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Apple ID that is not an email address

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xxmarkc

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 17, 2011
65
13
Sorry if this has been covered before - I have read a lot of threads but might have missed something.

My Apple ID that I created years ago to use with itunes purchases is not an email address, where as of course the apple ID I have for mobile me is an email address.

Do apple IDs that are not email addresses have any aspects to them that are different - that might impact the debate about id merging in iCloud. Or from an implementation perspective is an apple ID that is an email address just an id where one of the characters is an "@", and so behaves in no way different from a non email address apple ID?
 
maclaptop

maclaptop

macrumors 65816
Apr 8, 2011
1,453
0
Western Hemisphere
xxmarkc said:
Sorry if this has been covered before - I have read a lot of threads but might have missed something.

My Apple ID that I created years ago to use with itunes purchases is not an email address, where as of course the apple ID I have for mobile me is an email address.

Do apple IDs that are not email addresses have any aspects to them that are different - that might impact the debate about id merging in iCloud. Or from an implementation perspective is an apple ID that is an email address just an id where one of the characters is an "@", and so behaves in no way different from a non email address apple ID?
Click to expand...

Your original has an email address attached to it. Had you known, you could have used the same account for mobileme. That's what I do and it's simple because I have only one account, and one address.

Heres a bit more from Apple
https://appleid.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MyAppleId.woa/
 
M

MobiusStrip

macrumors 6502
Dec 11, 2009
466
352
You're lucky. Apple initially was telling people to use an E-mail address but not enforcing it. Now they are enforcing it, which is exactly the WRONG direction to go. Hard to believe that in 2011, a tech company like Apple pulls such an amateur-hour move as trying to use E-mail addresses as user IDs.

5859225297_e43442ac7f_b.jpg
 
D

deefer68

macrumors newbie
Jun 7, 2011
17
0
I don't mind using my mail address as a user ID, as long as I can change it in the future if needed and as long as I can use MY e-mail address and not be forced to use an @me.com address.
 
O

ominx

macrumors 6502
Jun 23, 2010
356
9
d21mike said:
Why? I prefer not to be forced to use an email address as a userid but I think you should be able to change your userid if you want.
Click to expand...

Currently iCloud will not accept non-email Apple IDs but I guess this can change (unlikely) on release. Besides the security concern stated above, there really isn't a problem using an email as your Apple ID. Should you change your email address in the future you CAN change your Apple ID to your new email. All your purchases are tied to your account, NOT your Apple ID.

Here's how to change your Apple ID: http://support.apple.com/kb/HE40

Note: You can not change automatically created MobileMe Apple IDs setup with your MobileMe membership.
 
southerndoc

southerndoc

Contributor
May 15, 2006
1,851
522
USA
I'm curious to see what happens when I migrate to iCloud. I may end up moving everything to Gmail if it doesn't go smoothly.

I have an Apple ID with my first and last name. I have a MobileMe account with my first and last name.

Apple has created another Apple ID with my email address. So I have johndoe and johndoe@me.com. The email address for johndoe is listed as johndoe@mac.com.

All of my music was purchased with johndoe.

So what happens when I sign into iOS5 for iCloud? Do I use johndoe@me.com and get email, calendar, etc. but not any music purchases? Or do I use johndoe and it won't give me my email, calendar, etc?

I'm hoping Apple has worked this out. I'm not a beta tester, so I can't try it to see which one works.
 
d21mike

d21mike

macrumors 68040
Jul 11, 2007
3,320
356
Torrance, CA
southerndoc said:
I'm curious to see what happens when I migrate to iCloud. I may end up moving everything to Gmail if it doesn't go smoothly.

I have an Apple ID with my first and last name. I have a MobileMe account with my first and last name.

Apple has created another Apple ID with my email address. So I have johndoe and johndoe@me.com. The email address for johndoe is listed as johndoe@mac.com.

All of my music was purchased with johndoe.

So what happens when I sign into iOS5 for iCloud? Do I use johndoe@me.com and get email, calendar, etc. but not any music purchases? Or do I use johndoe and it won't give me my email, calendar, etc?

I'm hoping Apple has worked this out. I'm not a beta tester, so I can't try it to see which one works.
Click to expand...
You will continue to use johndoe for your music (all itunes stuff. Apps, Music, Movies etc). See Settings / Store - Put it here.
For iCloud you need to use a Apple ID that is an email address. This may or may not be what you use for email, calendar and contacts. That is up to you. However, until iCloud Beta is over you are not able to upgrade your current MobileMe Account.
There appears to be a lot of flexibility with iCloud ID's for various things. However, it may to your advantage to keep your iTunes Apple ID as is. That is my plan because that is the only real Account I want to share with my wife. Everything else is unique to each of us. We do have 1 shared calendar but that will continue to be share under iCloud. Still not completely sure about iPhoto Sharing. May just continue as now and share with iTunes WiFi Sync. Really a lot of options. So not sure you are any more limited then you are now.
 
J

Jack of Plaid

macrumors newbie
Jun 14, 2011
7
0
ominx said:
Currently iCloud will not accept non-email Apple IDs but I guess this can change (unlikely) on release. Besides the security concern stated above, there really isn't a problem using an email as your Apple ID. Should you change your email address in the future you CAN change your Apple ID to your new email. All your purchases are tied to your account, NOT your Apple ID.

Here's how to change your Apple ID: http://support.apple.com/kb/HE40

Note: You can not change automatically created MobileMe Apple IDs setup with your MobileMe membership.
Click to expand...

Is it possible to change an Apple ID created with an iCloud @me address?
 
M

MobiusStrip

macrumors 6502
Dec 11, 2009
466
352
d21mike said:
Why? I prefer not to be forced to use an email address as a userid but I think you should be able to change your userid if you want.
Click to expand...

At some point, SOMETHING has to be the unchanging identifier for you. That's why it's important to allow the user to specify an ID that's totally under his control (which an E-mail address isn't, unless you own the domain).

Yes, the database could generate a random ID that's hidden from the user, and then the user-specified ID would be changeable. But let's face it, with the level of ignorance being displayed right now by trying to use an E-mail address as an ID, we can't expect too much.
 
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