Hide My Email service — buggy

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Hide My Email service — buggy

It appears that using this feature, designed to protect your email address from apps requiring sign-ins, is more troublesome and creates more problems than the benefits it offers.

For instance, today I noticed I was logged out of a laundry app and attempted to log back in. However, my iPhone did not prompt me to use the same special login (*******@privaterelay.appleid.com).

When I tried to reset my password, the app indicated that the email address I used (*******@privaterelay.appleid.com) was invalid.

I checked my forwarded emails to the valid address, but there was nothing sent there either.

In my experience, using this special email address prevents me from filling forms and using it as a genuine email address. I'm sharing this in case others encounter the same issue.

NB: this issue has been ongoing for at least three years.

iPhone 15 Pro Max

Posted on Jun 29, 2024 4:14 PM

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Answer 1

Jun 30, 2024 1:47 AM in response to Homer888

Probably the very use of the feature is not completely understood by many users...

In iCloud settings: In Settings, tap [your name] > iCloud, then tap Hide My Email. You can see and manage all your unique random addresses. In Wallet & Apple Pay settings (iOS 17, iPadOS 17 or later): In Settings, tap Wallet & Apple Pay, tap Email, then turn on Hide My Email.

Set up and use Hide My Email in iCloud+ on all your devices

This is a part of iCloud+. Probably you are unaware of the advantages of this feature.

Hide My Email offers several advantages:

Enhanced Privacy: Hide My Email allows you to create unique, randomized email addresses that can be used for different services or online platforms. This helps protect your actual email address and reduces the risk of it being exposed to spam or unwanted communications.
Spam Prevention: By using Hide My Email, you can avoid providing your real email address to websites or services that might sell or misuse your contact information. If you start receiving unwanted emails or spam to a specific Hide My Email address, you can easily disable or delete it without affecting your primary email account.
Control Over Communication: Hide My Email gives you greater control over who can contact you. If you no longer wish to receive emails from a particular sender, you can disable or delete the associated Hide My Email address, effectively cutting off their access to your inbox.
Reduced Data Collection: Many online services require an email address during signup, but they may not necessarily need your real email for their core functionality. By using Hide My Email, you can limit the personal information you share and reduce the amount of data collected by various platforms.
Organization and Filtering: With Hide My Email, you can create unique addresses for different purposes or platforms. This allows for better organization and easier filtering of incoming emails. For example, you can create a separate Hide My Email address for online shopping, social media accounts, or newsletter subscriptions.
Easy Management: Apple's Hide My Email feature is integrated into the Mail app on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. This makes it convenient to create, manage, and delete Hide My Email addresses directly from your device settings without needing to rely on third-party services.

Having said that you can always choose not to use Hide My email and delete them whenever you desire.

Please refer to the pic below which is self-explanatory

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