Are you tired of constant spam? Use this simple iOS feature to get rid of them

Sharing your email has become second nature. You can share them to get discounts, to join newsletters and more. This has become a routine part of the shopping experience, and while it may seem harmless, it can actually expose you to data breaches and spam.

Chester VisnevskyThe risk of over-sharing your email is often underestimated, said director and chief information security officer at cybersecurity firm Sophos. “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 Hide my email The feature can be a useful tool.

Instead of giving each retailer your primary email address, you can create a random email alias for online shopping and returns. Messages will still arrive in your inbox, but the retailer will not have your real email address. If your alias starts receiving spam or you no longer need messages from the company you gave it to, you can close it in seconds.

I used to 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 do I use the hide my email feature?

This Apple feature is great for online shopping when you sign up for discounts or track orders or returns. These messages can be helpful in the moment, but they often turn into repetitive marketing emails that linger long after you’ve tired of them.

Companies may also provide your email to third parties, which means more messages in your inbox. Hide my email It means you can use the alias for these short-term needs and turn it off (or back on) as you like. This helps you avoid an inbox containing 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 to notice 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 to iCloud Plus users. These plans start at $1 per month for 50GB Cloud storageup to $60 per month for 12TB of storage. All plans include hide my email and Apple’s own relay The feature allows you to customize your email domain.

Set up an email alias for online shopping

Here’s how to set up Hide my email On your iPhone:

1. Go to Settingstap your name at the top, then choose iCloud. Scroll down to choose Hide my email Among the iCloud Plus features.

2. handle Create a new address. The screen will display the email alias created by Apple. You can choose to keep this address or create a new one.

3. Add a Clear title labelsuch as “Holiday Shopping 2025” or “Targeted Returns.” This helps you remember what you used the alias for and can help identify a store that may have shared your email with third parties. This step keeps your messages organized and easier to manage.

Once you follow the steps, you can use your new email alias anywhere – in-store and online. You can use it any time you’re asked to enter your email — especially when you sign up for discount codes, coupons, or mailers. It is also useful for getting updates on shipping, order status, and returns communications.

Make sure the alias is set to forward to your main email box. This allows you to get messages without checking an additional app or inbox. The store never sees your real address, and you can turn off aliasing at any time.

How to use hide my email

Online shopping comes with companies that practically beg you to register your email to get deals, returns, and track shipments. Here are some useful ways to use this Apple feature:

Online returns management and customer service

Many holiday returns require a valid email to send the return label or refund confirmation. 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 spam from external partners.

You only need to use the accounts once

When you buy gifts for friends and family, you can visit websites or subscribe to lists that you only use once. You can create an account to view a digital wish list or share your email to join a mailing list at your local holiday market. These subscriptions can be useful during the season, but you usually don’t need them once the holidays are over. The copy address allows you to 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 customers’ email addresses for long-term marketing purposes or may share them with third parties resulting in spam. Using the Hide My Email feature helps protect your personal inbox while still receiving the updates you need during the holidays.

Clean up the mess

Once they are no longer needed, you can deactivate or delete copy titles that you no longer need. This helps eliminate clutter in your primary inbox and prevents companies from sending more marketing emails. Here’s how to do it:

1. It opens Settings And click on your name. Select iCloud and choose Hide my email.
2. Find the label you created, such as “Holiday Shopping 2025” or “Targeted Returns.” Click on the label to open the details page.
3. At the bottom of the screen, select Deactivate the email address. This stops all mail to that alias immediately. The sender may see that the message cannot be delivered. And you can turn it back on at any time if you need it later or the next holiday season.

Deactivating gives you control without losing your rating or message history. It also keeps your Hide My Email list organized and easy to manage. Once deactivated, you can view inactive addresses in Hide My Emailto divide.

If you’re confident that you won’t need your alias again, you can choose to delete it. Select the inactive address you want to remove, and then click Delete title. Note that the deletion is permanent, and you will not be able to restore the alias after it is removed.

Consider waiting to deactivate these email aliases until you’re absolutely sure you don’t need the messages or accounts, and then delete them when you’re ready to remove them completely.

Make email aliases a new online shopping habit

Setting up some email aliases can create a quieter, more secure mailbox. It’s also a simple way to protect yourself from data breaches. You don’t have to eliminate all risks to make your inbox more secure, but tools like Hide My Email doIt’s a great first step.

“Even though the number of data breaches is on the rise, there are still more sensitive things in your life, and it’s worth doing what you can to protect yourself,” Wisniewski said.

Making this a regular habit when signing up online can help protect your personal email, reduce spam, and improve your email security in the long term.