Changing iCloud Mail of Apple ID to another Primary or Alias

[Venderious]

Hello,

A few years back I set up my Apple ID using my Google email adress. However, at the same time I was prompted to create a @icloud.com email. This email adress I created is quite goofy. Right now, I'd like to get rid of my @gmail linked to my Apple ID and change it to a @icloud.com with my name. Is there any way to get rid of the goofy adress I originally created and link a new @icloud.com adress to it?

 

[Venderious]

okay let me phrase it more simply:

say I have XXX@icloud.com as my mainmail linked to the Apple ID. How can I then change it to one of my aliases YYY@icloud.com to use that alias as the main email?

 

[murad_fourth]

I am in the same situation. I tried to update my GMail account to iCloud account but i failed to do it and then i gave up since it is not a problem for me.

 

[pit29]

Isn‘t that something that can be done via https://appleid.apple.com/account/manage ?

My understanding is that the AppleID (in your case the Gmail address) serves as a user name for the iCloud services. You should already be able to use email with your iCloud account though.

However if you‘re trying to merge both IDs, e.g. to access purchases done with either ID under a single ID, I think that‘s not possible.

 

[Venderious]

The issue is that I have my Apple ID linked to an @gmail.com. It will let me switch to the @icloud.com which has been set upon registration. However, this email is not in the form of firstname.lastname@icloud.com. I do have an alias that is in that form, which I want to set as the main email linked to my Apple ID, and it is not allowing me to do that. So I'm basically stuck with some random email I set-up when I was 12 years old.

The reason that this is a problem: I no longer want to use Google's services due to privacy concerns, but I also do not want to use that original @icloud.com email tethered to my Apple ID. I want to use an alias (or a brand new iCloud email).

 

[Rigby]

The issue is that I have my Apple ID linked to an @gmail.com. It will let me switch to the @icloud.com which has been set upon registration. However, this email is not in the form of firstname.lastname@icloud.com. I do have an alias that is in that form, which I want to set as the main email linked to my Apple ID, and it is not allowing me to do that. So I'm basically stuck with some random email I set-up when I was 12 years old.

Not sure I understand the issue. The Apple ID is just a log-in name, you never need to give it to anyone else. For email, on the other hand, you can use your "nice" alias. I'd argue that using an obscure address for the Apple ID that nobody else knows is actually an advantage from a security perspective, since it makes it harder for blackhats to hack or social engineer your account.

 

[Venderious]

That's a fair point. However, I still wish I could us the normal email adress as the handle to login. But I suppose there's no such option.

 

[TinaBelcher]

DO NOT DO IT!!! I did that and it was the biggest mistake I've ever done! You have no idea how awful @iCloud.com mail service is. It's really limited, and doesn't update across other devices that you've open or deleted an email until you actually open the app. The only thing it got going for it is alias. I've set all my incoming mails on @iCloud.com to forward them all to gmail and then delete them to avoid having multiple. You can always change your gmail to another gmail, outlook or whatever but once you create an @iCloud.com mail you're stuck for life! It's awful.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

You can change your primary apple ID from Gmail to iCloud if you want assuming the iCloud email is an alias of the primary apple ID. It sounds like it is from what you've said. Just be aware that you can't go back. And you also can't change the "funny" email address but you can create another alias with a more professional email address if you want.

It's something I've been debating as well. I have an icloud email that I primarily use created under my google apple ID. I don't use the Gmail email for anything else besides the Apple ID but like @TinaBelcher said it is permanent. You can't go back to a google or outlook email later.

My recommendation:
1. Keep the Gmail address or create another non-apple email that you'd prefer to use.
2. Keep the iCloud email as secondary.
3. Create an iCloud alias with a more professional name that you can use.

This way you aren't stuck using iCloud forever if you don't want to as your apple id, but you still get the benefits of an iCloud email if you choose to use one. I've always found it's nice to have a 2nd email address to use as a secondary. It comes in handy every so often.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

That's a fair point. However, I still wish I could us the normal email adress as the handle to login. But I suppose there's no such option.

You can login to icloud with the alias I think. At least on icloud.com you can. Not sure about logging in to icloud on an Apple device.

 

[Venderious]

Thanks for the replies. I have ditched my google account. Now I am left with just iCloud (and a more professional alias) and Outlook. I have linked the outlook to the Apple ID (to stay away from being tethered to @icloud forever). However, I hope in the future, Apple allows to switch your primary icloud e-mail, just like outlook allows you to do.

 

[dimonnwc3]

Hello,

A few years back I set up my Apple ID using my Google email adress. However, at the same time I was prompted to create a @icloud.com email. This email adress I created is quite goofy. Right now, I'd like to get rid of my @gmail linked to my Apple ID and change it to a @icloud.com with my name. Is there any way to get rid of the goofy adress I originally created and link a new @icloud.com adress to it?

I'm in the same situation and can't do anything to solve it

 

[Venderious]

I'm in the same situation and can't do anything to solve it

I have hopes that it will be solved with the newly announced iCloud+ service.

 

[TinaBelcher]

I have hopes that it will be solved with the newly announced iCloud+ service.

It hasn't. It's still the same

 

[Apple_Robert]

It hasn't. It's still the same

ICloud+ Custom Domain Name feature which @Venderious was referring to, is not live yet.

 

[TinaBelcher]

ICloud+ Custom Domain Name feature which @Venderious was referring to, is not live yet.

Yeah, that's what I wrote. It hasn't gone live. ?

 

[Apple_Robert]

Yeah, that's what I wrote. It hasn't gone live. ?

You didn’t say it hasn’t gone live. No need to roll your eyes. Read your post again.

 

[Animalk]

I was in same situation as OP until I tried last week and Apple allowed me to switch my appleid email identifier to the iCloud one without issue. All my apple apps updated automatically without issue.

It appears apple has silently decoupled the appleid identifier from the email.

 

[Venderious]

I was in same situation as OP until I tried last week and Apple allowed me to switch my appleid email identifier to the iCloud one without issue. All my apple apps updated automatically without issue.

It appears apple has silently decoupled the appleid identifier from the email.

Wait what explain? I’m now in the issue where I can not change anything at all. Even if I register a new @gmail to the Apple ID, it says it is in use already, while that is not true.

 

[Animalk]

Wait what explain? I’m now in the issue where I can not change anything at all. Even if I register a new @gmail to the Apple ID, it says it is in use already, while that is not true.

Like you I originally associated a gmail email as my AppleID identifier.
I have been wanting to replace my identifier for my iCloud email for years.
Last week I tried out of curiosity and it let me do it without issue on the Apple Account portal.

 

[Venderious]

Like you I originally associated a gmail email as my AppleID identifier.
I have been wanting to replace my identifier for my iCloud email for years.
Last week I tried out of curiosity and it let me do it without issue on the Apple Account portal.

That’s interesting! Perhaps it is rolling out to some users. Apple Support also told me that it was now possible.