[MacTUG] iphone mail will ALWAYS send an email read-receipt

[Daniel Allen]

I just learned that iphones will ALWAYS send an email read-receipt if requested by the sender- if the MTA is Microsoft Exchange (as is the situation for any of us using connect.uwaterloo.ca).

The way I discovered this was an email bounce I received from Connect, regarding a spam message I deleted from my iphone. (copied below) The sender's email was garbled so the read-receipt bounced back to me.

According to http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1426720 and other sources, this is a "feature" of Exchange and Apple's license for MS ActiveSync; some source (I lost the link) said Apple cannot disable this feature. Another source suggested read-receipt could be disabled for all mail on the Connect server, and there was no middle-ground.

I'm not too pleased about this discovery.

I've just tested sending myself an email with read-receipt requested (via Outlook Web App) and confirmed that the read-receipt is generated as soon as the email is loaded. 

It is not generated if I delete the email without reading it (even though the first few lines are previewed).  
It is also not generated if the email has already been read by another client (such as mac mail, or Outlook Web App). I notice that mac mail.app doesn't even offer the option of sending the return receipt. Outlook Web App will give you the option but defaults to "no".

I really don't like this iphone "feature" and am wondering about options. I might disable reading work email on my iphone. I could set up a bouncer to forward work mail to a non-Exchange server. Or I could set my work mac to automatically mark all incoming mail as "read", but that's not so useful.

Any other ideas?

-Daniel

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Microsoft Outlook <MicrosoftExchange329e71ec88ae4615bbc36ab6ce41109e at uwaterloo.ca>
> Date: 23 December, 2012 12:20:27 PM EST
> To: <daniel.allen at uwaterloo.ca>
> Subject: Undeliverable: 
> 
> Delivery has failed to these recipients or groups:
> 
> MUHAN.DIGITAL.Co. at services106.cs.uwaterloo.ca
> The format of the e-mail address isn't correct. A correct address looks like this: someone at example.com. Please check the recipient's e-mail address and try to resend the message.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Diagnostic information for administrators:
> 
> Generating server: CONNHUB4.connect.uwaterloo.ca
> 
> MUHAN.DIGITAL.Co. at services106.cs.uwaterloo.ca
> #550 5.1.3 STOREDRV.Submit; invalid recipient address #SMTP#
> 
> Original message headers:
> 
> Received: from CONNMBX6.connect.uwaterloo.ca ([129.97.149.118]) by
>  connhub4.connect.uwaterloo.ca ([129.97.149.122]) with mapi id 14.01.0421.002;
>  Sun, 23 Dec 2012 12:20:27 -0500
> Content-Type: application/ms-tnef; name="winmail.dat"
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary
> From: Daniel Allen <daniel.allen at uwaterloo.ca>
> To: "MUHAN.DIGITAL.Co. at services106.cs.uwaterloo.ca"
> 	<MUHAN.DIGITAL.Co. at services106.cs.uwaterloo.ca>
> Subject: Read: About Chip Programmer for Mimaki, Roland, Epson
> Thread-Topic: About Chip Programmer for Mimaki, Roland, Epson
> Thread-Index: AQHN4SiB8mJqKxxqKk+/0jCYXvKvXpgmoUgS
> Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2012 12:20:26 -0500
> Message-ID: <AD3768803BD9A94C8B123BB8CEA6A9715D8E8343 at connmbx6>
> Accept-Language: en-CA, en-US
> Content-Language: en-CA
> X-MS-Has-Attach:
> X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: <AD3768803BD9A94C8B123BB8CEA6A9715D8E8343 at connmbx6>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Reporting-MTA: dns;CONNHUB4.connect.uwaterloo.ca
> Received-From-MTA: dns;connect.uwaterloo.ca
> Arrival-Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2012 17:20:27 +0000
> 
> Final-Recipient: rfc822;MUHAN.DIGITAL.Co. at services106.cs.uwaterloo.ca
> Action: failed
> Status: 5.1.3
> Diagnostic-Code: smtp;550 5.1.3 STOREDRV.Submit; invalid recipient address
> X-Display-Name: MUHAN.DIGITAL.Co. at services106.cs.uwaterloo.ca
> 
> 
> From: Daniel Allen <daniel.allen at uwaterloo.ca>
> Date: 23 December, 2012 12:20:26 PM EST
> To: "MUHAN.DIGITAL.Co. at services106.cs.uwaterloo.ca" <MUHAN.DIGITAL.Co. at services106.cs.uwaterloo.ca>
> Subject: Read: About Chip Programmer for Mimaki, Roland, Epson
> 
> 
> Your message 
> 
>    To: Daniel Allen
>    Subject: About Chip Programmer for Mimaki, Roland, Epson
>    Sent: December 23, 2012 10:50:50 AM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
> 
>  was read on December 23, 2012 12:20:26 PM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
> 
> 

-- 
Daniel Allen, Computing Technology Specialist, User Support
Computer Science Computing Facility (CSCF)
drallen at uwaterloo.ca; x35448;  DC 2621

It is the goal of CSCF to respond to client email by the end of the
next business day.  If I have not responded by then, please contact my
manager Trevor Grove (trg at uwaterloo.ca) who may be able to assist you.

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