Google is developing a shielded email feature with disposable aliases, similar to Maildrop

Google is reportedly developing a new feature called "Shielded Email" to enhance user privacy by allowing the creation of single-use or limited-use email aliases within Gmail. This feature aims to help users keep their main email addresses private, reducing spam and the risk of data breaches.

The Shielded Email functionality was discovered in the latest Google Play Services 24.45.33 APK, where several related strings were identified. Users will be able to generate disposable email addresses for specific apps or services, which will forward emails to their primary account and can be disabled at any time for better control over email forwarding. Strings found in the APK, such as "Use Shielded Email" and "Keep your email address private with Shielded Email," indicate intuitive user controls.

If widely adopted, this would be a similar alternative to Apple’s Hide My Email in Safari and Apple Mail or services like MailDrop or Firefox Relay