration.

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How do I check if my DMARC is aligned?

Send a test email to the address shown at About My Email. The tool reports back on SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and alignment for the message you sent.

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Do these rules apply to Outlook, Apple Mail, or other providers?

The Gmail and Yahoo policy is specific to those two providers, but the underlying requirements (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, low spam rates, easy unsubscribe) are best practices for every major inbox provider. Meeting these requirements improves deliverability across the board.

Email deliverability

Sender reputation, bounce and spam thresholds, and the full bulk sender policy.

Email DNS configuration

Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your sending domain.

Email unsubscribe links and headers

Manage unsubscribe links and List-Unsubscribe headers.

Google Postmaster Tools

Monitor Gmail spam rate and domain reputation.