Why Do Apps Ask You to Sign In With Google or Apple?

If you've ever downloaded an app and been met with "Sign in with Apple" or "Sign in with Google" — you might have wondered: why can't I just create my own username and password? And does this mean the app is sharing my information with Google or Apple?

The answer: no, it doesn't. In fact, it's actually the opposite. Here's what's really going on.

First, what even is "Sign in with Apple/Google"?

When an app lets you sign in using your Apple ID or Google account, it's using something called "Third-Party Authentication." That's a fancy way of saying: instead of the app checking who you are, it asks Apple or Google to do it instead.

Think of it like a security guard at the entrance of a building. The security guard checks your ID at the door — but once you're in, they stay outside. They don't follow you around, they don't know what you're doing inside, and they're not reporting back to anyone. Their job was just to confirm you're who you say you are.

Apple and Google play the security guard role. They check your ID, tell the app "yep, this is a real person" — and then step aside.

So what actually gets shared?

Very little. When you sign in with Apple or Google, the app typically receives:

• A confirmation that you're a verified, real user

• Sometimes your name (and with Apple, you can hide even that)

• An email address — or with "Hide My Email" on Apple, a masked one

That's it. The app does not get your passwords, your photos, your contacts, your location, or anything else stored in your Apple or Google account. Apple and Google are not given any of your data from inside the app either.

For Scripty, this means Google and Apple have no idea what scripts you have, what medications you take, or anything else inside your Scripty account. Your health information stays exactly where it belongs — with you.

Why do apps choose this over a regular password?

There are a few good reasons — and most of them are actually good for you.

1. It's more secure. Apple and Google have spent billions of dollars building security systems that are far more sophisticated than what most apps could build themselves. When you sign in through them, your account is protected by that world-class infrastructure — two-factor authentication, fraud detection, suspicious login alerts and more.

2. You don't need another password. The average person has dozens of online accounts. Using Google or Apple sign-in means one less password to forget, reset, or accidentally use your pet's name for again.

3. It protects you if the app ever gets hacked. If a small app gets hacked and its user database is stolen, the hackers get nothing useful — because your actual password was never stored there in the first place.

What if I want to be extra private?

If you're particularly privacy-conscious, "Sign in with Apple" is your best friend. Apple gives you the option to hide your real email address entirely — generating a random one that forwards to you instead. The app never knows your actual email.

Apple also has a firm policy that it will not track what apps you use or what you do inside them. If going "off the grid" is your goal, Sign in with Apple is the most private option available.

Still not 100% comfortable? Here's one more option: create a brand new Google account that you use exclusively for Scripty. It doesn't need to be connected to anything else in your life — just a dedicated sign-in that keeps things completely separate.

The bottom line

Seeing "Sign in with Google" or "Sign in with Apple" is not a red flag — it's actually a sign that the app is taking your security seriously. It means they're trusting the world's best security teams to protect your account, rather than building something from scratch themselves.

Your data stays yours. The security guard just checks you're real — and then stays at the door.