Back in the day, instead of taking the easy way out by signing into new apps with Facebook, we opted instead to use an email address and a new password for each account. When that became overwhelmingly time-consuming, we finally caved to temptation and started using my Facebook account as a universal login, despite reservations about its privacy practices.
With iOS 13, iPadOS 13, WatchOS 6, tvOS 13, and MacOS Catalina, Apple introduced a solution: Sign in. With the Sign in feature, you get a more private way to sign into and manage third-party apps and websites using your Apple ID instead of giving up your email to anyone who asks. A Sign in with Apple button on an app or website means you can set up an account and sign in with your Apple ID. Instead of using a social media account, or tapping out endless forms and choosing tons of secure passwords, you just sign in via Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode. To use Sign in, you must have an Apple ID with two-factor authentication enabled and you must be signed into iCloud. You can use Sign in with various web browsers, including Apple’s Safari, and even on Android or Windows. The service is available to people who are 13 years old or over.
Once you’ve set it up, when apps and websites request your name and email address to set up your account, you can instead use Hide My Email — Apple’s private email relay service — to create a random burner-style email address that forwards app messages to your real email address without revealing it to that third-party developer. Only the registered app or developer can communicate with you via this address and you can turn it off if you don’t want to continue using it. Sign in does not track or profile you and Apple retains only the information needed to ensure you can sign in and otherwise manage the app.
Use Sign in on your iOS device
- Sign in with your Apple ID on your device.
- Tap the Sign in with Apple button on the app or site you want to use.
- If you’re asked for your name and email address, Sign in with Apple automatically fills in the information from your Apple ID. You can edit your name or choose either Share My Email or Hide My Email.
- Tap Continue and confirm with Face ID, Touch ID, or your device passcode.
- If you don’t have Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode, you can use your Apple ID password.
- As long as you are signed in to your device, you stay signed in to those apps.
- If you need to sign in again, just tap the Sign in with Apple button and repeat the process.
A random email address generated for you by Apple will look something like this: [email protected]. This is especially useful when you are checking out an app for the first time, or you are not familiar with or don’t completely trust a developer. You can change the email addresses or disable email forwarding at any time.
- On your iPhone, go to Settings, then tap your name.
- Tap Name, Phone Numbers, Email, then tap Forward to under Hide My Email.
- Choose the address you want emails to be forwarded to.
- When you choose the email address, this applies to email from all apps and developers using Hide My Email.
Messages sent to this address are automatically forwarded to your real email address via Apple’s relay service. You can read and even respond to these emails while keeping your own address private. Apple does not scan email content though it does perform spam filtering. All messages get deleted from Apple’s relay servers seconds after delivery.
Disable email forwarding
You can halt emails from a particular app or site or turn off Forward To, which will cease the flow of email from that app into your inbox until you turn forwarding back on.
- On your iPhone, go to Settings, then tap your name.
- Tap on Password & Security.
- Tap on Apps Using Your Apple ID.
- Find the app you want to discontinue.
- Select Stop Using Apple ID, then on the next pane, choose Stop Using.
When you quit using your Apple ID with an app, you get signed out of the app on your device. The next time you visit the app or its associated website, you can either select Sign in with Apple to sign in again or create a new account. If you use Sign in with Apple again, you’re signed in to the same account you already had. Some apps might let you create a new password so you can sign in without using your Apple ID. Others might let you use Sign in for multiple apps. If you turn off email forwarding or stop using your Apple ID for one app, though, it could apply to all other apps from the same vendor.