Plusnet router blocking iCloud emails

[#1]

The iCloud app on my iPad is blocking certain emails, those with images attached, when I’m connected to my home broadband. If I go through the Gmail app on my iPad, all emails, including those sent to my iCloud account, are downloaded fully.  If I tether my iPad to my Samsung a13 and use its data connection, all emails, including those sent to my iCloud account, are downloaded fully. Apple says it’s something in the router which is preventing the iCloud emails downloading to the iCloud Mail app because there’s no issue if I use Gmail or my mobile phone.  Plusnet sent me a new router2 and said if that didn’t remedy it then it was an Apple issue. The new router has made no difference.  Has anyone else had this issue?

[#2]

@Kev1960 Are the emails themselves being blocked, or just the images? The router would not 'block images'.

I seem to recall having a similar issue a while back, and it was actually a setting on the mail app on the phone/iPad.

[#3]

@Kev1960 

as an experiment I posted your post in Copilot

See https://copilot.microsoft.com/shares/jTd8w1x899KMdwxvyEQkR 

[#4]

...Impressive!

[#5]

The emails get through but the images appear as empty boxes which, when touched, take you to the webpage of the sender e.g. Netflix or Amazon. In my discussions with Apple Support I went through all the security options including turning off certain privacy protocols but nothing worked.

[#6]

@Kev1960 do you have Plusnet Safeguard enabled ?

[#7]

How do I find that out?

[#8]

Yes. I’ve just found the Safeguard toggle and it’s turned on.

[#9]

@Kev1960 Try turning it to 'off'. You may need to reboot the router for the change to be effective, but I am not sure.

[#10]

You may need to reboot the router

You WILL need to reboot the router (or disconnect/reconnect the PPPoE connection)

Safeguard works by assigning different DNS servers and they will only be assigned when the PPPoE connection is (re)established

[#11]

Thanks for doing that. It’s a very comprehensive reply to my query AND I can understand most of the suggestions. I’m just cautious when it comes to doing things like - turning off Safeguard on the router - changing DNS configurations- disabling IPv6 on the router.  What are the drawbacks of doing these things?  Will it make my use of the internet less secure or less private?

[#12]

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@MisterW wrote:

You may need to reboot the router

You WILL need to reboot the router (or disconnect/reconnect the PPPoE connection)

Safeguard works by assigning different DNS servers and they will only be assigned when the PPPoE connection is (re)established

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Thanks for confirming what I suspected, @MisterW - having no need of 'Safeguard', I have never looked at it, so was slightly unsure of the procedure.

[#13]

@Kev1960 Just try turning safeguard off - unless you have children who may 'stumble' on possibly unsuitable content, it will not have any effect on your security.

[#14]

@MisterW 

Why might safeguarding inhibit downloading images in the iCloud app but not in the Gmail app?

[#15]

I dont know exactly but from @Dan_the_Van s link previously

Apple Mail doesn’t download images directly from the sender’s server. It routes them through Apple’s privacy infrastructure (Mail Privacy Protection, iCloud Private Relay, etc.).

whereas AIUI Gmail downloads them directly