Gmail may add a handy temporary email address feature

By Fionna Agomuoh Published November 15, 2024

Future Gmail versions could include support for temporary email addresses if Google ever enables this feature that has been discovered within its app code.

Android Authority discovered the feature, referred to as “Shielded Email,” within the code of the recent 24.45.33 release of the Google Play Services APK. The publication detailed that its APK teardown revealed several clues about how the feature would work.

With such an ability, you could be able to select alternate addresses under your main account for several uses. A main function could be inputting an option that requires an email where you don’t want to use your actual email address. This feature could also be another effort against fighting spam, as well as increasing security measures within Gmail.

The Shielded Email system appears to work as a “single-use” or “limited-use” function, where Gmail will generate an alternate email for your account to use as you wish. When using the alternate address, all emails will be forwarded to your main account. Android Authority also found evidence of the feature within the Autofill settings menu, suggesting that it could be associated with filling out forms within the Google ecosystem.

If the feature was made available, we could see Google filtering mail from Shielded Email addresses to a different folder away from the primary inbox, much like how Gmail is organized into social, promotions, and updates folders. This would allow you to know where the email originates from, and that it isn’t spam. However, keep in mind that this feature was discovered and analyzed as an unofficial leak, and there is no confirmation that it will ever be publicly released.

The security factor of Shielded Email suggests you can use an alternate email to protect your main email from being subject to data breaches by dubious third parties. If something happens to your data with a Shielded Email, you can simply delete the address within your Gmail interface, preventing spam or further cybersecurity infringement.

Notably, Apple already has a feature for its Cloud Mail address accounts, called Hide My Email, that works similarly to Shielded Email. You’re able to edit, deactivate, or reactivate addresses created with Hide My Email. Apple detailed how you can use Hide My Email addresses for “filling out a form on the web or signing up for a newsletter.” However, the feature is only available to iCloud+ or Apple One subscribers.