iCloud Hide My Email Address is pointless and useless.

[PinkyMacGodess]

So maybe it's just me, but I'm having a heck of a time getting it to work completely.

I have essentially 2 Apple IDs. One is my iCloud address, and the other supports email. Trying to use HMEA is proving to be a pain...

The latest is trying to send emails from macOS Mail. Clicking 'Hide my email' in the From line of a mew message leads me to the message 'Update Your "Forward To" Email Address'. Then the vague 'Go to Hide My Email settings, and change your "Forward to" address to one that is set up in the Mail App."

So I try to put in my iCloud email supported address (because the other address, my Apple ID is there). So I finally found the area I needed to add a supported address (it can't be found in the System Settings search box for some reason), and get the message 'This address is not available. Choose a different address.' NOT AVAILABLE??? Um, Yes It Is...

So since my Apple ID address is there, why can't it be used? It's in 'Reachable at', yet can't apparently be used for HMEA for some bizarre reason.

Yet some HMEA addresses DO work. Some don't. Some that I have used an address created in iCloud, I have never heard from. So is it working, is it now working, are the messages going nowhere, or are they just getting lost in the either.

HMEA seems to be the most useless and pointless 'feature' of all.

Or maybe it's me confusing the whole thing with my 2 addresses. I'm sure that I'm not the only one with this 'problem'.

 

[iStorm]

I think the problem is with using two different Apple IDs in Mail. Hide My Email can only be used with the Apple ID that's signed into iCloud in System Settings.

So for example, if you have AppleIdOne and AppleIdTwo, and AppleIdOne is signed into iCloud, you can only use Hide My Email with AppleIdOne or one of its other reachable at emails. You will not be able to use Hide My Email with AppleIdTwo, even if that's the account you're using to send the email. (AppleIdOne, or the email you selected to forward to, also needs to be set up in the Mail app.)

If you want to use Hide My Email with AppleIDTwo and have emails forwarded to that one, then you need to sign into iCloud in System Settings using that account...or go to iCloud.com and send the email from there (assuming that account also has iCloud+).

So I try to put in my iCloud email supported address (because the other address, my Apple ID is there). So I finally found the area I needed to add a supported address (it can't be found in the System Settings search box for some reason), and get the message 'This address is not available. Choose a different address.' NOT AVAILABLE??? Um, Yes It Is...

You can't use an email address for a different Apple ID as a 'Reachable At' email. It's not the best choice of words, but that's why it's saying it's not available.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

If I'm following correctly, I think the problem is with using two different Apple IDs in Mail, but only one Apple ID can be signed in at a time in System Settings. Because of that, you can't use Hide My Email for both accounts simultaneously. You can only use it with the one that's signed into iCloud in System Settings (or one of its "Reachable At" emails).

So for example, if you have AppleIdOne and AppleIdTwo, and AppleIdOne is signed into iCloud, you can only use Hide My Email with AppleIdOne or one of its other reachable at emails. You will not be able to use Hide My Email with AppleIdTwo, even if that's the account you're using to send the email. AppleIdOne (or the email you selected to forward to) also needs to be set up in the Mail app.

If you want to use Hide My Email with AppleIDTwo and have emails forwarded to that one, then you need to sign into iCloud in System Settings using that account...or go to iCloud.com and send the email from there.


You can't use an email address for a different Apple ID as a 'Reachable At' email. It's not the best choice of words, but that's why it's saying it's not available.

Okay, but I'm signed in as AppleIdOne, and using AppleIdTwo, signed in, for email. Apple, or more specifically macOS lets me 'wide stance', have TWO accounts essentially working, but seems to have some arbitrary rule that only one can have email activated (I understand that, mostly) but can't use the other for Hide My Email Address. Um, that seems stupid. Like, to flog a very dead horse: The idea that you can't use an Apple email domain for your secondary email for iCloud (if I explained that right again). I wonder if I can have the primary with email enabled setup as another email account in macOS Mail, but with the way things go sometimes, I'm afraid if I tickle the dragon any more it might curl up and die and I'll have no email at all🤷🏻‍♂️)

Whatever, it doesn't work well, and the addresses I have created that DO work, I'm wondering for how long. Or I'm just confused and this makes total sense to someone. *shrug*

But thank you for your post. It does appear that iCloud, deep in its heart, wants my primary to support email, just so that all is right with the world, and HMEA will work. But I HAD to set this up like this during the infamous steve jobs tirade on why MobileMe wasn't working. I had NO PROBLEMS until they killed MobileMe.

 

[NT1440]

I was under the impression HME was for signing up for services, didn’t think it was for actually using emails? I could be way off base.

Right now I have Hulu using HME and it thinks my name is Jerald which makes me laugh. Never once thought if using it to actually interact with emails. Maybe I haven’t looked into it enough?

 

[iStorm]

Okay, but I'm signed in as AppleIdOne, and using AppleIdTwo, signed in, for email. Apple, or more specifically macOS lets me 'wide stance', have TWO accounts essentially working, but seems to have some arbitrary rule that only one can have email activated (I understand that, mostly) but can't use the other for Hide My Email Address. Um, that seems stupid. Like, to flog a very dead horse: The idea that you can't use an Apple email domain for your secondary email for iCloud (if I explained that right again). I wonder if I can have the primary with email enabled setup as another email account in macOS Mail, but with the way things go sometimes, I'm afraid if I tickle the dragon any more it might curl up and die and I'll have no email at all🤷🏻‍♂️)

Whatever, it doesn't work well, and the addresses I have created that DO work, I'm wondering for how long. Or I'm just confused and this makes total sense to someone. *shrug*

But thank you for your post. It does appear that iCloud, deep in its heart, wants my primary to support email, just so that all is right with the world, and HMEA will work. But I HAD to set this up like this during the infamous steve jobs tirade on why MobileMe wasn't working. I had NO PROBLEMS until they killed MobileMe.

Yeah, it's a bit unfortunate that HME is a more of a System Setting, meaning that only one iCloud account can be signed in at a time to use it. Seems like it should be done in Mail, so that each account can have its own HME settings. (Or add support for multiple Apple IDs in System Settings.)

I was under the impression HME was for signing up for services, didn’t think it was for actually using emails? I could be way off base.

Right now I have Hulu using HME and it thinks my name is Jerald which makes me laugh. Never once thought if using it to actually interact with emails. Maybe I haven’t looked into it enough?

That's one use for it, when signing up for services or mailing lists...but yeah, you can also use it for emails. When composing an email, tap or click the From address to generate a random hidden email.

 

[Agathon]

I have essentially 2 Apple IDs. One is my iCloud address, and the other supports email.

That's your problem right there. You might be better off using one email address, but having an alias for that address as your primary email as per here.

Add and manage email aliases for iCloud Mail on iCloud.com

In Mail on iCloud.com, create email aliases to help keep your real email address private.

support.apple.com

This would mirror the functionality you already have. No correspondent will ever email your primary address directly. Then set up the iCloud address that you previously used for email to forward email to the new alias. Any Hide My Emails you use will be sent to the primary address rather than the alias, but nobody sending them will know it is your primary address.