How to Use Hide My Email in iOS 15 Mail

Apple's iOS 15 expanded privacy protection by integrating the "Hide My Email" feature directly into the native Mail app for iCloud+ subscribers. This guide explains how the integration works, detailing the process of generating disposable, randomly generated email addresses on the fly while composing messages, how incoming replies are seamlessly routed to your primary inbox, and how to manage these addresses once they are active.

The Mechanics of Hide My Email

Hide My Email is an iCloud+ privacy feature that creates unique, randomized @icloud.com addresses. Instead of exposing your personal email address to unknown recipients, newsletters, or services, the system creates a private relay bridge.

When you send a message from a disposable address, the recipient only sees the generated alias. When they reply, Apple’s relay servers receive the email and instantly forward it to your primary Apple ID email address, keeping your actual identity completely concealed throughout the communication chain.

How to Create a Disposable Address Directly in Mail

Prior to iOS 15, disposable addresses were primarily generated via "Sign in with Apple" or through system settings. In iOS 15, the native Mail app integrates this capability directly into the message composer:

  1. Start a New Message: Open the Mail app on your iPhone or iPad running iOS 15 and tap the Compose button in the bottom right corner.
  2. Access the Sender Field: Tap the Cc/Bcc, From: field to expand your sending options, then tap the From: line.
  3. Select Hide My Email: A scrollable list of your configured email accounts will appear. Scroll to the bottom of the list and tap Hide My Email.
  4. Automatic Generation: iOS instantly generates a random, unique alphanumeric address (for example, randomstring123@icloud.com).
  5. Send Your Message: Enter the recipient's address, add your subject and body text, and tap Send. The recipient will receive the email as though it originated from that unique alias.

How Two-Way Communication Works

Two-way communication remains completely private after sending:

  • Inbound Replies: When the recipient replies to your disposable address, Apple routes the message through its relay system and delivers it directly to your default iCloud inbox.
  • Replying Back: If you reply to that incoming message within the Mail app, iOS automatically routes the reply through the same alias, ensuring the recipient never learns your authentic address.

Managing and Revoking Disposable Addresses

Because each address is tied to your iCloud account, you retain full control over its lifecycle:

  1. Open the Settings app on iOS 15.
  2. Tap your Apple ID banner at the top, then tap iCloud.
  3. Select Hide My Email.
  4. Locate the address generated for your correspondence. You can add a custom label, make notes on what the address is used for, or toggle Deactivate Email Address.

Once deactivated, any incoming emails sent to that address are immediately blocked and discarded before reaching your inbox, making it an effective defense against spam and tracking.