mail() is filtered by hotmail?

[tjmbc]

I am using the mail() function to send an activation email to users upon registration, but hotmail keeps throwing these messages into a junk mail folder automatically. Is there a php work around for this?

[DarkWater]

Hotmail doesn't know that you're sending it with mail() (okay, well, it might from the headers), so it's just the server that's the problem.  Hotmail thinks that your server is spam.  Just tell them to check their junk mail when registering if they use hotmail.

[PFMaBiSmAd]

Reading the hotmail postmaster site will help - http://postmaster.msn.com/Troubleshooting.aspx

 

Short version -

 

Your server DNS records need to be correct and your mail server must be configured correctly. (Often a missing SPF record will get an email voted as spam.)

 

Your mail server must not have previously sent spam or appear on any of the spam databases.

 

The mechanics (headers) of the email must be correct.

 

The subject and content of the email must not contain too many "spam" trigger words.

[.josh]

Yay spam filters FTW.  At the end of the day even if all your i's are dotted and t's are crossed, it could still be labeled as spam if your server has had past issues of sending out spam (like if you're on a shared server and other people have used it for such things) so all you can really do is make sure all your ducks are lined up in a row...and then make a statement to the receiver (wherever applicable) to check their spam/junkmail box.

[Darklink]

If your reply-to address has noreply in it, hotmail may filter it out as spam. I've heard it does that before.