HT204268: AOL Usernames can no longer be used with the iTunes Store

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AJCSims
Level 1 (1 points)

Q: Thought I already converted my AOL Screen Name to an email address for Apple ID years ago, but...

Does anyone remember back in ~2010 iTunes/Apple made users convert AOL Screen Names to email addresses for an Apple ID? I converted then, now Apple support is telling me that I still need to convert that particular AOL Screen Name. I think they are mistaken, but I'm willing to jump through some hoops if it saves my music. I haven't used my AOL Screen Name to sign on to iTunes for YEARS, so of course, I don't know the password, so I tried the "Forgot?" link to reset my password for my AOL Screen Name. The password tool can't find my AOL Screen Name being used as an Apple ID, which makes sense to me, because I still think I've already converted, but I am afraid I will lose a LOT of my purchases due to Apple support telling me differently. I have purchases going back to at least 2006, and I don't want to lose those purchases that were made on my AOL Screen Name (before I converted it to an email address in 2010, I promise).

Thanks in advance for any ideas/help.

Windows 7

Posted on Mar 7, 2015 3:28 PM

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AJCSims

Q: Thought I already converted my AOL Screen Name to an email address for Apple ID years ago, but...

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  • Helpful answers

  • by bobby_d,

    bobby_d bobby_d Mar 9, 2015 12:19 PM in response to AJCSims
    Level 3 (770 points)
    Mar 9, 2015 12:19 PM in response to AJCSims

    Hello AJCSims,

     

    It seems you have already converted the AOL Username associated with your Apple ID, to an email address. You may have simply received a reminder, as support for AOL Usernames will end at the conclusion of March 2015: 

     

    Convert your AOL Username to an Apple ID - Apple Support

     

    Thank you for contributing to Apple Support Communities.

     

    Cheers,

    Bobby_D

  • by AJCSims,

    AJCSims AJCSims Mar 9, 2015 12:40 PM in response to bobby_d
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Mar 9, 2015 12:40 PM in response to bobby_d

    Thank you Bobby_D!

    I got another response from Apple Support late last night and they gave me a number to call for "account confusion". I just got off the phone with them and they told me it "did" seem that I had already converted my AOL Screen Name to and Apple ID.


    However.....they put me on hold to ask an iTunes Adviser about the whole AOL Screen Name/Apple ID thing, and when they came back to me, they told me that I STILL needed to convert my aol.com email addresses (I had 2) to something other than an aol.com address. I asked them if they were really, REALLY sure about that, several times, and they told me repeatedly that that is what I needed to do.

    So, that's what I'm doing now. I have no idea what the real answer is anymore.

  • by laurawein,

    laurawein laurawein Mar 22, 2015 1:16 PM in response to AJCSims
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 22, 2015 1:16 PM in response to AJCSims

    hi all, yes i am also finding these notices VERY confusing.  i havent used (just) screenname in years, for anything, my sign in to apple is my emailaddress@aol.com, the same address to which i get notices such as "EMERGENCY - YOU MUST SWITCH BY END OF MARCH"  do i or don't i?  i THINK the language in these notices is saying this ONLY applies to ppl who are somehow still using screennames without @'s attached, but if i need to give an email address (that i never use) for my new apple id, so be it.  please enlighten, thanksssssssssssss

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Mar 22, 2015 1:34 PM in response to AJCSims
    Level 7 (25,764 points)
    iCloud
    Mar 22, 2015 1:34 PM in response to AJCSims

    Wow, that is not what we have been led to believe here. The change for the AOL User Name is just that (and just as you thought). Your Apple ID needs to be a valid email address. An aol.com email address is a valid email address. If you can verify it, it is a valid email address. Apple's own support article on this topic has the following paragraph regarding the only situation where an aol.com email address cannot be used:

     

    When you convert your AOL Username to an Apple ID, you might not be able to convert it to one that ends in @aol.com if you have used your AOL email address to create a separate Apple ID. For example, if your username is johnnyappleseed, you might not be able to convert it to johnnyappleseed@aol.com if you already have an account tied to that email address.


    What this is saying is that if you already have an Apple ID that is using that aol.com email address as the Apple ID, AND you also have an AOL User Name Apple ID, you cannot use the aol.com address when changing that AOL username to a valid email address.

     

    However, if you simply changed the AOL User Name to your aol.com email address using the EDIT function (meaning you did not set up a brand new, separate Apple account, but changed the Apple ID on the account that was using the AOL User Name), then you do not need to do anything. You no longer have an Apple ID using an AOL User Name at that point.

     

    You do NOT need to change your Apple ID if it is using your aol.com email address, and if you have no other Apple account that is using that old AOL User Name.

     

    So, if you have not already done it, you do not have to change your Apple ID if it is an aol.com email address.

     

    Here is a link to the support article:

     

    Convert your AOL Username to an Apple ID - Apple Support

     

    Cheers,

     

    GB

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Mar 22, 2015 1:34 PM in response to laurawein
    Level 7 (25,764 points)
    iCloud
    Mar 22, 2015 1:34 PM in response to laurawein

    You are correct - these messages do not apply to you.

     

    GB

  • by laurawein,

    laurawein laurawein Mar 23, 2015 4:01 AM in response to gail from maine
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 23, 2015 4:01 AM in response to gail from maine

    thank you gail!  i think the msgs apple sent out could have been clearer, (or maybe only sent to those that they detected it applied to), but glad to scratch another task off my list.  :-)

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Mar 23, 2015 6:49 AM in response to laurawein
    Level 7 (25,764 points)
    iCloud
    Mar 23, 2015 6:49 AM in response to laurawein

    I agree. Not sure why it is not clearly stated that your Apple ID needs to be a valid email address, and not sure why people who no longer are using their AOL User Name for their Apple ID got the email at all.

     

    Cheers,

     

    GB

  • by laurawein,

    laurawein laurawein Mar 24, 2015 2:44 AM in response to gail from maine
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 24, 2015 2:44 AM in response to gail from maine

    yep.  thanks again for the support!

    L

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Mar 24, 2015 6:33 AM in response to laurawein
    Level 7 (25,764 points)
    iCloud
    Mar 24, 2015 6:33 AM in response to laurawein

    Most welcome!

     

    Cheers,

     

    GB

  • by kjphotog77,

    kjphotog77 kjphotog77 Mar 29, 2015 1:17 PM in response to AJCSims
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 29, 2015 1:17 PM in response to AJCSims

    My problem is similar, and i thought it was converted years ago as well.
    Turns out it wasn't so I created a new Apple Id with the AOL email address.
    NOW I can't access any of the content purchased with the former AOL ID.
    Also can't sync iPhone apps since they were also obtained/purchased with the old AOL username.

    Repeated calls to iTunes support for the authorization issue have been for naught. can't get through, when they call me back it's just to tell me i'm in the Over-15 minute wait queue. I've also not gotten any response other than the "we got your email" from the email system
    I won't be repurchasing the content and would love to be able to use the iPod, iPhone and iTunes but at this point i'm not willing to have the content on the iPod erased because of this authorization issue.

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Mar 29, 2015 3:05 PM in response to kjphotog77
    Level 7 (25,764 points)
    iCloud
    Mar 29, 2015 3:05 PM in response to kjphotog77

    OK, so you didn't want to create a brand new Apple ID. You should have gone to Mange your Apple ID and EDITED the AOL User Name ID to your AOL email address.

     

    Perhaps you can contact Apple Support, explain the issue, and have them remove the "new" Apple ID so you can use that email address to EDIT your AOL User Name ID to that address:

     

    ACCOUNT SECURITY CONTACT NUMBERS

     

    Best of luck,

     

    GB