Apple keeps Hide My Email addresses on iCloud.com after user backlash

Apple has reversed a planned change that would have moved new iCloud+ Hide My Email addresses to the private.icloud.com domain. After reviewing community feedback, the company says Hide My Email addresses will remain on icloud.com.9to5Mac

The change matters because domain-level blocking can make privacy services harder to use. A website that blocks private.icloud.com could potentially block Hide My Email aliases as a group, even when the user has chosen not to reveal a personal address.

Apple originally announced in June that Sign in with Apple and Hide My Email would move toward a shared private.icloud.com domain. The latest developer update separates the two services again. New Sign in with Apple relay addresses will still be issued on private.icloud.com later this year, while existing privaterelay.appleid.com addresses will continue to work and forward mail.Apple developer update

Apple is asking developers to update account systems, email validation rules, and allowlists so they accept private.icloud.com alongside privaterelay.appleid.com. That guidance applies to Sign in with Apple and does not change the company’s decision to keep Hide My Email on icloud.com.

For iCloud+ subscribers, the immediate result is simple: the planned Hide My Email migration is no longer happening. The broader lesson is that email-domain changes can have practical effects on whether privacy tools are accepted by websites, not just on how an address looks.

Sources: 9to5Mac, Apple Developer