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iMessage: "This email address is already in used"

TopToffee

TopToffee

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 9, 2008
1,082
1,016
When I try to set iMessage up on my iPad, i log into my AppleID, then put the same address (former mobile me email address, no iCloud) in as the email address that people will contact.

I then get the message saying "Unable to verify email because it is already in use"

Anyone know how to get round this, because it can't already be being used - this is the first time I've set up iMessage!
 
log on to the Apple site, in the "manage your ID" section.. you should see the email addresses linked to your ID.

I got a similar problem.. Basically I've set two Apple ID for iMessage.. One for the iPhone and one for the iPad..
Now, iMessage on the iPhone works pretty well..

On the iPad there's a problem. When I send a message, the "send bar" freeze almost at the end, so the message won't send. Also, if I send a message from the iPhone to the iPad, it won't receive anything..
However, if I send a message from the iPad TO the iPad, it arrives almost immediatly.. :confused:

Has anyone experienced a similar issue???

thanks!! (and sorry for my English!)
 
SilentKiller said:
log on to the Apple site, in the "manage your ID" section.. you should see the email addresses linked to your ID.
Click to expand...

Tried that.

my iCloud AppleID (firstname.lastname@me.com) weirdly does not have that email address registered to it.

That email address is registered to my Apple STORE ID (firstname_lastname@hotmail.com).

So, I deleted it from the Store ID, and tried to add it onto the iCloud ID - and it's saying it's registered to another account still!

And now it won't even let me add it back on to the store account! (giving the same error message)
 
TopToffee said:
Tried that.

my iCloud AppleID (firstname.lastname@me.com) weirdly does not have that email address registered to it.

That email address is registered to my Apple STORE ID (firstname_lastname@hotmail.com).

So, I deleted it from the Store ID, and tried to add it onto the iCloud ID - and it's saying it's registered to another account still!

And now it won't even let me add it back on to the store account! (giving the same error message)
Click to expand...

I'm having this same problem!
 
Having exactly the same issue.

2 Apple IDs - 1 Mobileme/iCloud, 1 iTunes
My @me.com account is not verified when I go to appleid.apple.com and logon

Tried to verify it, says it's already linked to another account. Checked second Apple ID account - not there.

Several phone calls to Apple support and none the wiser at present as to how to make this account "verified"!

FRUSTRATING!!

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
 
zacpack said:
Having exactly the same issue.

2 Apple IDs - 1 Mobileme/iCloud, 1 iTunes
My @me.com account is not verified when I go to appleid.apple.com and logon

Tried to verify it, says it's already linked to another account. Checked second Apple ID account - not there.

Several phone calls to Apple support and none the wiser at present as to how to make this account "verified"!

FRUSTRATING!!

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
Click to expand...

Having the exact same problem.
 
I solved that by logging out of iMessage and then logging on with the AppleID I wanted to use.....



TopToffee said:
When I try to set iMessage up on my iPad, i log into my AppleID, then put the same address (former mobile me email address, no iCloud) in as the email address that people will contact.

I then get the message saying "Unable to verify email because it is already in use"

Anyone know how to get round this, because it can't already be being used - this is the first time I've set up iMessage!
Click to expand...
 
Same exact problem for me.

My MobileMe email was listed as the primary contact email under my old iTunes account.

So when I went to use my MobileMe/iCloud account to log into iMessage, it wouldn't let me use that Mobile me address as a contact address for iMessage. Said it was already in use.

So I went to appleid.apple.com, deleted the MobileMe address so it was no longer listed as the primary contact email under my old iTunes store account.

Tried again to use the MobileMe address for iMessage and it still says it's already in use, even though I had removed it from the old iTunes store account.

Had I known that wouldn't work, i would have just used my old iTunes store account to log into iMessage. Now I'm screwed and can't use my MobileMe email for iMessage or FaceTime!!!!
 
we had this problem yesterday.

this is what I did to solve it.

I'm accustomed to entering apple id@domain for itunes store. It asks for your apple id. so when I did it for the imessages I got the same error.

It drove me crazy then I did this.

On the 1st screen I just entered apple id and password. i dropped the @domain part.

on the 2nd screen I then entered my apple id@domain.

and it worked.

Give it a try and see if it helps.
 
ufwa said:
we had this problem yesterday.

this is what I did to solve it.

I'm accustomed to entering apple id@domain for itunes store. It asks for your apple id. so when I did it for the imessages I got the same error.

It drove me crazy then I did this.

On the 1st screen I just entered apple id and password. i dropped the @domain part.

on the 2nd screen I then entered my apple id@domain.

and it worked.

Give it a try and see if it helps.
Click to expand...

Hmm...no go
 
same problem. the first time i tried it asked me for a password, i automatically assumed it wanted my account password so i entered that and then it failed with error... on further inspection it looks like it wants some sort of verification password sent to email or something? however, trying again just gives me the 'in use error'
 
TopToffee said:
Tried that.

my iCloud AppleID (firstname.lastname@me.com) weirdly does not have that email address registered to it.

That email address is registered to my Apple STORE ID (firstname_lastname@hotmail.com).

So, I deleted it from the Store ID, and tried to add it onto the iCloud ID - and it's saying it's registered to another account still!

And now it won't even let me add it back on to the store account! (giving the same error message)
Click to expand...


I am having exactly the same problem! There must be a way from Apple side to remove the un-used previousely verified email address!
 
If you're using a [name]@mac.com email address, try using [name]@me.com instead.

Functionally, @mac.com and @me.com will go to the same place. On the iMessage settings I first put @mac.com as an email address and it gave me the 'in use' error (despite the fact that right above it is listed my AppleID as [name]@mac.com). So I used @me.com instead and it took it.

Now, I haven't verified that it works yet as I haven't messaged anyone with iOS 5 and iMessage yet, but I'll try it later tonight when I get my wife's phone upgraded (despite the fact that her new one is due to arrive tomorrow).
 
What worked for me to fix this was:

-Go to appleid.apple.com and change the primary e-mail's first letter to a capital letter. Type it in again to verify. Save changes.

-Give it about 5 mins and then go in and change it back.
 
xraydoc said:
If you're using a [name]@mac.com email address, try using [name]@me.com instead.

Functionally, @mac.com and @me.com will go to the same place. On the iMessage settings I first put @mac.com as an email address and it gave me the 'in use' error (despite the fact that right above it is listed my AppleID as [name]@mac.com). So I used @me.com instead and it took it.

Now, I haven't verified that it works yet as I haven't messaged anyone with iOS 5 and iMessage yet, but I'll try it later tonight when I get my wife's phone upgraded (despite the fact that her new one is due to arrive tomorrow).
Click to expand...

While they are functionally the same in regards to being Apple ID's and email addresses, when a specific address is used as a contact method for FaceTime and/or iMessage, they are not interchangeable. If you try to FaceTime with someone and you use name@mac.com to try to connect to them, it will not work if they have only specified to use name@me.com as the way to contact them, and vice versa.......again for FaceTime and/or iMessage.

----------
ufwa said:
we had this problem yesterday.

this is what I did to solve it.

I'm accustomed to entering apple id@domain for itunes store. It asks for your apple id. so when I did it for the imessages I got the same error.

It drove me crazy then I did this.

On the 1st screen I just entered apple id and password. i dropped the @domain part.

on the 2nd screen I then entered my apple id@domain.

and it worked.

Give it a try and see if it helps.
Click to expand...

It worked because the second time, you are actually using a different Apple ID.

See this is why apple really messed up asking people to use email addresses as Apple ID's.

An Apple ID "mickey@me.com" is just a string of characters, an account name, it doesn't *know* that's an email address. That Apple ID also has a primary contact email address, it can also be "mickey@me.com" but it does not HAVE to be, it could be "mickey@comcast.net".

So when you leave off @me, and just put in "mickey", you are using a DIFFERENT Apple ID, with a different associated primary email address. Most likely, the Apple ID of just "mickey" did have the email address you want to use for iMessage/FaceTime already associated with it. That's why it worked for Mickey, but for "mickey@me.com", it said it was already in use (which it was, by the other Apple ID of just "mickey"....
 
I got mine working but my situation may have been different to some.

Original Apple ID i use for purchases @gmail.com

MobileMe account @me.com i use for home sharing, face time, mail, cal, everything else.

I setup @me.com for iMessage on iPhone and it works fine.

When i tried to set it up on iPad as a receiver (in addition to @gmail.com) it kept saying "this email address is already in use"

Everything was setup to use @me.com except iMessage was setup to use @gmail.com, i just removed the @gmail.com completely and then it allowed me to add my @me.com.. i am still signed in to Store using @gmail.com.
 
This is what I did, on my iDevice, I went to the email settings, logged out of my gmail account as the iCloud Apple ID, and then I logged in with my .me account for iCloud.

It drove me crazy for hours and Apple Care couldn't figure it out either.

Hope that helps.
 
My problem is a little different. It works with my yahoo email apple Id, but I get the message of not being able to verify because email is in use when I add my other emails. I need to add them other wise no one will recognize me. Any ideas? Thanks.
 
Solved my iss

Worked out that I had 2 logins with apple one with a @mac.com and the other with just a username (think it was the way I set-up ITunes years ago) logged into apple I'd and changed the just username to another valid email address. Went back to FaceTime and can now register my original address.

Wish there was a way that Apple could let you know what Id's are associated with your Email address.
 
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