How to generate fake alias email addresses

It’s never a good idea to sign up for web services with your primary email address. Some patchy services can overload your Gmail inbox with dozens of weekly emails. Instead of blocking email addresses, using Gmail labels or advanced search filters to find relevant emails, use temporary email addresses during the signup process. That way, you can still log in, but avoid the junk onslaught that follows. And while the top 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.

If you need an email address for loyalty programs, app trials, or other everyday tasks, use a burner email to protect your personal information. But before we show you how to generate disposable email addresses, let’s figure out how it works.

How do temporary email addresses work?

Temporary email addresses, often referred to as email forwarding services, act as a proxy, hiding your real email addresses from online services. You can create a temporary email address for any website and forward emails from your fake email address to a real one. If you receive spam or irrelevant emails, stop forwarding the temporary address and keep your inbox free of junk email.

Generate temporary email addresses on your iPhone, iPad or MacBook

Apple announced Hide My Email as part of its iCloud+ service in 2021. It allows you to use a random email address while creating an account in an app or web service. Hide My Email is a paid feature, and you’ll need to purchase one of the iCloud+ subscriptions or Apple One plans (a package 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.

1. Open settings on iPhone.
2. choose yours AppleID above.
3. Beat iCloud.

4. Choose Hide my email under iCloud+.
5. You will see the list of fake alias email addresses that you created using the Sign in with Apple service. Beat Create new address above.

6. Check the newly created fake email address in the following menu. If you don’t like the suggested email address, ask the service to create a new one.
7. Add a relevant label and write a note to help you remember how to use the email address. Beat Next.
8. Long tap on the email address to copy it and select it Finished.

9. Go to Hide my email menu and open your newly created email address.

iCloud will set it up to forward all email to your Apple ID. From the same menu you can edit the label, add a note or disable an email address.

How to create temporary email addresses on your Windows PC

While there are several Google Chrome extensions and dedicated services like Mailinator and Mailsac to generate fake email addresses, nothing comes close to Bitwarden’s clean implementation. It is one of the best password managers with a long list of features and cross-platform availability on mobile, desktop, and web.

The company has integrated SimpleLogin, AnonAddy, Firefox Relay, and Fastmail services to set up your email alias.

1. Download Bitwarden on Windows or Mac and create a new account.

2. Choose outlook in the menu bar and click generator.

3. Select the radio button next to username and expand options.

4. Click the radio button next to it Forwarded email alias and select a relevant service from the list below. We’ll use SimpleLogin as an example.

5. Go to SimpleLogin to sign up for an account. Emails sent to your alias are forwarded to your SimpleLogin email address. Don’t use a throwaway or forwarding email address.
6. Select your profile icon in the top right corner and click on it API key.

7. Authenticate your SimpleLogin account and enter the API key name (where it is used). click Create.

8. copy that API key from the following menu.

9. Paste and select the API key in Bitwarden Regenerate username (which looks like an update icon) in the top right corner.

10. Find and copy your temporary email address.

Bitwarden stores your API keys for SimpleLogin. The next time you want to create a temporary email alias, open the generator menu and select the Regenerate username Possibility.

You cannot create email aliases with the Bitwarden mobile apps.

If you prefer the email forwarding service AnonAddy, Firefox Relay, or Fastmail, read Bitwarden’s detailed documentation to set them up.

SimpleLogin automatically puts you on a seven-day free trial. After that, you can only create up to 10 email aliases. SimpleLogin Premium plans start at $4 per month or $30 per year.

How to create a temporary email on your Android phone or tablet

Although Google doesn’t offer a dedicated service like Hide My Email, you can use a Gmail separator to create unique addresses. Let’s say your Gmail username is memorywhich means your personal email address is [email protected]. You can use a Gmail separator (+ characters) and a keyword to create valid email addresses. Here are some examples:

• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• [email protected]

You’ll receive emails sent to either of these addresses in your primary Gmail inbox. Although Gmail’s advanced search filters cut through irrelevant messages, email delimiters help you find spam sources in no time. You can use the same trick to sign up multiple times for the same website.

Use third party apps to create fake alias email addresses

Some websites may treat the email delimiter as an invalid character and throw an error during the signup process. If you often encounter the same thing, use a third-party app called Temporary Email Generator to instantly create fake alias email addresses on your Android phone.

The temporary email generator allows you to create email addresses with different domains and desired email prefixes. The app has a special inbox menu to receive all incoming emails to your fake addresses. You can use it to check messages and verify your identity. The free version includes ad banners throughout the app. The in-app purchases range from $9 to $22 per item.

You can also use email services like Fastmail, which offers 600+ alias addresses, masked emails, native mobile apps, and a range of useful features with the Basic plan starting at $3 per month.

Most Android users will be fine with Gmail separators and the Temporary Email Generator app. If you want more control over fake alias addresses, try Fastmail with a free 30-day trial.

Keep your email inbox clean

You no longer need to waste your time unsubscribing. Instead of sporadically clearing Gmail storage, generate fake email addresses for irrelevant web services and keep your inbox spam-free.