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User profile for user: PeteKj
PeteKj Author
User level: Level 1
14 points

“This email is already in use with another Apple ID?”

A follow up to this thread / message: “This email is already in use with anothe… - Apple Community


It is about iCloud+ and custom domains and email addresses.


In short:


  • Oct 2021: My brother registers a domain and adds it to iCloud+, sharing it with the family. He adds my name as an email (peter@something.com) to test it out, for some reason. Then deletes that email address and creates his own (brother@something.com)


  • Oct 2021: I try to register peter@something.com to myself but get the error "This email is already in use with another Apple ID", which is no longer true, even if my brother had it for a short time.


  • Oct 2021: Apple support says we need to wait one year before we can use this email again.


  • December 2022: Waited more than a year, issue remains. Support asks us to log out everywhere and way 30 days.


  • March 2023 (now): Issue remains. Contacts Apple support, they now say once an email is added and deleted, it is forever lost and can't be used again :(


So, some mixed messages, but it seems it's lost forever. Which is strange as we own the domain and should decide what emails we use on our own. Would be great to stay in the Apple eco system but it seems like we have to find hosting elsewhere if I am to use my name@domain address.


How do I get Apple to look at this policy and hopefully consider changing it?

Posted on Mar 10, 2023 6:37 AM

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User profile for user: Limnos
Limnos
User level: Level 10
418,519 points

Posted on Mar 10, 2023 6:39 AM

Unfortunately Apple does not have a clear position statement about when you can re-use email address you have used with Apple before.


From: Change your Apple ID - Apple Support

"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."


Although this next section discusses email address re-use in the context of deleting an account, it supports observations frequently posted on this forum about not being able to re-use an email address as an Apple ID once used previously as an Apple ID:


From: How to delete your Apple ID account - Apple Support

"Can I use the primary email address for my deleted Apple ID account to create a new Apple ID or with another existing Apple ID account?

No, once your Apple ID is deleted, you can't use the email address that you used with it to create a new Apple ID. In addition, you can't use that email address with another existing Apple ID except as a rescue [notification] email. Also, if your primary Apple ID email address is with a Custom Email Domain, it can never be reused to create an Apple ID after your Apple ID is deleted, even if the domain ownership changes."


If you still have questions or problems:


Refer to this document for ways to contact Apple --> Choose your country or region - Official Apple Support

Select your country (also look for "other" regions), then a product. If you don't see one that handles your issue then keep experimenting with selections until you reach one that gets you a chat session or a telephone call and get the representative to redirect you.


or:


Contact Apple for support and service by telephone --> Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support


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Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: Limnos
Limnos
User level: Level 10
418,519 points

Mar 10, 2023 6:39 AM in response to PeteKj

Unfortunately Apple does not have a clear position statement about when you can re-use email address you have used with Apple before.


From: Change your Apple ID - Apple Support

"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."


Although this next section discusses email address re-use in the context of deleting an account, it supports observations frequently posted on this forum about not being able to re-use an email address as an Apple ID once used previously as an Apple ID:


From: How to delete your Apple ID account - Apple Support

"Can I use the primary email address for my deleted Apple ID account to create a new Apple ID or with another existing Apple ID account?

No, once your Apple ID is deleted, you can't use the email address that you used with it to create a new Apple ID. In addition, you can't use that email address with another existing Apple ID except as a rescue [notification] email. Also, if your primary Apple ID email address is with a Custom Email Domain, it can never be reused to create an Apple ID after your Apple ID is deleted, even if the domain ownership changes."


If you still have questions or problems:


Refer to this document for ways to contact Apple --> Choose your country or region - Official Apple Support

Select your country (also look for "other" regions), then a product. If you don't see one that handles your issue then keep experimenting with selections until you reach one that gets you a chat session or a telephone call and get the representative to redirect you.


or:


Contact Apple for support and service by telephone --> Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support


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