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User profile for user: thecharliejack
thecharliejack Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Brand new to iPhone, apple ID email address taken

Hi, first time to iPhone. Am setting up apple ID for first time on new iPhone 12 (the ID I set up to login to this community is a throwaway one).


The email address I tried to set up with is already taken... But this is more than a little weird as I have had my email address for around 17 years. I would assume that if someone has setup an apple ID with my email address, then I would have seen a verification email from Apple. This has never occurred and I am pretty sure no-one has ever hacked my Gmail account (2fa etc).


So the question is how on earth has this occurred? And what can be done about it?


Note: I really don't want to set up an apple ID without my Gmail address?


Any help most appreciated.


Not really the perfect start to the apple journey.


Kind regards


Mark





iPhone 12 Pro

Posted on Oct 6, 2021 12:14 AM

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User profile for user: Limnos
Limnos
User level: Level 10
418,495 points

Posted on Oct 6, 2021 3:15 AM

"If you see a message that the email address you want to use isn't available or is already in use, check that you or a family member aren't already using that email address with a different Apple ID. If a family member is using that email address, remove it from their account then try to use it." From: https://support.apple.com/HT202667


Have you used this email address as a notification email address before? Many user reports on this forum (I don't have specific reason not to believe them) suggest that contrary to what the statement implies as to ease of address re-use, if you have recently used an email address with Apple for another purpose such as a notification email address it cannot be re-used; at least not immediately and possibly never. I guess you can "try to use it" but for many this does not work.


About your Apple ID email addresses (was "Manage your Apple ID primary, rescue, alternate, and notification email addresses") --> https://support.apple.com/HT201356


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User profile for user: Limnos
Limnos
User level: Level 10
418,495 points

Oct 6, 2021 3:15 AM in response to thecharliejack

"If you see a message that the email address you want to use isn't available or is already in use, check that you or a family member aren't already using that email address with a different Apple ID. If a family member is using that email address, remove it from their account then try to use it." From: https://support.apple.com/HT202667


Have you used this email address as a notification email address before? Many user reports on this forum (I don't have specific reason not to believe them) suggest that contrary to what the statement implies as to ease of address re-use, if you have recently used an email address with Apple for another purpose such as a notification email address it cannot be re-used; at least not immediately and possibly never. I guess you can "try to use it" but for many this does not work.


About your Apple ID email addresses (was "Manage your Apple ID primary, rescue, alternate, and notification email addresses") --> https://support.apple.com/HT201356


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Brand new to iPhone, apple ID email address taken

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