Apple reverses planned Hide My Email domain change

Apple today announced that it will no longer move iCloud+ Hide My Email addresses to a new domain, reversing course on a change announced just two months ago. Here are the details.

In mid-June, Apple announced that Sign in with Apple and Hide My Email would soon get a new shared email domain, with both services moving new addresses to private.icloud.com.

For reference, Sign in with Apple currently uses privaterelay.appleid.com, while Hide My Email addresses use the same icloud.com domain as regular iCloud email accounts.

This makes Hide My Email aliases harder for websites to identify and block, since doing so at the domain level would also risk blocking regular iCloud email addresses.

Which is why Apple’s decision to move Hide My Email to the new private.icloud.com domain sparked immediate controversy, as it would make it much easier for platforms to block the privacy feature for users who choose not to share their real email address when creating an account or filling out a form.

Today, Apple announced its decision to scrap the planned Hide My Email domain change. In a developer update, the company said that “after further consideration and reviewing community feedback, iCloud+ Hide My Email addresses will remain on icloud.com.”

Still, the company said that “new Sign in with Apple addresses, previously issued on privaterelay.appleid.com, will be issued on private.icloud.com” starting later this year, adding that “existing addresses on privaterelay.appleid.com will continue to work and forward mail to users without interruption.”

Apple recommended that developers who use Sign in with Apple ensure their account systems, email validation logic, and allowlists accept private.icloud.com alongside the existing privaterelay.appleid.com domain.

To read Apple’s full announcement, follow this link.