Apple is making a change to Hide My Email that has sparked concerns among privacy-conscious users. Later this summer, newly generated Hide My Email and Sign in with Apple addresses will use the new @private.icloud.com domain instead of the current @icloud.com and @privaterelay.appleid.com domains.
On paper, the move simply unifies Apple’s email relay services under a single domain. Existing aliases will continue to work normally and forward messages without interruption. The concern is what happens with new aliases going forward.
Hide My Email is one of the most useful privacy features included with iCloud+. It lets users create random email addresses that forward messages to their real inbox, helping them sign up for apps and websites without revealing their personal email address.
Until now, Hide My Email aliases used the same @icloud.com domain as regular iCloud email accounts. That made it difficult for websites to distinguish between a standard Apple email address and a privacy alias. Blocking Hide My Email users would also mean blocking legitimate iCloud users.
That changes with @private.icloud.com.
Because the new domain is exclusively used for Apple’s relay service, websites and apps will be able to identify Hide My Email addresses immediately. Critics argue this makes it much easier for services that dislike anonymous signups to block privacy aliases without affecting regular iCloud accounts.
The issue has generated significant discussion among developers and privacy advocates. Some users are already creating additional aliases before the migration takes effect in order to keep addresses tied to the existing domains.
Apple has not explained the reasoning behind the change beyond consolidating its relay services. The company says developers should update their systems to recognize the new domain and continue supporting existing relay addresses.
Whether websites actually start blocking @private.icloud.com addresses remains unclear. However, the change removes a hurdle that previously made it difficult to target Hide My Email users specifically, which is why the announcement has raised concerns among people who rely on the feature to protect their privacy online.
