Apple plans to change its Hide My Email privacy feature that could make it less effective
Key takeaways
- Apple s Hide My Email is an i Cloud+ feature that generates anonymous email addresses under the @icloud.com domain, which then forward messages to a person’s real email address.
- Existing addresses will continue to function and forward mail without interruption, Apple said in the note to developers.
- Apple did not respond to a request for comment from TechCrunch about the change, or explain why it made the change.
Apple s plan to change a privacy feature that lets paying customers hide their real email addresses when creating online accounts could make it easier for apps and websites to block anonymous sign-ups.
Apple s Hide My Email is an i Cloud+ feature that generates anonymous email addresses under the @icloud.com domain, which then forward messages to a person’s real email address. The reason these privately generated email addresses work is because they cannot be distinguished from regular Apple users, whose email addresses also use the @icloud.com domain.
Apple said in a note to developers on Monday that in the coming weeks the company will move its anonymously generated email addresses to @private.icloud.com, effectively making it easier for apps and websites to know that an email address is private and block users from signing up.