How to collect a user's real email address when using Sign in with Apple and Private Relay?

Question

Created 2w

Replies 1

Boosts 0

Participants 2

I’m using Sign in with Apple in my iOS app. When a user chooses “Hide My Email”, I receive the @privaterelay.appleid.com relay address. For marketing reasons, I would prefer to have the user’s real email address instead of the relay email.

I want to stay compliant with App Store Review and the Sign in with Apple design/UX requirements. My questions are:

Is it allowed to force the user (as part of the registration process) to provide their real email address, even if they chose “Hide My Email” during Sign in with Apple?
Are there any specific App Store Review guidelines that forbid:

Blocking sign up or access to features if the user keeps the relay email, or
Showing a strong prompt like “We can’t log you in unless you share your real email”?

What is the recommended, compliant pattern for collecting a “real” email when using Sign in with Apple + Private Relay? I’d appreciate any official clarification or examples of what App Review considers acceptable vs. reject-worthy here.

Boost

Answer 1

darkpaw OP

2w

Hide My Email is a service designed to allow users to HIDE THEIR EMAIL from apps and websites.

To you, as the app developer, the email you are given is a valid email address, and you should treat it as such.

The issue is in this bit of your post:

For marketing reasons, I would prefer to have the user’s real email address instead of the relay email.

You're not entitled to override someone's preferences and force them to receive marketing emails from you. Bypassing a Hide My Email address is doing exactly that.

If the user decides they no longer want to receive emails from you, they can deactivate that email address and not receive your emails. That is their right. You have no right to override this, or to force someone to provide a different or non-'privaterelay' email address.

If I download your app, and it refuses to allow a Hide My Email address, your app would be deleted immediately and I'd never use anything from you again. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this.

0