How to create a fake email address (and why you should)
Signing up for web services with your primary email address is never a good idea. Some sketchy services may jam your Gmail inbox with dozens of weekly emails. Instead ofblocking email addresses, usingGmail labels, or setting up advanced search filters to find relevant emails, use temporary email addresses while signing up. This way, you could sign up and avoid the onslaught of junk that follows. While thetop Chromebooks, Android phones, and Windows desktops require third-party services, Apple offers Hide My Email, a service that creates fake email aliases on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.
When you need an email address for store loyalty programs, app trials, or other day-to-day tasks, use a burner email to protect your personal information. But before we show you how to generate throwaway email addresses, let’s find out how it works.
How do temporary email addresses work?
Often known as email forwarding services, temporary email addresses are a proxy that hides your real email addresses from online services. You can create a temporary email address for every website and forward emails from your fake email address to a real one. If you get spam or irrelevant emails, stop forwarding the temporary address and keep your inbox free of junk.
Since the third-party services don’t have your primary email address, they can’t send junk and marketing emails to your inbox.
Generate temporary email addresses on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac
Apple announced its Hide My Email as part of its iCloud+ service in 2021. It allows you to use a random email address while creating an account on an app or web service. Hide My Email is a paid feature, and you must purchase one of the iCloud+ subscriptions or Apple One plans (a bundle that combines Apple Music, Apple TV+, iCloud storage, and Apple Arcade).
Once you subscribe to one of the iCloud+ or Apple One plans, follow the steps below to create temporary email addresses on your iPhone.
iCloud sets it to forward all emails to your Apple ID. it’s possible to edit the label, add a note, or deactivate an email address from the same menu. Mac users can go through the steps below to generate temporary email addresses.
You can now use the fake alias email address on irrelevant websites and newsletters.
How to create temporary email addresses on your Windows PC
While there are severalGoogle Chrome extensionsand dedicated services like Mailinator and Mailsac to generate fake email addresses, nothing comes close to Bitwarden’s neat implementation. It’s one of thebest password managerswith a long list of features and cross-platform availability on mobile, desktop, and web.
The company integrated SimpleLogin, AnonAddy, Firefox Relay, and Fastmail services to set up your email alias.
Bitwarden stores your API keys for SimpleLogin. The next time you want to create a temporary email alias, open theGeneratormenu and select theRegenerate Usernameoption. If you prefer to use AnonAddy, Firefox Relay, or Fastmail email forwarding service, readBitwarden’s extensive documentationto set them up.
You can manage the fake aliases you’ve created through Bitwarden by signing in to your SimpleLogin account. However, the service automatically rolls you into a seven-day free trial, after which you can only create up to 10 email aliases. SimpleLogin Premium plans start at $1 per month or $10 per year if you need more.
How to create a temporary email on your Android phone or tablet
While Google doesn’t offer a dedicated service like Hide My Email, you can achieve the same result using a third-party app or a simple trick like Gmail separator. Below are the best options.
Use Gmail separator
You can use a Gmail separator to create unique addresses. Let’s say your Gmail username isapmember, which means your personal email address isapmember@gmail.com. You can use a Gmail separator (+sign) and a keyword to create valid email addresses. Here are some examples:
You’ll receive emails sent to any of these addresses in your primary Gmail inbox. AlthoughGmail’s advanced search filterscut through irrelevant messages, email separators help you find spam sources in no time. you’re able to use the same trick to sign up for the same website several times.
Create email aliases using the Bitwarden mobile app
Some websites may treat the email separator as an invalid character and throw an error during the signup process. If you frequently encounter this issue, use the Bitwarden app to create instant fake alias email addresses on your Android phone. It’s the same service we used for your Windows computer above. So it’s easy to sync the service across all your devices.
Use third-party services to create fake alias email addresses
Let’s talk about a couple of services that offer alias addresses.
Firefox Relay
Firefox Relayis one of the best services to protect your primary email address. The service provider lets you create five email masks for free. Apart from email masking, you canfend off spam SMS, robocallers, and farm phone numbers. TheFirefox Relay extensionwas limited to the Firefox browser, but it’s now available on the Chrome Web Store. You can download the extension on the desktop and generate fake email addresses with a single click.
The limited email protection plan (which offers five free email masks) is free, and you can join the premium plan waitlist to unlock unlimited email masks, phone protection, and access to Mozilla VPN.
Fastmailoffers a feature-rich email experience with mobile apps to manage your messages like a pro. You get over 600 alias addresses, masked emails, mobile apps, and many useful features. The Basic plan starts at $3 per month, and you can jump on the company’s 30-day free trial to test its worth.
Formerly known as AnonAddy,addy.iois an open source email forwarding service. The service offers unlimited free email aliases and a bunch of features like bringing in your own domain. There’s also a browser extension that lets you generate new aliases with a few clicks into your Chrome or Firefox browser. If you want to go beyond creating standard addresses, their premium plan starts at $1 per month.
Most users will be fine with Gmail separators and the Bitwarden app. If you want better control over fake alias addresses, try Fastmail, addi.io, or Firefox Relay.
Keep your email inbox clean
You don’t have to waste your time unsubscribing anymore. Instead ofclearing Gmail storagesporadically, generate fake email addresses for irrelevant web services and keep your inbox free from spam.
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