Sign in with Apple is a privacy tool that can help you improve your online security when you sign in to third-party apps and websites on your Apple devices with your Apple ID. The feature works in any supported browser and app and is available on iOS, MacOS, TVOS and WatchOS. You can choose the Sign in with Apple tool to verify your credentials instead of signing in with Facebook, Google, or creating a new account with your email address in an app or website.
The session with Apple is part of the tech giant’s ongoing commitment to privacy. In recent years, Apple has added more privacy controls to iOS, including the ability to prevent apps from tracking you on websites and “nutrition labels” that let you see what information apps collect before you download them. you them
Here’s everything you need to know about how Sign in with Apple works and how to use it. Plus, here’s how to check your iPhone’s privacy settings in two easy steps and nine rules for strong passwords.
How to use Sign in with Apple
1. When you open an app or website, if it supports Sign in with Apple, just tap Continue with Apple.
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2. Accept or deny the permissions requested by the app.
3. Follow the on-screen prompts about your Apple ID. You can choose to edit your name or share or hide your email. Choose Continue.
4. Enter your password when prompted. You can also confirm with Face ID or Touch ID. If you don’t have any of the three, you can use your Apple ID password.
As long as you’re signed in on your device, you’ll be signed in to the app. To sign out, simply find Settings in the app or website and select Sign Out. You will need to repeat the process if you want to sign in again.
How Sign in with Apple works
Sign in with Apple uses your Apple device to verify your credentials instead of using your social account logins, which could leave you vulnerable to being tracked online. With the Hide My Email option, Apple creates a random email address – you’ll recognize it by the unique alphanumeric string followed by @privaterelay.appleid.com.
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The random email address can only be used for a specific application. The app or website will use the generated email, but Apple will forward any correspondence to your real email, protecting your identity. You can reply to as many emails as you want without exposing your personal email address. Apple also allows you to turn off the email forwarding feature at any time.
Sign in with Apple says it won’t use any of your information beyond what’s necessary to let you sign in and out of an account. The tool also uses two-factor authentication with Face ID or Touch ID. If you don’t see Sign in, the app or website doesn’t support it yet.
Read more: Dumping passwords can really improve your security
How do I know which apps support Sign in with Apple?
1. Open the Settings app on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch and tap your name.
2. Tap Passwords & Security.
3. Choose Apps with your Apple ID.
From there, if you used Sign in, you should see a list of apps. You can touch each app and see what preferences you set or change, and read the app’s or website’s privacy policy. You can also turn off email forwarding here and stop using your Apple ID with the app.
Here’s how to do it on a Mac:
1. Choose the Apple menu.
2. Open System Preferences.
3. Click Edit.
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And here’s how to do it from a web browser:
1. Sign in at appleid.apple.com.
2. Find the Security section.
3. Select Manage apps and websites under Sign in with Apple.
4. Choose Manage.
Read more: 3 old password rules that turned out to be silly today
How to change your forwarding email address
If you’re using Hide My Email and need to make some changes, here’s how on mobile:
1. Open Settings.
2. Tap your name.
3. Tap Name, Phone numbers, Email.
4. Tap Forward below Hide my email.
5. Choose a new email address to use for forwarding.
The new address you enter will apply to all apps you use the Hide My Email feature with.
How to sign in with Apple is different from using Facebook or Google sign in
Signing in with Apple is only visually similar to the icons that allow you to use your Google or Facebook credentials. While it may seem easier to sign in with Facebook or Google, a lot of personal information is attached to these accounts, such as your nicknames, hometown, and birthday. This data may seem unimportant at first glance, but some of it is the main source of security questions for your bank account and other sensitive information.
Signing in with Apple also gives you more control over what permissions apps and websites have access to. You can pick and choose which apps should ask your permission every time they request your location data from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It’s useful if you’re trying out a new app or don’t plan to use it often, for example.
For more information, see how to stop your iPhone apps from tracking you and the best VPNs for iPhone.