Handle bounce reports without confusing unsubscribe or spam

Enable conservative automatic handling

1. Connect the IMAP or POP3 account that receives your sending provider's delivery reports.
2. Open Settings → Automatic bounce handling.
3. Turn on the master switch; it is off initially. Choose whether to automatically suppress confirmed hard bounces or leave them for review.
4. Keep AeroMailer open/in the tray and inspect Bounce history after receiving a report.

Processing checks cached structured reports, including eligible catch-up after restart. A return-path mailbox not connected to AeroMailer cannot be monitored. Reports can be forged; local correlation is not cryptographic authentication.

Which failures auto-suppress?

Automatic suppression requires a confirmed invalid-recipient permanent failure and a matching recent AeroMailer accepted send, original message reference, recipient, and account. An eligible event adds global Hard bounce suppression, stops queued mail to that address, and moves the received report to local Spam. Existing suppression reasons are preserved.

SMTP codes are classifications, not a numerical risk score. A code such as 5.0.0 or any “5.x” response is not automatically enough. Temporary failures, mailbox-full/quota, sender authentication/policy issues, contradictory reports, and unmatched reports are recorded or need review, not automatically treated as invalid recipients.

Review and act manually

Use the filters and the latest 100 report records. Expand diagnostic details when needed. Mark as Spam moves the received notice locally; it does not train the provider or block the failed recipient. Mark as Suppression adds the recipient to global Suppression Contact after confirmation. Verify unmatched/uncertain reports yourself before that override.

Mark as clean hides that report from Bounce history without deleting it, removing suppression, or restoring a notice from Spam. To undo a suppression, review/remove it in Suppression Contact; move the notice out of local Spam separately if appropriate. Reports about multiple recipients in one notice share that notice's local folder.

Separate bounce, unsubscribe, and replies

Bounce suppression does not alter contact Consent, subscription Status, or lifecycle. Recognized unsubscribe changes Status only and does not create suppression. Delivery reports never trigger normal AI/Rule/Advance or off-hours replies, even when automatic bounce handling is disabled. Campaigns retain the original SMTP-accepted result and a separate later bounce event.