How do I simply turn off "Hide my Email"?

How do I simply turn off "hide my email"?


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Posted on May 11, 2023 9:36 AM

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Posted on May 24, 2023 5:54 PM

No option to deactivate comes up for me. What am I doing wrong? I’m on the Hide My Email page.

26 replies

May 2, 2024 3:49 AM in response to LotusPilot

This does not work.


Or at least doesn't work to stop being forced to either use the Hide My Email or manually enter your email address. With zero (0) Hide My Email addresses active, I just this minute went to a form that asked for an email address and was presented with precisely one (1) option -- "Hide My Email (create a unique email address...)"


What's infuriating is that this is the only option available when filling in forms for organizations that already have my email address and that I correspond with regularly.


This is not a "feature", it's a BUG.

May 2, 2024 3:54 PM in response to LotusPilot

There is no setting for Safari in MacOS. Which is the platform under discussion here. The only options you find regarding Autofill are under the Edit tab, and apply to the form currently in front of you. That said, Safari does remember (or look up) your contact card, and will auto fill field by field if you choose the answers form the Touch Bar or by clicking a selection (depending on your hardware, Touch Bar may not be available). I can get it to do this successfully, asking me to choose between work and home for address, zip code, name, phone number and everything else except email addresses, which about 90% of the time are limited to only Hide My Email. No other options to select from, if I don't want to crate a new throwaway I have to type the address I want manually.


I'm not the one that has Hide My Email and Auto Fill confused -- MacOS is. Because they're working at cross purposes.

Apr 6, 2024 8:03 AM in response to drdavedmin

At the every least, make "Hide My Email" one of the autofill options rather than forcing you to use it or type an email address. Because in addition to being infuriating, there are a couple of bonus features

  1. If the form you're filling in is hosted by an entity that already has your email address and your (inadvertently or intentionally) select the single "Hide My Email", you will get two (or perhaps more) of every communication from that group until you unsubscribe one email or the other.
  2. If you intend to keep corresponding with this group, you need to make sure you click the unsubscribe link in the email sent to the fake email address. Unless of course you want to keep using the throwaway.
  3. When you do try to unsubscribe, and the email isn't pre-populated on the unsubscribe form and you have ot type it... your only auto-fill option is (wait for it) "Hide My Email".


I'm sure there are other unintended side effects that I haven't yet encountered, but ultimately if I decide I need to hide my email in a form, I'm probably not going to fill in that form to begin with. And I certainly do not need Apple to make that decision for me.


But here's a dirty little secret that they probably haven't figured out yet. iOS doesn't seem to enforce this without you telling it to, because my phone doesn't force me to enter my email address when I want to use my email address. Which, by the way, Apple, if you're listening (hey it could happen)? IS MOST OF THE TIME!

May 1, 2024 7:04 PM in response to drdavedmin

I agree! It is extremely frustrating. I cannot send an icloud.com email from my Mac without being REQUIRED to "Hide My Email" ... including to friends and family.


NOWHERE on the web is there an answer and I cannot understand why some techie in this community isn't able to assist. PLEASE. Someone? Anyone?? Bueller??? (lol)


thanks so much in advance.

May 2, 2024 8:47 AM in response to LotusPilot

Thank you for a timely and helpful response.


However, in my case, the problem has nothing to do with filling in forms, website, etc.


The problem is populating the "From" field when I'm writing an email on my Mac. Click "New Message" -> the "From" field is pre-populated with "Hide My Email". I click on it, to manually change to my email address, but there is no option to so. Nor can I delete "Hide My Email" in the "From" section.


If I want to send an email - I'm stuck. Apple is determined to hide my email address.


May 2, 2024 4:42 AM in response to wendysboyfriendjames

You are perhaps confusing AutoFill functions with Hide My Email. These are entirely different functions - and both are available (where configured) when filling-in web forms.



Hide My Email


The entire point of the Hide My Email feature is for those situations where you choose (or have no other option than) to provide an email address to someone - but don't wish to reveal your real address. Hide My Email allows you to create and/or use a temporary/disposable email address in place of your real email address; as soon as it has served its purpose, you can de-activate the associated Hide My Email address - and any email addressed to it will never bother you again.


The iPad User Guide provides more information:

Create and manage Hide My Email addresses in Settings on iPad - Apple Support



AutoFill


AutoFill, when enabled in iPad/iPhone settings, will populate a web form using information derived from your Contact Card stored in the Contacts App:

Add or edit your contact info and photo on iPad - Apple Support


AutoFill needs to be explicitly enabled in settings. When enabled, you'll see an AutoFill button when filling-in web forms (in addition to the Hide My Email button of which you complain):


Settings > Safari > AutoFill >

  • Use Contact Info - set to ON
  • My Info - ensure that you have selected your Contact Card



For more information about AutoFill functions and setup, see:

Automatically fill in forms in Safari on iPad - Apple Support

Automatically fill in strong passwords on iPad - Apple Support

May 2, 2024 6:42 PM in response to drdavedmin

Let me be more specific:


When I compose an email, the "From:" field will ONLY allow “hide my email” Or “NSMENU”. The send button is greyed out. I have bumbled around to try and change this setting and *sometimes* it will revert to my go-to email address, and then I am able to click on send. Invariably, the problem returns.


How do I get rid of this problem? I really have no idea why it simply appeared in the first place.


May 11, 2024 7:52 PM in response to LotusPilot

The problem is that Apple wants to hide my email when writing an email.


Please understand that this is an entirely different issue than hiding an email on a website.


THIS:


I want to send an email - maybe to a friend, a colleague - someone who I know.

  • I click on "New Message"
  • A new message form appears, with the "From: Hide My Email" - not with my email.
  • I cannot delete "Hide My Email".
  • I cannot manually type in my email address.

I have no other options.


How do I simply turn off "Hide my Email"?

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