Fade
How to get a temporary email address
- Decide whether you need the account laterIf you will ever need to sign back in or reset a password, skip disposable addresses and reserve one instead.
- Get the addressOpen Fade on your iPhone. An address is already generated and waiting. Tap Copy address.
- Paste it into the formNever retype it. Autocorrect and a mistyped character are the most common reason a code never arrives.
- Wait for the push notificationThe code arrives as a notification, usually within a few seconds.
- Copy the code and finishFade lifts the verification code out of the message. Tap Copy code and paste it back into the site.
The three methods
1. A temp mail website
Open a site, an address appears, mail shows up on the page. No install, works on any device, gone when you close the tab. The catch: many of them use public inboxes, where the address is guessable and anyone can read what lands in it. They are also painful on a phone, where the browser will happily discard your tab and take the address with it.
2. A temp mail app
The same disposable address, but it survives you switching apps, it pushes a notification when mail arrives, and it can read the verification code out of the message for you. This is the right method when you are on a phone, which for most signups is where you are.
3. An email alias that forwards
Services like Apple's Hide My Email, plus SimpleLogin, Firefox Relay and addy.io, give you a unique address that forwards to your real inbox. Not really temporary: it lasts until you switch it off. Use this when you want to keep the account but not hand over your real address.
Which one to use
| Situation | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One-off code, never signing in again | Temp mail app | Fastest, and nothing is left behind |
| Signing up on your phone | Temp mail app | Push notification and one-tap copy |
| Quick download gate on a laptop | Temp mail website | Nothing to install |
| Account you want to keep | Alias, or a reserved address | Recovery still works |
| You need to reply to someone | Alias | Temp mail is receive-only |
| Anything with money in it | Your real address | Recovery is worth more than privacy here |
The mistake that costs people an account
It always plays out the same way. Someone registers for a service with a disposable address, uses it happily for a few weeks, then gets logged out on a new device. The reset link goes to an address that expired long ago. There is no support ticket that fixes this, because there is no way to prove the address was ever yours.
The rule
Before you paste a disposable address into a form, ask one question: will I ever need to sign back into this? If the answer is yes or even maybe, reserve the address first so it does not expire, or use a forwarding alias. The extra ten seconds is cheaper than the lockout.
Getting one on iPhone
With Fade the address exists before you ask for it. Open the app and it is on the Home screen in monospace, with a live timer showing how long it has left and an Extend button to add fifteen minutes while you are still using it.
Three controls matter:
- Copy address. Puts the whole thing on your clipboard. Always use this rather than reading it off the screen and typing it.
- New address. Starts a fresh one. Useful when you are registering twice for the same service and do not want the two tangled together.
- Domain. Switches which domain the address sits on. This is your fix when a site refuses the address at the form.
Picking a domain that gets through
Sites that reject disposable email do it by checking the domain against a public blocklist. Those lists are large but not complete, and different sites use different ones, so a domain that fails at one service often sails through at the next.
If a form says your email is invalid when you know it is not, that is the block. Tap Domain, pick a different one, and register again. It usually works first try. There is a fuller walkthrough in temp mail not receiving emails.
Common questions
What is the difference between temp mail and a fake email?
In everyday use they mean the same thing, but the difference matters. A temp mail address is real: it exists and receives mail, it just is not yours for long. A genuinely fake address is one you invent, which does not exist and never receives anything, so no verification code will ever arrive.
Can I get a temporary email address without downloading anything?
Yes, any temp mail website gives you one in a browser. On a phone an app is usually the better choice, because mobile browsers discard background tabs and take the inbox with them, and a website cannot send you a push notification when the code lands.
How long does a temporary email address last?
It depends on the service, from ten minutes to a day. A free Fade address runs on a visible timer you can extend by fifteen minutes at a time while you are using it. Reserved addresses on Fade Pro do not expire at all while the subscription is active.