Email provider · 5.x.x permanent failure
Every SMTP 554 response on record from Apple (icloud.com, me.com, mac.com), with the verbatim text, the enhanced status code, a severity rating and a plain-English fix.
The transaction failed with no more specific reason offered. In practice the receiver is saying the message is unwanted: a spam verdict, a blocklisted IP, or a policy rejection. The accompanying text is where the detail is.
smtp;554 5.7.1 <[email protected]>: Relay access denied
The server will not relay mail for this destination. Send through the correct outbound server for the domain, and confirm the recipient really hosts mail with this provider.
Provider documentation
smtp;554 5.7.1 [CS01] Message rejected due to local policy. Please visit https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204137
The receiver rejected the message under a policy rule rather than a content or reputation score. This is usually set by the recipient's mail admin, so ask the recipient to allowlist your sending address or domain.
Provider documentation
Postmaster & documentation
The transaction failed with no more specific reason offered. In practice the receiver is saying the message is unwanted: a spam verdict, a blocklisted IP, or a policy rejection. The accompanying text is where the detail is. At Apple, it is a permanent rejection, and the specific reason is in the enhanced status code and message text of each response below.
Match your bounce text to one of the responses below and follow its guidance. Recipient-side wording means fix the address. Authentication or reputation wording (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, blocklist) means fix your sending setup, and check Apple's postmaster documentation.
