How to get a disposable email address
It’s almost impossible to live without email. Most things have moved online and almost every form you fill asks for your email. For apps or services like Google Drive that you use often, sharing your email isn’t a big deal. For services you don’t plan on using often, giving your main email address opens you up to unnecessary messages.
Disposable email address
A disposable email address is an email that is active for a short amount of time. You can send and receive emails to and from this address. When you no longer need it, you can delete it. This allows you to, for example, use a service temporarily but not have emails from it fill your main inbox.
Get disposable email address
There are quite a few services that offer a disposable email address. You can use any one of them to create an email, and use it where you need to.
Temp Mailo: Temp Mailo only offers an email that you can use to sign up. It doesn’t give you an inbox which means you cannot send or receive messages. Any verification codes or links that are sent to this address cannot be retrieved.
10 Minute Mail: 10 Minute Mail offers an email address that expires after ten minutes however, it also gives you an inbox. It’s prefect for signing up for a service that will have you verify your email or send you a verification code. If you need the address for more than ten minutes, you can request more time.
Maildrop: Maildrop allows you to create a custom email i.e., you can use your name so that the email looks ‘real’. You get an inbox and their is no expiry on the email address. Your inbox can hold ten messages, and no more.
Create an alternate email
If you do not know how long you will need a ‘disposable’ email, or you do not trust the services that provide them, you can create a real email and use it for ‘junk’. Consider creating a second Gmail email or Protonmail email. Use it whenever you do not want to use your real or main email address.
You will be able to retrieve messages whenever you want.
Use iCloud+
If you own an iPhone, you can buy and iCloud+ subscription. In addition to cloud storage space, the service will enable a ‘Hide my email‘ option in the stock Mail app. You can instead set up and use a temporary email in Mail. It’s entirely up to you when you decide to delete the temporary email.
