Apple Changed Its Mind on That Awful 'Hide My Email' Update

I use Apple's " Hide My Email " feature virtually every time an app asks me for an email address. I almost never share my actual email, unless I really trust the company or service asking for it or know it'll make my life easier in the long run. (If you've ever tried confirming a Hide My Email alias with a customer service rep, you know what I mean.) If you're like me, you might have noticed some headlines earlier this summer about Apple's plans to reduce Hide My Email's efficacy. This was true, and, as designed, Apple's changes would have made it more likely that users would share their real email addresses whenever they signed up for services. But luckily, Apple is now cancelling those plans. What is Hide My Email? If you aren't familiar with this privacy tool, here's the gist: If you have an iCloud+ subscription, Hide My Email generates email "aliases" that forward messages to your real email address. You can use these aliases anywhere you would normally use your actual email, retaining some anonymity without sacrificing the convenience of using a single inbox. Let's say you're signing up for a new account somewhere. Rather than use your real email address when asked, you can use Hide My Email to generate a unique, random address—something like "guppies_trick_2i@icloud.com" (seriously, they really look like this). As silly as the aliases can be, they're invaluable for preserving your privacy: Any messages sent to these aliases will forward to your actual inbox. You'l…