I am trying to change my Apple ID for media and apps, that uses my gmail address, which will be shut down, to my existing mac.com Apple ID . When I try, I keep getting I get an error message: "You can only add the @mac.com address that is already on file in your account". No idea what this means. When I try using my iCloud address, I get the same message.
You cannot use an existing Apple ID for the email of another Apple ID. You’d need to use a different email address not already used as an Apple ID. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202667
You cannot use an existing Apple ID for the email of another Apple ID. You’d need to use a different email address not already used as an Apple ID. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202667
Based on what I have read, I suggest you leave your Apple ID email address as a 3rd party email address because you have more flexibility if you need to change the email address. For example, if the Apple ID got compromised, you can change it to another address. I also have read of many people who were locked out of their accounts when they forgot their password. Since the recovery email address is the @iCloud email address, if you forget your password, you also can't access your email to get emails from Apple to recover your account. You can set a rescue email address, but for some people, this hasn't worked.
Thanks for the info Eric. I guess it means no iCloud address for my Apple ID that is associated with my purchases of services and apps. I could try by getting a new Apple ID with an iCloud address but I read you can't transfer services and apps from an existing Apple ID, at least not easily. Getting a new third party email is probably the easiest way to go.
The reason I am doing this is I want to shut down my Google account for good and this is one aspect this holding me up.
Ed
Thanks, but does this mean that I can never use an iCloud.com email address to replace the Apple ID that has a gmail.com address? Because, is not an iCloud.com email address always associated with a separate Apple ID? If so, I could only replace the email address of my Apple ID with a gmail.com address with an email that is not iCloud.com or any other that is being used with an existing Apple ID.
I want to change my gmail.com Apple ID to give it an iCloud.com address but to do that, I would need to create a new Apple ID to get it. But that in turn means it is now associated with a new Apple ID and can't be used to replace the email address for my gmail.com Apple ID. It looks like I would have to give it new gmail.com address or get a hotmail one, etc.
Ed
You are welcome.
Changing Apple ID
