Gmail's enforcement ramps up: What bulk senders need to know

TL;DR: Gmail is actively enforcing bulk sender requirements. Non-compliant emails now face temporary rate limiting or permanent rejection. If you send 5,000+ emails daily to Gmail accounts, you must implement SPF, DKIM, DMARC alignment, one-click unsubscribe, and keep spam rates below 0.3%. Check your compliance now.

Google has updated its enforcement timeline for bulk email senders. Starting November 2025, Gmail is ramping up enforcement on non-compliant traffic. Messages that fail to meet the email sender requirements will face disruptions, including temporary and permanent rejections.

The grace period is over.

Google's updated FAQ confirms that enforcement will be gradual and progressive for bulk senders who don't meet the requirements. If your emails aren't properly authenticated or don't comply with the guidelines, you'll see error codes that identify exactly why your messages are failing.

Gmail's enforcement now includes temporary failure codes (4.7.x series) that rate-limit non-compliant mail and permanent failure codes (5.7.x series) that block messages outright.

If you send 5,000 or more emails per day to personal Gmail accounts, you're classified as a bulk sender. This classification is permanent. Once you hit this threshold, you can't revert your status by reducing your sending volume. Google's requirements apply to you indefinitely.

Google's requirements focus on three areas:

• Authentication: Implement SPF and DKIM. Ensure DMARC alignment with at least a policy of "none". Set up forward and reverse DNS records. Use TLS connections.
• Unsubscribe compliance: Include one-click unsubscribe functionality in marketing and promotional messages that meets RFC 8058 requirements. Process unsubscribe requests within 48 hours.
• Spam rates: Keep your user-reported spam rate below 0.1%. Never let it reach 0.3%. If your spam rate exceeds 0.3%, you lose access to Gmail's mitigation support until you maintain rates below 0.3% for seven consecutive days.

Google won't automatically mark your emails as spam for most violations, but the consequences still hit hard. Messages get rejected, land in spam folders, or you lose access to Google's delivery support and mitigation services.

The Compliance Status dashboard in Google Postmaster Tools gives bulk senders real-time visibility into how they measure up against these requirements. Red flags mean you need to act now.

The enforcement timeline for new domains (those that haven't sent more than 5,000 emails daily since January 2024) will be accelerated. For established senders, gradual enforcement is already underway.

Don't wait for error codes to appear. Check your current compliance status and ensure your email infrastructure meets all of Google's requirements before your deliverability suffers.

Red Sift OnDMARC makes implementing and managing email authentication straightforward. The platform helps you configure SPF and DKIM correctly, achieve DMARC alignment, and monitor your authentication status across all your email-sending services.

You get visibility into which emails are passing or failing authentication, making it simple to identify and fix issues before they impact deliverability. OnDMARC guides you from an initial policy of "none" through to full enforcement at "reject", protecting your domain from spoofing while ensuring legitimate mail reaches inboxes.

Ready to ensure you're compliant? Our comprehensive Bulk Email Sender Requirements Guide breaks down exactly what you need to action, with step-by-step guidance on implementing SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and all the other requirements to keep your emails landing in inboxes, not spam folders.