Cannot verify email address I want to add to my custom domain: the verification link does nothing. Now what?

OK I've found the solution, and it's stupid.

The person that could not validate the link was not eligible to that service (custom domain name) because she was not iCloud+...

Let me elaborate.

I would have thought that only one person (me, in that case) has to be iCloud+ in order to give to it's family the benefit of custom domain. It's true but, in order to do that, it is required to share iCloud+ subscription with its family before inviting them to join the custom domain.

In my case, I have iCloud+ (obviously), my girlfriend too, but not my mom. So during the migration everything was ok until she has to validate her email address.

So all was needed for me was to share the iCloud+ benefit to my family. Then everything worked.

I've manage to find a note in the Use Custom Email Domain with iCloud Mail - Apple Support page that says:

If you share iCloud+ with your Family Sharing group, you can share your

custom domain with your Family sharing group and allow them to create

personalized addresses.

In other words: if you don't share iCloud+ in your family, maybe because you don't want them to eat your precious (and costly) iCloud storage space, then you cannot share a custom domain with them. That service is directly tied with iCloud+ subscription.

That note is absent to the iCloud User Guide.

Here is what I would recommend to Apple :

• make it clear in all documentation that a iCloud+ subscription (either directly or indirectly through family sharing) is mandatory in order to benefit from a custom domain address.
• make it clear, when family members are added to the custom domain, that members that are not iCloud+ cannot benefit from the service.
• obviously: don't send verification link to someone that is not eligible to the service.

I've now successfully migrate my domain from Google Workspace.

Thanks to everyone that has contributed.

So, quick follow up on that topic: I reached out to the support but they could not assist me any further.

The subject is quite technical and, to be honest, it seems the support don't really know that specific iCloud feature.

I could continue my migration without the missing email address that I cannot validate. I could probably add that email later, when the domain is actually pointing to Apple email servers. The problem is, to me, that there is no guaranty the email address actually can be successfully added later. If I run to the same kind of problem, like the address cannot be added, then I'm good to migrate the DNS back to the previous servers. It could cost me time and maybe some emails if some are coming during the transition.

Hey TammyW_03,

I remember I came across that note. But I have to say, I'm not sure I understand what it means... "someone else is using [that address] with a different Apple ID".

Can someone reformulate that sentence?

It is worth noting that the email address I try to migrate is a Apple ID.

So, lets say I want to migrate mydomain.com and those tree addresses :

• person1@mydomain.com
• person2@mydomain.com
• person3@mydomain.com

And let's say, the third address is already an Apple ID (just not an @icloud.com Apple ID, obviously).

Can I migrate that address? I would think so.

I also tried resending the verification email, without change to the outcome sadly.

Hello WinsC1,

Thank you for your recommendation and the useful link.

In my case, I've tried multiple browser on different OS. So it's not that.

Thank again! Your help is appreciated.