Confused about mac.com vs. me.com

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Level 1

22 points

Confused about mac.com vs. me.com

I set up an iCloud account called, let's say, first.last@me.com. When I signed into my iPad with the account, I found that the account, in the iCloud settings, is listed as first.last@mac.com (my very old .mac address). But under "advanced" on the panel you get after touching the "account" selection on the iCloud settings, it says my email address is "first.last@me.com"

I set up the same account on my iPhone. It also shows my acoountt as first.last@mac.com. But on the iPhone, my email address is listed as first.last@mac.com.

So I tried sending emails to these two addresses using both my email at work and my gmail account. In bith cases, the email addressed to first.last@me.com arrived promptly on the iPad and the iPhone, as well as on the web-based iCloud account. The emails addressed to the mac.com address are nowhere to be seen. I also find that I can log into the iCloud account on the web using either the me.com or mac.com address and I get the same emails.

So I assume that these two accounts (me.com and mac.com) are one and the same? But what happens to email addressed to mac.com?

Posted on Jan 26, 2012 7:04 AM

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Answer 1

Jan 26, 2012 8:34 AM in response to JSA271

People who were .Mac subscribers at the time of the change to MobileMe retained their @mac.com addresses while gaining an @me.com version with the same username.

The @mac. com address would be maintained as long as the subscription was not allowed to expire, but if it did the @me.com address could be reactivated but not the @me.com one.

Both will work as login IDs because though they look like email addresses they are actually only text strings in the form of email addresses - so the @mac.com version can be used as a login but isn't a functioning email address (assuming you allowed the account to expire).

From what you say it does seem likely that you @mac.com address does not work; if this is the case is it never going to work again.

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Answer 2

JSA271 Author

Level 1

22 points

Jan 26, 2012 9:10 AM in response to Roger Wilmut1

Thanks. This helps. I stopped using my mac.com email address years ago so I guess it expired. Too bad, as I like that better than me.com.

But maybe you can help with this other problem. If I log into the My Apple ID page with my me.com ID, the "Apple ID and Primary Email Address" is listed as the first.last@mac.com address! And there seems to be no way to change it. I discovered this a few weeks ago when I ordered a calendar out of iPhoto and never got a confirming email (nothing was sent to the alternate email address, either). I contacted Apple about the problem and a person named Jody took all sorts of info and promised me to follow up on it, but I've not heard back from him for weeks now (despite sending a "what's going on" inquiry).

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Answer 3

Jan 26, 2012 9:14 AM in response to JSA271

I'm afraid that looks like something only Apple Support can help you with.

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