Apple plans Hide My Email domain change that could make anonymous signups easier to block

Apple has announced that it will soon modify how Hide My Email, its email aliasing feature for iCloud+ users. New aliases will be generated under a new @private.icloud.com domain instead of the current @icloud.com addresses. The change is meant to separate private aliases from regular Apple email accounts, making it easier to identify when an address was created through Hide My Email.

The service lets people create random email addresses that forward messages to their real inbox, helping them sign up for apps and websites without sharing their personal email address. Until now, Hide My Email aliases were harder to distinguish from regular @icloud.com accounts, since both used the same domain. The shift to @private.icloud.com makes these private addresses much easier for apps and websites to identify, which clearly reduces the privacy protection offered by this tool, since it could also make it easier for services to block or restrict all accounts created with Apple’s anonymous email aliases.

The company said that existing Hide My Email addresses will continue to work and forward messages without interruption. Apple has also advised app developers and email providers to update their filtering systems so messages sent to Hide My Email users are not blocked unintentionally. However, some users have criticized the move arguing that it could reduce the effectiveness of Hide My Email since services may simply prevent signups using the clearly identifiable domain.