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How Popular Is “Sign in with Apple”?

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Re: How Popular Is “Sign in with Apple”?

#31
post #8

> It’s utterly private, where signing in with Google or Facebook is not at all, yet far more convenient than signing up with your email address. What is different in the privacy design of 'sign in with apple'?

As covered on Macrumors [1], you have the option of using a unique generated email on Apple's servers which then forwards to your own email without the service provider getting any info about you. You also have the option to choose what data, if any, you share with the service. [1] https://www.macrumors.com/guide/sign-in-with-apple/

So is the unique generated email one-time use or it's persistent? Also, if an app owner gives that generated email address to a third or fourth party, and that party sends an email to the unique address, does the mail still reach my inbox? If so then what is the purpose?

Re: How Popular Is “Sign in with Apple”?

#32

I wonder if this is due to brand/trust, that they only request an email, or the sign in flow is a popover as opposed to going to another app.

Social Sign-On has a low barrier to entry, you click a button and the necessary Authentication Context is transmitted by your Identity Provider (IdP) to the Service Provider (SP). An SP can't implicitly trust an email address and must ask for a corresponding password and also verify you control the email. In this case Social wins out for a lower barrier to entry.

Unfortunately the downside of Social is that the SP can request additional information about you from the IdP. And when the IdP is a SP, ask for permissions to interact on the IdP's platform on your behalf. Sometimes these requests are transparent to the user, often the user does not understand what's being asked and permits requests for access.

Social Login also allows the IdP to track your interactions across sites, and enables the SP to uniquely identify you across their own properties. An SP can also do the later via Email Authentication.

Sign in with Apple prevents both IdP and SP tracking across properties. It also completely cuts out the IdP.

I think a lot of people are more privacy conscious today and/or have been burned by Social Sign-On. Sign in with Apple addresses those concerns and others that come with sharing your email address with an SP.

Re: How Popular Is “Sign in with Apple”?

#33
post #14

I've seen "Sign in with Apple" exactly once since iOS 13 launched. I am kind of surprised it's not being rolled out more widely. The first app I've seen and used it with was Byte (the Vine successor) over this past weekend.

The deadline to make it mandatory for apps and that use google and Facebook is still a few months away if I recall correctly

Re: How Popular Is “Sign in with Apple”?

#34
post #23
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's a link for ya: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210318 In essence, Apple generates a unique email address through their relay service that forwards to (and thus hides) your actual email address. It was widely considered a pretty major step in the right direction for user privacy.

Sounds like it is good for privacy, unless Apple decides to snoop?

Well, as is any online service. I think the idea is the site you sign up with doesn't know your actual email address.

Re: How Popular Is “Sign in with Apple”?

#35
post #23
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's a link for ya: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210318 In essence, Apple generates a unique email address through their relay service that forwards to (and thus hides) your actual email address. It was widely considered a pretty major step in the right direction for user privacy.

Sounds like it is good for privacy, unless Apple decides to snoop?

If you're using iOS or macOS, Safari, etc. you're already trusting them significantly. This avoids introducing a third-party who otherwise would not be involved in the session.

Re: How Popular Is “Sign in with Apple”?

#39
post #14

I've seen "Sign in with Apple" exactly once since iOS 13 launched. I am kind of surprised it's not being rolled out more widely. The first app I've seen and used it with was Byte (the Vine successor) over this past weekend.

Is there any good reason to do the Sign In With ?

I never take that option if there is anything else available. They don't need to see my signins on other sites, why should I just give it to them? For a few sites where it is utterly unavoidable I make one-off twitter accounts instead, because Twitter doesn't require your phone number to make an account and doesn't have a "only one account per person" policy I think.

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