Not receiving emails with Apple's "Hide My Email"? Troubleshooting @privaterelay.appleid.com forwarding
If you chose Apple's "Hide My Email", messages are first sent to @privaterelay.appleid.com and then forwarded by Apple to your inbox; if they don't arrive, check your spam folder and the "Forward To" setting on your iPhone first.
If everything is set correctly and messages still don't arrive, the sender may not have registered its senders with Apple — only the business can fix that. HowBridge has completed Apple sender registration. If you want a permanent fix, go to "Security" in the HowBridge Member center and change your email to your usual address, confirming with a code sent to the new address — no old password needed. You can still sign in with Apple afterwards.
Last updated: 2026-09-24 | Apple steps are based on Apple Support documentation available in September 2026; iOS menu names may change between versions, so Apple's official pages take precedence
What is Hide My Email? Which address does HowBridge receive
"Hide My Email" is the forwarding service that comes with "Sign in with Apple": it creates a unique, random address on the @privaterelay.appleid.com domain, and emails sent to that address are automatically forwarded by Apple to the verified email on your Apple Account. The other party only sees the random address, not your real inbox.
The first time you tap "Sign in with Apple", Apple lets you choose "Share My Email" or "Hide My Email". If you choose to hide it, the address HowBridge receives and stores is that
…@privaterelay.appleid.com forwarding address. Emails HowBridge sends you afterwards — such as email verification-code sign-in, forgot-password codes, two-factor authentication codes and some billing and shipment notifications — are first sent to this address and then passed on to you by Apple.@privaterelay.appleid.com is only a forwarding address; there is no inbox to sign in to. Messages are always forwarded to the email on your Apple Account. According to Apple, messages are usually deleted from the relay servers within seconds of delivery; Apple does not read the content and only performs standard spam filtering as required. So "checking mail at privaterelay" is not possible — look for the message in your real inbox.
iPhone/iPad: open "Settings" → tap your name → "Sign in with Apple" → choose HowBridge in the list; if you used a hidden address, the @privaterelay.appleid.com address is shown here. Mac: Apple menu → "System Settings" → your name → "Sign in with Apple" → choose the app.
Source: Apple Support "How to use Hide My Email with Sign in with Apple" (105078, published 2025-12-09, retrieved 2026-09-24); HowBridge's Sign in with Apple flow.
Why aren't emails arriving? Six causes and who can fix them
"Not received" can have causes in three places: your inbox, your Apple settings, or the sender. Use the table below to tell which one it is:
| Cause | How to tell | Who can fix it |
|---|---|---|
| ① Filtered into spam or the Promotions tab | You can find it in your real inbox's spam folder or the Promotions/Social tabs | You: mark it as "Not spam" |
| ② "Forward To" is not an inbox you check | In iCloud "Hide My Email" → "Forward To" shows an old address or one you rarely open | You: iCloud+ subscribers can change the forwarding address |
| ③ You turned off forwarding for this developer | In "Hide My Email", select HowBridge — "Forward To" is turned off | You: turn forwarding back on |
| ④ You deleted HowBridge in "Sign in with Apple" | HowBridge is not in the "Sign in with Apple" list | You: see section 8 — change your email first, then deal with it |
| ⑤ The sender has not registered its senders with Apple | Your settings are all correct, but none of one particular business's emails arrive | Only the business can fix this (HowBridge has completed registration) |
| ⑥ Apple's daily limit exceeded | Very many emails exchanged with the same forwarding address in one day (very rare) | Try again the next day; Apple limits each forwarding address to 100 emails per day, counting both directions |
Sources: Apple Support 105078, 102571; Apple Developer "Communicating using the private email relay service" (limit of 100 per day, rejection after the user stops receiving, sender registration required).
Sender side: without registering senders with Apple, emails are not forwarded
This is the cause least often mentioned in online discussions of "Hide My Email not receiving", yet the one most often behind "everything is set up correctly but nothing arrives": Apple requires a business that wants to email hidden forwarding addresses to first register its sending email addresses or domains with Apple and authenticate the sending source with SPF; emails from unregistered senders are not forwarded.
Why Apple requires this
According to Apple's developer documentation, sender registration and SPF authentication ensure that "only the business you signed up with" can contact you through this channel, keeping spam out. In other words, it is a mechanism that protects you — but it also means that if the business has not registered, or the registered sending address or domain doesn't match the one actually used to send, you won't receive the email.
Why users can't fix it themselves
Registration is done in the business's Apple Developer account; no setting on the user side (Forward To, spam allowlists) can replace it. So if you have gone through the user-side items in section 4 and still receive nothing, and only one business's emails are missing, the most effective step is to contact that business, or change the contact email for that service to your usual address.
HowBridge's status
HowBridge has completed Apple sender registration, so emails to @privaterelay.appleid.com are forwarded under Apple's mechanism. If you still aren't receiving HowBridge emails, the problem most likely lies in the user-side settings in section 4; you can also go straight to section 5 to change your email to your usual address, or receive notifications via app push or LINE instead.
Source: Apple Developer "Communicating using the private email relay service": "To send emails to users with private email addresses, you must register your outbound emails or email domains and use Sender Policy Framework (SPF) to authenticate your outbound emails." (retrieved 2026-09-24)
6-step checklist (your side)
Check in order; most people find the cause within the first three steps:
1Check the spam folder and category tabs of your real inbox
In the email account your Apple Account uses (commonly iCloud, Gmail or Outlook), look in the spam folder and tabs such as "Promotions" and "Social". Once found, mark it as "Not spam" so it's less likely to be filtered again.
2Make sure "Forward To" is an inbox you actually read
iPhone: "Settings" → your name → "iCloud" → "Hide My Email" in the "iCloud+ Features" section → scroll to the bottom and tap "Forward To", then choose your usual address (requires an iCloud+ subscription). Apple notes that this setting applies to all apps and developers that use hidden addresses.
3Make sure forwarding to HowBridge isn't turned off
On the same "Hide My Email" page, select HowBridge and make sure "Forward To" is turned on. Apple's developer documentation states that once a user chooses to stop receiving email from an app, the relay server rejects all subsequent emails sent to that address.
4Make sure HowBridge is still in the "Sign in with Apple" list
"Settings" → your name → "Sign in with Apple", and check whether HowBridge is in the list. If you deleted it earlier, read section 8 first and don't rush to authorize again.
5Change to your usual email at HowBridge
If everything above looks normal and you still receive nothing, or you simply don't want to rely on forwarding any more: sign in to HowBridge with the "Sign in with Apple" button (no email verification code needed), then go to "Security" in the Member center and change your email to your usual address — see section 5 for the steps.
6Switch to app push or LINE; contact support if problems persist
Shipment notifications can be received via app push or LINE instead (section 6). If that still doesn't solve it, search for @0523tw on LINE or go to Contact us, and explain that you registered with an Apple hidden email; support will help check.
Sources: Apple Support 105078, 102571 (retrieved 2026-09-24); Apple Developer documentation on the private email relay service.
Change your email to your usual address at HowBridge
HowBridge members who registered with Apple can change their email under "Security" in the Member center: the verification code is sent to the new address you are switching to, and once you enter it correctly the change is done — no old password required. Sign in with Apple keeps working as usual after the change.
1Sign in to HowBridge with "Sign in with Apple"
On the sign-in page, tap the Apple button and confirm with Face ID, Touch ID or your device passcode; no email verification code is needed for this step.
2Go to the Email section in the "Security" tab of the Member center (app: Me → Account security)
Open Member center → "Security" tab, find "Email" and tap "Change email".
3Enter the new address and tap "Send code"
Enter your usual email and send. The code goes to the new address, not the old hidden address, so forwarding problems don't affect it. If you don't see it, check the new inbox's spam folder; you must wait 60 seconds before resending.
4Enter the 6-digit code within 10 minutes
Once entered correctly the change is complete and the new address is marked as verified. From then on, HowBridge verification codes and email notifications go to the new address.
HowBridge identifies Apple members by the account identifier Apple provides, not by email. So after switching to Gmail or another address, tapping the Apple button still signs you in to the same account, and your bills and parcel records are unaffected.
Members who registered with Apple don't need to enter a current password when setting a password under "Security". Once set, you can also sign in with "email or phone number + password", so if Sign in with Apple is ever inconvenient, you have a second way in.
· The new address can't be an email already used by another HowBridge account.
· The password-free verification-code flow applies to accounts registered with a social account whose social account is still linked to the member account; accounts registered with email must still enter the current password to change email.
· If you have turned on "Two-factor authentication", you may first need to enter a code sent to your current address before changing it (not required on a trusted device or if you verified within the last 15 minutes). If your current hidden address isn't receiving mail, complete the checks in section 4 first, or contact support for help.
· There is a daily limit on how many codes can be sent; if you reach it, try again the next day.
Source: HowBridge Member center "Security" change-email feature (launched September 2026; checked against site code and on-screen text on 2026-09-24).
Don't want to rely on email: get notifications via app push or LINE
HowBridge's automatic notifications use a "single-channel chain": if you have the app installed and the push succeeds, only the app is notified; without the app, LINE is used; and only without LINE is an email sent. So as long as you install the app or link the HowBridge LINE Official Account, shipment notifications such as warehouse arrival, customs release and delivery don't need to go through Apple's forwarding.
- Install the HowBridge app and allow notifications: the app and website share the same member account, and you can sign in with Apple there too. For setup, see the notifications section of the HowBridge iOS app guide.
- Link the LINE Official Account @0523tw: once linked, shipment notifications can go through LINE, and you can type “貨況” (shipment status) in LINE to check status. For linking, see the LINE Official Account guide.
Note: verification codes (sign-in, forgot password, two-factor authentication) are still sent by email and do not switch to the app or LINE. The most direct way to make sure you receive codes is still to change to your usual email as in section 5.
Not receiving verification codes or unable to sign in
Members who registered with Apple can simply tap "Sign in with Apple" to sign in — no email verification code or password needed. Many people get stuck because they chose "Verification Code Login" or "Forgot Password" on the sign-in page, and both of these send a code to the hidden address.
- Sign in with the Apple button first: after signing in, go to "Security" to change your email or set a password (section 5).
- Changed iPhone or Apple Account: "Sign in with Apple" is tied to your Apple Account, not your device; on a new device just tap the Apple button with the same Apple Account. If you switch to a different Apple Account, HowBridge treats it as a different Apple identity — use your original Apple Account instead, or contact support.
- After tapping Sign in with Apple you're asked for a phone number, then told the number is already registered: this means the system didn't recognize this Apple identity as your existing account. One phone number can only have one HowBridge account — use your original sign-in method, or contact support to check. Don't register a separate new account.
For the differences between sign-in methods and how to link two sign-in methods to the same account, see "HowBridge sign-in methods guide".
Want to stop using Sign in with Apple for HowBridge? Do these first
Apple lets you go to "Settings" → your name → "Sign in with Apple", select an app and tap "Delete" to stop using Sign in with Apple for it. Before deleting, we recommend setting up another sign-in method and your usual email at HowBridge, so you don't lose your way back in afterwards.
According to Apple Support "Manage your apps with Sign in with Apple": when you stop using it, you're signed out of the app on your device; the next time you visit, you can either select Sign in with Apple to sign in again, or create a new account. "If you choose to use Sign in with Apple again, you're signed in to the same account that you previously used." The same page explains that if a developer has multiple apps and you turn off email forwarding or stop using Sign in with Apple, the setting applies to all apps from that developer.
HowBridge identifies members by the account identifier Apple provides. The scenario "delete the authorization, then sign in with Apple again" has not yet been tested case by case at HowBridge; if the system doesn't recognize your original account, it may be treated as a new registration, and since your phone number is already registered, that registration can't be completed. So we recommend following the order below, and contacting support first if you have any problem, before touching the Apple-side settings.
- Go to "Security" and change your email to your usual address (section 5).
- Set a password, or link another sign-in method such as LINE or Google.
- After confirming you can sign in with the new method, decide whether to delete HowBridge on the Apple side.
- If you want to delete your entire HowBridge account, use the delete-account function in the app or under "Security" in the Member center; when you delete your account, the system also requests Apple to revoke the authorization.
Source: Apple Support "Manage your apps with Sign in with Apple" (102571, published 2026-09-21, retrieved 2026-09-24); HowBridge Sign in with Apple and account deletion flows.
Glossary
- Sign in with Apple
- A way to sign in to third-party apps and websites with your Apple Account. According to Apple, the first time you sign in, apps and websites can only ask for your name and email address.
- Hide My Email
- Apple's private email relay service, which creates a unique, random address for each app or website; when used with Sign in with Apple, the domain is @privaterelay.appleid.com.
- Forward To
- Which email address messages received by a hidden address are forwarded to. iCloud+ subscribers can change it on the "Hide My Email" page, and can also turn off forwarding for individual apps or developers.
- Sender registration and SPF
- Apple requires a business to first register its sending addresses or domains and authenticate the sending source with SPF (Sender Policy Framework) before it can email hidden forwarding addresses. This is a setting on the business side.
- Single-channel chain
- HowBridge's delivery rule for automatic notifications: app push → LINE → email, sending only through the first available channel so you don't get the same notice three times.
- Apple Support "How to use Hide My Email with Sign in with Apple" (105078, published 2025-12-09): random addresses, the @privaterelay.appleid.com domain, how to view addresses and the "Forward To" setting path, Apple not reading email content. Retrieved 2026-09-24.
- Apple Support "Manage your apps with Sign in with Apple" (102571, published 2026-09-21): stopping Sign in with Apple, what happens when you sign in again, turning off forwarding and changing the forwarding address. Retrieved 2026-09-24.
- Apple Support "What is Sign in with Apple?" (102609, published 2026-05-07): the first sign-in can only request name and email. Retrieved 2026-09-24.
- Apple Developer "Communicating using the private email relay service": businesses must register sending addresses or domains and authenticate with SPF; each forwarding address is limited to 100 emails per day (both directions); emails are rejected after the user stops receiving; apps from the same development team share the same forwarding address. Retrieved 2026-09-24.
- HowBridge site features: changing email under "Security" in the Member center (code sent to the new address, valid for 10 minutes), password setup without a current password for Apple-registered members, and the single-channel chain for automatic notifications. Checked against site code and on-screen text on 2026-09-24.
Apple's menu names change with iOS and macOS versions; this article cites the Traditional Chinese (Taiwan) versions of Apple's documentation available in September 2026.
FAQ
⚠️ The Apple steps in this article are compiled from Apple Support and Apple Developer documentation available in September 2026; menu names and paid plans (such as iCloud+) may change between versions, and Apple's official pages take precedence. "Hide My Email" is operated by Apple; HowBridge cannot view or change your forwarding settings on the Apple side.
Still not receiving? Ask support directly
Search for @0523tw on LINE and tell support you're a member who registered with an Apple hidden email; we'll help check your account and notification settings.
Change email in Security Contact support