Apple is facing a proposed class-action lawsuit after Anthony Alvarez alleged that the company’s Hide My Email feature failed to protect users’ real email addresses as advertised. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, claims Apple promoted Hide My Email as a privacy safeguard while continuing to charge customers for access through its iCloud+ subscription service.
The legal action follows a report from 404 Media that revealed a reported vulnerability in Hide My Email. The report claimed the flaw could allow someone to identify a user’s actual email address from the private relay address generated by the feature. According to the report, Apple had been aware of the issue for more than a year before releasing a fix.
Hide My Email Vulnerability Becomes the Focus of Apple Lawsuit
Apple confirmed that it deployed a patch on July 3, 2026, stating that the Hide My Email vulnerability had been fully resolved. However, the lawsuit alleges that Apple continued marketing the feature as secure while the reported weakness remained unresolved.
The complaint states that security researchers first informed Apple about the vulnerability in June 2025. Although Apple acknowledged the report, Anthony Alvarez’s lawsuit claims the company did not resolve the issue for nearly a year. The filing also alleges that Apple incorrectly stated in March 2026 that the problem had been fixed, even though researchers reported that the vulnerability remained exploitable.
How Apple’s Hide My Email Feature Works
Hide My Email was introduced with Sign in with Apple in 2019. The feature creates unique relay addresses for supported apps and websites, allowing messages to reach a user’s inbox without revealing the person’s actual email address.
Apple later expanded Hide My Email through the paid iCloud+ subscription, launched alongside iOS 15 and macOS Monterey in September 2021. The iCloud+ version allows subscribers to create unlimited private relay addresses for websites, newsletters and email communication.
The lawsuit argues that millions of Apple users relied on Hide My Email to reduce spam, limit online tracking, protect personal information from data brokers and avoid exposure during third-party data breaches. Researchers cited in the complaint said that once a real email address is revealed, it may be linked with publicly available people-search databases, potentially exposing identities and other personal information.
Anthony Alvarez Claims Apple Misled Customers Over Privacy
The complaint argues that Apple built much of its brand identity around privacy, referencing marketing statements such as “Privacy. That’s iPhone,” “What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone,” and descriptions of privacy as a “fundamental human right” and “core value.”
According to the lawsuit, Apple’s privacy messaging influenced consumer decisions and helped justify premium pricing for Apple hardware and services. The plaintiffs claim Hide My Email was promoted as a central part of those privacy commitments.
The filing alleges that Apple asked researchers not to publicly disclose details of the vulnerability instead of warning customers or temporarily disabling the feature. It claims users were never informed that their real email addresses could potentially be exposed while Apple continued presenting Hide My Email as a privacy protection tool.
Lawsuit Seeks Damages and Changes From Apple
Anthony Alvarez is seeking reimbursement for iCloud+ subscription fees and other alleged financial losses. The lawsuit requests an injunction requiring Apple to either provide the privacy protection promised through Hide My Email or clearly disclose any limitations.
The complaint includes claims involving California’s Unfair Competition Law, False Advertising Law and Consumers Legal Remedies Act, along with allegations of fraud, negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract, breach of implied warranty and unjust enrichment.
The lawsuit argues customers paid for Apple’s privacy protections in multiple ways, including iCloud+ subscription fees and premium prices associated with Apple devices marketed as offering stronger privacy features. Apple has stated that the July 3, 2026 patch resolved the Hide My Email issue.
