iCloud+ subscribers can now create custom email domains

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Start creating custom iCloud email domains today
Anyone can access the feature in beta.
Screenshot: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

iCloud+ subscribers can now start using custom domain names with iCloud Mail. The new feature, announced at WWDC 2021 alongside iOS and iPadOS 15, just rolled out in beta with support for up to five custom domains.

Support for custom domain names allows you to send and receive email to an address that doesn’t end with @me.com or @icloud.com. It’s available with any iCloud+ subscription, with prices starting at just $0.99 a month.

Users can add up to five custom domain names they own, and each can have up to three addresses — either for them or family members.

How to use custom email domains with iCloud+

To set up custom email domains of your own for iCloud Mail, follow these steps:

  1. Visit beta.icloud.com in your web browser.
  2. Sign in to your Apple ID account.
  3. Click your name in the top-right corner, then select Account Settings.
  4. Scroll down to Custom Email Domain, then click Manage.
  5. Click Add a domain you own, then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the setup process.

Apple sends a verification email to the custom email address you are adding, so in case you’re wondering, this feature can’t be used to create spoof addresses for domains users don’t actually own.

iCloud+ coming this fall

Custom domain name support is one of several new features coming with iCloud+ this fall. The others include Private Relay, a service that masks your IP address when you’re using Safari, and Hide My Email.

Hide My Email is not to be confused with custom domain name support. This feature simply creates a random email address, which forwards to your main inbox, that you can use when signing up for things like newsletters.

All features are available with an iCloud+ account, including the entry-level 50GB option priced at just $0.99 a month. You can upgrade to 200GB of storage for $2.99 a month, and to 2TB of storage for $9.99 a month.

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