How to Sign Into Apps and Websites With Your Apple ID

One drawback with creating an account with an app or website is that the developers and vendors now have access to your email address and other forms of contact information. In the wrong hands, that data can be used to track your activities, send you spam, or be shared with other companies.

With Sign in with Apple, apps and websites can request only your name and email address to set up your account. But you can use an option known as Hide My Email to generate a random email address that then forwards messages to your actual address. Only the vendor can send you emails using this random address, and you can disable it whenever you want.

Furthermore, Apple promises not to track your activities as you sign into and use various apps and websites. In contrast, the sign-up options for Google and Facebook share your name, email address, and other data with developers and vendors. At the very least, the Sign in with Apple feature ensures that fewer entities will have access to your contact information.

The limiting factor, of course, is that the app or website has to support Sign in With Apple. However, since the feature’s 2019 launch, more developers have added support. Apple has stated that Sign in with Apple is mandatory for all apps that offer third-party sign-in options, such as those for Facebook and Google.

To use Sign in with Apple, your Apple ID must be set up with two-factor authentication. You must also be signed into iCloud with Apple ID on your device. The feature requires iOS 13 or later on iPhone, iPadOS 13.1 or later on iPad, watchOS 6 or later on Apple Watch, macOS Catalina or later on Mac, and tvOS 13 or later on Apple TV. You can use Sign in with Apple in any web browser and operating system.

With iOS/iPadOS 14, Apple added another capability to the feature. If you’re using a weak or compromised password for a specific account, you may now receive an option to change your Apple ID login. You can also modify an existing account to switch to an Apple ID.

To use Sign in with Apple, download and open an app that supports the feature. A few apps you can try are Adobe Reader, Airbnb, Dropbox, eBay, Groupon, Instacart, Kayak, The New York Times, Squarespace, Spotify, TikTok, and WordPress. MacObserver offers a comprehensive list of supported apps, circa June 2020. The process works similarly across the board.

We’ll use the streaming music app Spotify as an example. At the initial sign-in screen, tap the Continue with Apple button. At the next screen, you can opt to share your email address with the app or choose Hide My Email instead. If you share your email, you can use your Apple ID email address or your iCloud email address. Choose one of the two and then tap Continue.

If you’d rather conceal your real email address, choose the Hide My Email option. Apple then creates a random email address through which messages from the app's developer are sent to your actual address.

From here, sign in using whatever authentication method is available on your device, whether that's Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode. You can then set up and customize the app to start using it.

With some apps, you can see the random email address assigned to you. Open the app and navigate to the account or profile section. Drill down until you see an entry for your email address, and you should be able to view the random address generated for this app.

The apps you use with Sign in with Apple should remember your login, so there should be no need to sign in again each time you open one. However, if you do intentionally sign out of an app, you can easily sign back in using your Apple ID.

At the login screen, choose the option to Sign in with Apple or Continue with Apple. At the next screen asking if you want to use your Apple ID, tap Continue. Let the app authenticate you with Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode to sign in.

Logging into a website with Sign in with Apple works the same as it does for an app. Using Safari on your Apple device, open a website that supports the feature, such as Kayak.com.

Tap the Continue with Apple button. Choose whether you want to share your regular email address or hide it in favor of a random one. Tap Continue and then sign in using your supported authentication method.

To view a list of the apps and websites you have used with Sign in with Apple, navigate to Settings > [your name] > Password & Security > Apps Using Your Apple ID. To remove an app or site, swipe it to the left and tap Delete, or tap the Edit link at the top to manage multiple entries at a time, then tap the minus sign. You're asked to confirm if you want to stop using the app.

Tap a specific service on the Apps Using Your Apple ID page to see details on your account. If you no longer wish to receive emails from an account, you can turn off email forwarding by switching off the Forward To option. If you no longer want to use this feature, tap the Stop Using Apple ID link to remove Sign in with Apple for this service.

You can always change your forwarding address used for Sign in with Apple from the Apple ID website. Add your new email address in the Account section, then turn to your mobile device. Go to Settings > [your name] > Name, Phone Numbers, Email, and in the section for Hide My Email, tap the entry for Forward To. You can now switch the forwarded address to your new email address.

You can use Sign in with Apple, even if you’re on a Windows or Android device, or using the Chrome and Firefox browsers. The sign-in process is similar with just one difference: You must sign in with your Apple ID and password instead of using Face ID or Touch ID.

If you’re already using a certain app or website but your password is weak or may have been compromised, Apple might suggest that you change your login to use Apple ID. You can also manually change this yourself. 

Go to Settings > Passwords, and under Security Recommendations, tap the name of an app or website. If the option Use Sign in with Apple appears, tap it and follow the steps to convert your login. Note that only certain apps and websites are supported by this feature and will be listed.