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Practical email-mask privacy

Review email masks before blocking or deleting them

Check an existing mask, its forwarding destination and account-recovery use before choosing a reversible block or permanent deletion.

Sources checked .

Conceptual illustration

Inspect the existing Apple address and destination

The selected iOS 26 guide documents Settings > your name > iCloud > Hide My Email. Review the existing address and Forward To destination privately. Deactivate Email Address stops forwarding; do not tap it just to inspect the entry. A new mask or subscription is not required to read this guide. Apple iPhone User Guide: iOS 26 random forwarding addresses

Review Sign in with Apple addresses in their own list

Apple documents Settings > your name > Sign in with Apple, then the chosen app or website, to see whether its relay address was used. This review is separate from removing an app's sign-in connection. Do not disconnect a needed login merely to inspect the address. Apple: Sign in with Apple relay addresses and approved senders

Check the mask's purpose before changing delivery

Mozilla's mask-creation guide describes website-specific use and cautions about critical or identity-verified messages. Before changing an existing mask, review whether it is used for important access or delivery. Keep that record private rather than publishing a list of which services use a particular address. Mozilla: email mask creation and critical-message limits

Use the reversible forwarding control when that is the goal

Mozilla documents opening the Relay dashboard, expanding the selected mask and moving What emails do you want to block? from None to All. Moving it back permits delivery again. Its help also notes that marking a forwarded message as spam automatically disables forwarding for that mask. Read the choice before changing it. Mozilla: temporary forwarding blocks and spam effects

Resolve login dependencies before permanent mask deletion

Mozilla warns that mask deletion is permanent and advises changing the affected website's login email first. Review recovery and sign-in needs before deleting a selected mask. The Relay dashboard's delete confirmation is an irreversible action; inspecting the instructions does not require performing it. Mozilla: permanent mask deletion and login consequences

Distinguish Apple deactivation from permanent deletion

Apple's iCloud guide documents selecting an existing address under Hide My Email on icloud.com/icloudplus. Deactivation can be reversed; only inactive addresses can be permanently deleted. Read the confirmation and account dependencies first. The guide directs Sign in with Apple addresses to their separate management instructions. Apple: reversible deactivation versus permanent address deletion

Do not treat added Gmail dots as a separate privacy control

For a personal Gmail address, Google says periods do not change the address. Keep that limitation in mind when a form or account lists a dotted variant. Do not assume the same rule applies to a work or school domain. Google: dotted personal Gmail addresses share one identity

Review the relay's handling as well as the sender-facing address

Mozilla's Relay notice describes message processing, stored address associations and site labels. It also says undeliverable email can be held temporarily, for no more than three days. That limit concerns failed-delivery messages; it does not describe deletion of all account, technical or mask-use records. Mozilla: Relay processing, account mapping and usage information

Questions and answers

Does blocking a Relay mask permanently delete it?

Mozilla documents a reversible forwarding block separately from permanent deletion. Mozilla: temporary forwarding blocks and spam effects

Can a deleted Relay mask be recovered?

Mozilla says it cannot be recovered and warns about website-login dependencies. Mozilla: permanent mask deletion and login consequences

Is reviewing a Sign in with Apple address the same as disconnecting the app?

Apple provides a view of the selected app's existing relay address. Apple: Sign in with Apple relay addresses and approved senders

Sources and scope

Apple iOS 26 guide and public provider documentation checked 10-24-2026. Documentation and page layout were reviewed, not a private mailbox or physical device.

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