Q: Why can't I use my iCloud email address as my Apple ID

I am having the exact same issue and I find it incredibly annoying! Any information would be greatly appreciated!

Me too!!!! And now I can't restore any purchased apps to my iPad because I used iCloud account and now it won't let me use my iCloud account!!!

I'm having same problem.  It's not such a big deal but I'm in the same boat my one and only AppleID is currently rocking an antiquated gmail address, and it's just stupid...

I just bought a new MBP and decided to start using icloud properly and set up an @icloud.com email in order to properly consolidate all Apple's products and services under my name and make sure cloud syncing works with my phone etc. etc.

But ironically, the one thing governing all of their services (my Apple ID) is still designated a Googlemail accnt (their veritable rival) because we can't use Apple domain email addresses??! I don't understand. It just seems ludicrous. Can anyone explain why this is the case?

Does anyone have any further information about this?

I simply want to retire my current email address and use my @icloud.com address as my apple id, primary email, etc etc...

Anyone?!

I too would love to know because I am just about to ditch my old Apple ID and start over so I want to get it right. I want to cut my ties to Windows by finally ditching my hotmail account and Apple ID seems to be the only thing I need to keep it for!!

I just bought a new MacBook Pro and the guy in the Apple Store said there is a way to use you iCloud address as your Apple ID but it was too busy for me to book an appointment with a genius.

What we also have to realise is that Apple ID options are (or definitely used to be) different depending on which country your credit card comes from. So, if someone finds a solution, it may not work for you because Apple is bound by the laws of the country in which they operate. Hence why I couldn't redownload songs that I had purchased for free when I lived in Japan and had a Japanese iTunes account, but people in the US have pretty much always been able to.

I hope someone can shed some light on this issue soon. I am ready make iCloud my primary e-mail account and leave my hotmail account to manage my junk mail ;-)

I've come across this problem too.

The email address, a non-Apple one, which my daughter had been using for her Apple ID in now defunct and she doesn't have another email address to use. I thought all she had to do was to get a free @icloud.com one and use this instead for the Apple ID. She went to the appleid.apple.com website, signed in and then went to manage her Apple ID. She clicked the Add Email Address button and entered what she thought would be an unused icloud email address which was accepted and she got a confirmatory email. However when we went to edit her current Apple ID email address and tried to change it to her new icloud one we got that message that you can't use an email address with an Apple domain.

We've been on to Apple Support today and they've confirmed that this is the case and suggested that she gets a new non-Apple one, from such as a Gmail one, to use. Since her present, defunct, email address works OK for app purchases etc she's just going to leave it but add her new icloud one an an alternartive email address that she can be contacted at.

I see that this problem is also dealt with at https://discussions.apple.com/message/20818027?tstart=0#20818027?tstart=0

FYI: an email address that ends in @icloud.com can be used as an Apple ID and you don't need to register them in http://appleid.apple.com because it is already an Apple ID. The article below will help you on how you can use an email that ends in @icloud.com to make purchases.

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4895

Also, it is not possible to use an email address that ends in @icloud.com to update your existing Apple ID (example: myID@yahoo.com, myID@gmail.com) simply because you cannot use an Apple ID to update another Apple ID.

Love Y'all...

"Well, then I want to be able to merge that one and the one my purchases are on..."

This is exactly what I want to do but don't think I can:

I noticed the following :

If you attempt to create an Apple ID which is the same as your @icloud email address from the online facility, it does not allow you (can't use an Apple associated email address as your Apple ID). However - if you start a fresh device - such as a new iPhone, iPad (must be mobile it seems), and then create an iCloud account and Apple ID from the prompts when setting up the mobile device, it IS possible to have your Apple ID and @iCloud email address as the same. I know because I just did it!

Unfortunately for me, the result I got above is not for one of my own ID's but a friends, and I would VERY much like to do the same - my current Apple ID is a completely different email address from my iCloud account. Trying to get them the same in my situation is a major bother - I think that if I wipe a device (such as an iPhone5 that is mine) and try to setup as I did my friend's device, then I will get a conflict because the iCloud email I have ALREADY exists. This is my worry and I will not attempt this until I get the new iPad 4 soon to test this.

There is an inconsistency here between the two methods of creating Apple ID's and iCloud accounts.

Overall in my opinion, the Apple ID system as currently available from Apple is not designed very well, and should be addressed.

Best wishes -

Is there any way to report that to Apple?

Yup, I already cliked "I have this question too" in the opening post.

I discovered that Apple has a feedback page (apple.com/feedback).

Then I selected iCloud and explained the problem.

Maybe they will never answer me, but that's another way of telling them the issue we are having.