The tie-up with Apple is part of the tech giant’s ongoing commitment to privacy. In recent years, Apple has added more privacy controls to iOS, including the ability to block apps from tracking you on websites and “food labels” that let you see what information apps are collecting before you download. Here’s everything you need to know about how Sign in with Apple works and how to use it. Plus, see how you can control your iPhone’s privacy settings with two easy steps and nine rules for strong passwords.

How to use Sign in with Apple

  1. When you open an app or website, if it supports Sign in with Apple, just tap Continue with Apple. Brett Pearce/CNET
  2. Accept or decline any permissions requested by the app.
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions about your Apple ID. You can choose to edit your name or share or hide your email. Select Continue.
  4. Enter your password when prompted. You can also confirm with Face ID or Touch ID. If you don’t have any of the three, you can use your Apple ID password. As long as you’re signed in on your device, you’ll be signed in to the app. To sign out, just find the settings in the app or website and select Sign Out. You will need to repeat the process if you want to log in again.

How Sign in with Apple works

Sign in with Apple uses your Apple device to verify your credentials instead of using your social network account credentials, which could leave you vulnerable to online tracking. With Hide My Email, Apple generates a random email address — you’ll recognize it by the unique alphanumeric string followed by @privaterelay.appleid.com. James Martin/CNET The random email address can only be used for one specific application. The app or website will use the email created, but Apple will forward any correspondence to your real email, protecting your identity. You can reply to any email you want without revealing your personal email address. Apple also allows you to turn off email forwarding at any time. Sign in with Apple says it won’t use any of your information other than what’s needed to let you sign in and out of an account. The tool also uses two-factor authentication with Face ID or Touch ID. If you don’t see Sign in, it means your app or website doesn’t support it yet. Read more: Ditching passwords can improve your security — Really

How can I find out which apps support Sign in with Apple?

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch and tap your name.
  2. Tap Passwords and security.
  3. Select Apps that use your Apple ID. From there — if you’ve used Sign In — you should see a list of apps. You can touch each app and see what preferences you have set or change, and read the app or website’s privacy policy. You can also turn off email forwarding here, as well as stop using your Apple ID with the app. Here’s how to do it on a Mac:
  4. Select the Apple menu.
  5. Open System Preferences.
  6. Click Edit. Dan Ackerman/CNET And here’s how to do it from a web browser:
  7. Sign in to appleid.apple.com.
  8. Find the Security section.
  9. Select Manage apps and websites under Sign in with Apple.
  10. Select Manage. Read more: 3 old password rules that proved dumb today

How to change your forwarding email address

If you’re using Hide My Email and need to make some changes, here’s how on mobile:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap your name.
  3. Tap Name, Phone Numbers, Email.
  4. Tap Forward to under Hide my email.
  5. Select a new email address to use for promotion. The new address you enter will apply to all apps with which you use the Hide My Email feature.

Signing in to Apple is different from using Facebook or Google sign in

Signing in with Apple is only visually similar to the icons that allow you to use your Google or Facebook credentials. While logging in with Facebook or Google may seem easier, a lot of personal information is attached to these accounts, such as your nicknames, hometown, and birthday. This data may seem insignificant at first glance, but some of it is the main source of security questions about your bank account and other sensitive information. Signing in with Apple also gives you more control over what permissions apps and websites can access. You can pick and choose which apps should ask for your permission every time it requests your location data from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It’s handy if you’re trying out a new app or don’t plan to use an app often, for example. For more, see how to stop your iPhone apps from tracking you and the best VPNs for iPhone.