Sharing your email has become second nature. You share it for discounts, to join newsletters and more. It’s become a rote part of the shopping experience, and while it might seem harmless, it can actually open you up to data breaches and spam.
Chester Wisniewski, director and chief information security officer at Sophos, a cybersecurity firm, said the risk of oversharing your email is often underestimated. «Most of us use one primary email address. Once criminals know it’s real, it opens up many opportunities for them to try to get into other accounts,» he explained.
That’s why Apple’s Hide My Email feature can be such a useful tool.
Instead of giving every retailer your primary email address, you can generate a random email alias for online shopping and returns. The messages still land in your inbox, but the retailer won’t have your real email address. If the alias starts getting spammed or you no longer need messages from the company you gave it to, you can shut it off in seconds.
I used Hide My Email to reduce the amount of spam I was receiving. Here’s how you can do the same and protect your personal information while shopping online.
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Why I use the Hide My Email feature
This Apple feature is great for online shopping when you sign up for discounts, track orders or returns. These messages can be helpful in the moment, but often turn into frequent marketing emails that continue long after you’re tired of them.
Companies may also provide your email to third parties, which means even more messages in your inbox. Hide My Email means you can use the alias for these short-term needs and turn it off (or back on) as you want. This helps you avoid an inbox with hundreds or thousands of unread emails.
«It’s enlightening what you find when you start using unique emails [for different companies],» Wisniewski said. «You start noticing how many companies are selling your information because all the marketing goes to the address you used with them.»
Note that Hide My Email is only available for iCloud Plus users. Those plans start at $1 a month for 50GB of cloud storage, up to $60 a month for 12TB of storage. All plans include Hide My Email and Apple’s Private Relay feature and allow you to customize your email domain.
Setting up an email alias for online shopping
Here’s how to set up Hide My Email on your iPhone:
1. Go to Settings, tap your name at the top, and select iCloud. Scroll down to choose Hide My Email under iCloud Plus Features.
2. Tap Create New Address. A screen will show the email alias that Apple generated. You can choose to keep this address or generate a new one.
3. Add a clear label for the address, such as «Holiday Shopping 2025» or «Target Returns.» This helps you remember what you used the alias for and can help identify which store may have shared your email with third parties. This step keeps your messages organized and easier to manage.
Once you’ve followed the steps, you can use your new email alias anywhere — in-store shopping and online. You can use it anytime you’re prompted to enter your email — especially when subscribing to discount codes, coupons or mailers. It’s also handy for updates on shipping, order status and return communications.
Make sure the alias is set to forward to your main email inbox. This lets you get the messages without checking an extra app or inbox. The store never sees your real address, and you can turn the alias off at any time.
How to use Hide My Email
Shopping online comes with companies practically begging you to register your email for deals, returns and shipment tracking. Here are a few helpful ways to use this Apple feature:
Managing online returns and customer service
Many holiday returns require a valid email to send a return label or confirm a refund. You can use the same alias for each store to keep all return updates in one place. This prevents the store from sending marketing emails to your main inbox later or receiving unwanted spam from third-party partners.
Using accounts you only need once
When you’re buying gifts for friends and family, you may visit websites or sign up for lists that you only use once. You might create an account to view a digital wishlist or share your email to join a mailing list at the local holiday market. These sign-ups can be helpful during the season, but you usually don’t need them once the holidays end. A burner address lets you get the updates you want and easily turn it off when you no longer need the account.
Avoid sharing your primary address
Your primary email is likely tied to very important accounts, such as banking, social media and other subscriptions; so you want to keep it as private as possible. Retailers sometimes store customer email addresses for long-term marketing or may share them with third parties leading to unwanted messages. Using the Hide My Email feature helps protect your personal inbox while still receiving the updates you need during the holidays.
Cleaning up the clutter
Once you no longer need them, you can deactivate or delete burner addresses you no longer need. This helps clear clutter out of your primary inbox and stops companies from sending more marketing emails. Here’s how to do it:
1. Open Settings and tap your name. Select iCloud and choose Hide My Email.
2. Find the label you created, such as «Holiday Shopping 2025» or «Target Returns.» Tap the label to open the details page.
3. Towards the bottom of your screen, select Deactivate Email Address. This stops all incoming mail to that alias right away. The sender may see that the message cannot be delivered. You can turn it back on at any time if you need it later or for the next holiday season.
Deactivation gives you control without losing the label or message history. It also keeps your Hide My Email list organized and easy to manage. Once deactivated, you can view inactive addresses in the Hide My Emailsection.
If you’re confident you’ll never need the alias again, you can choose to delete it. Select the inactive address you want to remove and tap Delete Address. Note that deleting is permanent — you won’t be able to recover the alias once it’s removed.
Consider waiting to deactivate these email aliases until you’re absolutely certain you don’t need the messages or accounts, then delete when you’re ready to remove it completely.
Make email aliases your new online shopping habit
Setting up a few email aliases can lead to a quieter and more secure inbox. It’s also a simple way to protect yourself against data breaches. You don’t have to eliminate every single risk to make your inbox safer, but using tools like Hide My Emailis a great first step.
«Despite the number of data breaches being really high, there are still things in your life that are more sensitive, and it’s worth doing what you can to protect yourself,» Wisniewski said.
Making this a regular habit for online signups can help protect your personal email, reduce spam and improve your long-term email security.
