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Adding iCloud Email Address in iOS/iPadOS 14?

L

lifereinspired

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 9, 2019
46
21
Hello,

My AppleID was originally created using a Gmail address but I'd like to add an iCloud email address. I've heard many differing opinions on this but also learned that there were changes on this in iOS 14. Some people warned not to add an iCloud email to my primary AppleID because if I get locked out, I can't get an email so create yet another AppleID. Others have said that the Gmail address will stay on my AppleID account so it's not an issue. I think this is confirmed now in iOS 14 so I can definitely keep both email addresses (new iCloud and Gmail) both on the AppleID so that there's a second email if I need to get a lockout code.

I'm wondering what you think and if I'm OK to just go ahead and create and iCloud email on my primary AppleID or if I do need to create an extra one. My spouse and I already share an AppleID for Apps and such so that IAPs are shared (before this became possible to do in Family Sharing, if devs choose to offer it). I'm just not sure I really want to deal with a third AppleID or maybe it's not that big of a deal. Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks so much! I'd really appreciate anything you share so I can learn more.
 
If you haven’t already created the iCloud email you want to use as your Apple ID, you’ll need to wait 30 days to do so. I don’t know what the advantage of having an iCloud email as your Apple ID is, so I don’t see the point but it’s up to you. Here’s some info you may or may not have seen already:

Change your Apple Account primary email address - Apple Support

Learn how to change the primary email address that you use to sign in to your Apple Account.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
 
You’re fine to do so. I use the iCloud email I created as my primary Apple ID. I prefer having my iCloud email as primary. It’s one less thing to manage. iMessage, apple sign-ons and email correspondences all go through one account. I try to have little to do with Google and I only use Outlook for work.

If you happen to lose your phone and all your trusted devices simultaneously, you could get locked out, but I feel like that’s a very slim chance. Worst case scenario you could activate a new sim, put it into a new device and get a code that way.

Another thing to note, if you change your Apple ID from a non apple email address to an iCloud or .Me address, you will not be able to change it back to a third party. That’s how it was when I changed it years ago.

Something happened in Europe or something like that not too long ago where they allowed customers to change out of iCloud emails. I recently changed to a third party address. Didn’t like it and changed primary back to iCloud. It took about 2 weeks before it let me change it back. When it happened it gave the same warning—once changed to iCloud, you can’t change back. Did it anyway. I don’t mind for reasons above.
 
7thson said:
If you haven’t already created the iCloud email you want to use as your Apple ID, you’ll need to wait 30 days to do so. I don’t know what the advantage of having an iCloud email as your Apple ID is, so I don’t see the point but it’s up to you. Here’s some info you may or may not have seen already:

Change your Apple Account primary email address - Apple Support

Learn how to change the primary email address that you use to sign in to your Apple Account.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
Click to expand...
I've actually had my Apple ID for a couple of years now - so I think I'm OK time wise. I've just seen varying opinions from people who are concerned about having an iCloud.com email on an Apple ID. Some say you might get locked out if you can't access iCloud email address (since you'd be locked out of the system), I would definitely have a backup/rescue email on the account but some have also said that there are people who got locked out and their backup email failed, too. Then further, I was warned that one can't remove an iCloud email address and that's bad because "when some little old lady in Nebraska can't remember her email and tried 10 times to login with yours locking you out of your account day after day - and Apple can't do anything to help, you'll wish you could remove the email address from your account." (That's as close to the quote that someone wrote me this week as I can write from memory.)

I don't know how much to worry about these things. The reason I want the iCloud email isn't to have an iCloud email on my account, it's to use the iCloud email. I like Apple's privacy stance and I'm interested in trying their email. My question is whether it's safe to add it to my current Apple ID or do I make another Apple ID and use it for mail only. My concern there is that it's just less elegant and more cumbersome. I'm not even 100% sure it's possible to do.

What confuses me is that there was definitely talk when iOS 14 came out about the fact that Apple is now allowing people to remove the iCloud email address from their Apple ID, should they choose to. Yet, I can find very little about it now. Confusing. I don't understand why that would be and another poster said it appeared that feature existed but was later removed. Even more confusing. It's not an iOS 14 feature I'd just imagine or dream up.

Ugh. This shouldn't be so difficult to decide. :/
 
You can set up an iCloud address associated with your existing Apple ID without having to make the iCloud address your Apple ID.
 
Apple_Robert said:
I think you are taking about iCloud email alias?

Add and manage email aliases for iCloud Mail on iCloud.com

In Mail on iCloud.com, create email aliases to help keep your real email address private.
support.apple.com
Click to expand...

Nope. My Apple ID is one of my non-Apple email addresses. A few months ago, I created a brand new iCloud address. It’s listed as one of the “reachable at” addresses for my Apple ID.

See https://support.apple.com/guide/icloud/create-an-icloudcom-email-address-mmdd8d1c5c/icloud
 
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eyet said:
You can set up an iCloud address associated with your existing Apple ID without having to make the iCloud address your Apple ID.
Click to expand...
I think there's confusion in this thread between:
  1. Having an iCloud email address to use as email.
  2. Using an iCloud email address as your Apple ID (i.e. login ID).
  3. Using an iCloud email address in your Apple ID recovery settings.
The risk (supposedly) is if you use that iCloud emaill address as your Apple ID and as your recovery ID. I can't see how that could be a risk, since your Apple ID recovery can use two factor authentication code pushed to all your devices, or worse case an authentication code sent via phone call or SMS to whatever you designated as your trusted phone number. In other words, the email address is not used in the recovery process.
 
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