What is the newest Apple email service & is it better than Gmail?

[Turnpike]

Now that I'm years into a conversion over to Apple from Windows as my main computer, I'm wondering what the Apple-fans here would say is the best email service.

Just so I'm clear, is @icloud the only option for an Apple-handled email address currently? or are @mac.com or @me.com still available somehow?

And how do these compare to Gmail? For what it's worth, I also use an iPhone, and love and use most of the Apple version of app services on it, but never used the email app. Just Gmail or Yahoo by their respective apps.

I'd be very interested to know what people here prefer, for the sake of privacy and ease of use on Apple computers and devices.

Thanks!

 

[Brookzy]

Only @icloud.com addresses are available now. If you had an @mac.com or @me.com account at some point in the past you can still use it though.

I use Gmail and iCloud Mail regularly. Personally, I think iCloud Mail is better, however that is mainly because of Gmail's downsides rather than any upsides iCloud Mail has.

For example, I hate how Google divides up your email into what it considers "primary" and "social", it seems to mark 99% of my email as "important", and - as with Google in general - they are just privacy pariahs, scanning your email for data they can sell. I can't Google "AirPods" anymore without the first search result being a link to my Apple receipt (for AirPods) sent to my Gmail. It's just creepy how much analysis they clearly do with your email data.

I guess it's just a matter of personal preference.

 

[Turnpike]

Only @icloud.com addresses are available now. If you had an @mac.com or @me.com account at some point in the past you can still use it though.

I use Gmail and iCloud Mail regularly. Personally, I think iCloud Mail is better, however that is mainly because of Gmail's downsides rather than any upsides iCloud Mail has.

For example, I hate how Google divides up your email into what it considers "primary" and "social", it seems to mark 99% of my email as "important", and - as with Google in general - they are just privacy pariahs, scanning your email for data they can sell. I can't Google "AirPods" anymore without the first search result being a link to my Apple receipt (for AirPods) sent to my Gmail. It's just creepy how much analysis they clearly do with your email data.

I guess it's just a matter of personal preference.

Thank you!! Exactly what I was looking for... especially from someone who uses both. I hate how Gmail only allows conversation view in their app, and as you said, they dig through all your stuff constantly. I'm going to try out icloud mail then, and thanks for taking the time to explain that and weigh in on your preference. VERY helpful!

 

[BrianBaughn]

Using Gmail with the stock apps for Apple devices works just fine for most folks. I don't recommend iCloud email to professionals and we're all professional to some extent.

 

[east85]

I spent a solid 8 hours re-associating accounts to use my @me address (which is iCloud) last week after sticking with Gmail for years. I'm just glad keychain keeps track of my accounts so nothing fell through the cracks. I honestly don't miss anything about using Gmail every day so far. The bonus being I'm not being sold off to advertisers I suppose. I have one Gmail account with my university I will retain (for YouTube) but not actively use as an address unless someone absolutely insists on using docs or drive.

The integration with iOS and macOS is pretty polished. I'd recommend it if you're going to stay in the ecosystem.

 

[mic j]

I have dumped Yahoo Mail (for obvious reasons) and changed all my important contacts to iCloud mail. However, my AppleID is a gmail address. I would like to stop using gmail as well and have iCloud as my only mail service. Is there a way to get rid of my gmail AppleID?

 

[Brookzy]

I have dumped Yahoo Mail (for obvious reasons) and changed all my important contacts to iCloud mail. However, my AppleID is a gmail address. I would like to stop using gmail as well and have iCloud as my only mail service. Is there a way to get rid of my gmail AppleID?

Unfortunately, no: to create an Apple ID you must use a non-Apple email address (and you cannot change your Apple ID to use Apple-only addresses*).

The reason for this is simply so that there is a method of resetting your Apple ID password if you forget it (though for people using two-factor authentication this requirement is largely unnecessary and should - and probably will - be deprecated eventually).

However...

These days your Apple ID aliases** can be used as though it was your Apple ID without any issue (this wasn't always the case). For example, if your Apple ID is yourname@gmail.com, and you create yourname@icloud.com when setting up iCloud, you can use yourname@icloud.com to sign in to all Apple ID services - both online and when setting up your devices - instead of yourname@gmail.com.

This is what I do, and it means that in practice you never see, use, or are made aware of your @gmail.com Apple ID, and for all intents and purposes your Apple ID is @icloud.com.

Hope this helps.

*It makes me laugh to think that Apple executives may have to use Gmail addresses! Maybe they're exceptions to the rule, or use @apple.com addresses.
**Note there is a difference between an Apple ID alias and and iCloud Mail alias. Your Apple ID aliases are listed at appleid.apple.com. Your iCloud Mail aliases (which are intended for use for handling spam etc.) are listed in iCloud Mail preferences online, and are not substitutes for your Apple ID.

 

[mic j]

Thanks for the info. I have set up my Mac Mail account using the iCloud alias. But sometimes I get Apple news, promotions, etc the come through the gmail account. I assumed this was because they were using my AppleID for these kind of things and thought if I could change it, it would be one more thing going through my .icloud.

 

[M. Gustave]

Unfortunately, no: to create an Apple ID you must use a non-Apple email address (and you cannot change your Apple ID to use Apple-only addresses*).

That's the reason I never dumped my Gmail account. It's so dumb.

But... having stuck with Gmail now, I have to say that the calendar integration is actually more reliable than with iCloud (since iOS 10), and using Google Inbox has really changed how I view an email client.