Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

iCloud/MobileMe/AppleIDs

Hi,


Way back when I created my Apple ID with my work E-Mail address.


Now, after purchasing an iPad and iPhone I created an iCloud Mail account and NOT a mobile me account through my iPhone at the time.


Now, 2 years later I need to completely remove my work email from my personal Apple account and only use my xyz@me.com email address for my iTunes account.


At the moment I can sign in to the same account with either my work address or my @me.com email address, but I need to remove the work address.


I am able to do so, however Apple says I cannot use a mobile me account -> "you cannot change this Apple ID to use an existing MobileME email address. If you would like to use you MobileMe account you can canel and Sign In using your MobileMe account information. ....."


It does go on to say that this mobile me email already has an Apple Account, however it is the same account my work email is linked to.


This would ordinarily not be an issue, but my private email is now with my @me.com account (iCloud, never has been mobile me)


Any ideas/help/guidance?


Thanks!

Apple Accounts-OTHER, Mac OS X (10.7.4), iPad 3rd Gen, iPhone 4

Posted on Jun 13, 2012 10:05 AM

Reply
19 replies

Jun 13, 2012 11:16 AM in response to MattHill2308

Welcome to the Apple Community.


You can change your primary address, you just can't change it to a .me address, if you don't wish to use your work address, use another private email address, it shouldn't be a problem, virtually all ISP's give you a free email account, there are also many other free accounts you can use such as hotmail, gmail etc.

Jun 13, 2012 1:03 PM in response to Winston Churchill

@Winston Churchill please can you explain a little more. I originally signed up to iTunes, years ago, using my aol address. Then I got a Mac and signed up to Mobile Me and was assigned a .me address. I've just moved over to iCloud and so my .me address is what I use to sign into iCloud. So now I have 2 Apple ID's. All my music that has been purchased is linked to the aol address. I've tried to change my primary email address to my .me one in the apple ID associated with aol but it won't let me. I don't understand why it won't let me, what's the problem with a .me address? I thought that maybe I should delete the iCloud that is associated with the .me address and start again this time using my aol address, so that I only have one Apple ID and don't lose the music I've purchased but I don't seem to be able to delete the iCloud account either. Also I don't know whether I could have an iCloud account associated to an aol address. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Just trying to streamline everything, it all gets a bit confusing.

Jun 13, 2012 1:48 PM in response to kimberleyallen

To begin with, I would like to try to explain Apple's confusing nomenclature in regard to iCloud.


Apple have called the whole cloud thing iCloud, there are a number of features under the iCloud umbrella, some of which require their own login. iTunes is one of these, another is what Apple have unfortunately also called iCloud.


You can use the same Apple ID (account) to login to both iCloud and iTunes, but you don't need to and often users will login to each service using a different ID.


The part that you need to remember is that the services available when you log into iCloud are completely different and unrelated to those when you log in to iTunes. Your iCloud login enables mail, contacts, calendars, find my phone, Back to My Mac, Documents & Data sharing and photosstream, it does not affect any of your iTunes services.


To avoid confusion when discussing your problem, when I mention iCloud, I am referring to the services under the iCloud login, Whereas I will refer to the whole cloud thing as The Cloud.


You can't change your primary email address to a me address, because if the address exists, it belongs to another ID, if it doesn't exist, well then it doesn't exist and you can't use an address that doesn't exist.


You shouldn't consider changing the account you use for iTunes, because all your purchases are tied to it and they can't be transferred. You can change the ID you use for iCloud if you wish but you will need to manually move all your contacts etc, to the account (ID) that you chose to use from the one you currently use.

Jun 13, 2012 3:58 PM in response to Winston Churchill

Thanks very much for your speedy reply. Ok I understand it now! I've deleted the iCloud account from my iPhone (after backing up contacts which is all that's on there at the moment as my calendars are in an unholy mess after upgrading to Lion) and then attempted to add it again using my aol address... so that wherever I log into Apple I'm using the same email / ID. As part of the set up process though it asks you to create a free me.com address Why on earth does it do this... I have ended up with another me.com address which wouldn't be so bad as I have more than one aol account and was considering moving it all over but I don't seem to be able to configure my email to collect from 2 iCloud addresses and I'm probably just making everything even more complicated! The second me.com address is attached to the Apple ID which has the AOL address as the sign in which means that ID has 2 emails...god they've made it complicated... or maybe it's just me!

Jun 13, 2012 4:14 PM in response to kimberleyallen

iCloud mail syncing only works with .me or .Mac (IMAP) accounts. This means that someone who doesn't have a .me or a .Mac as their primary email and Apple ID cannot use mail with iCloud, which is why Apple give you the free .me account to go with your Apple ID.You don't need to use this if you wish not to, however for the time being mail is tied in with notes, and you would need to use this account if you intended syncing notes across your devices.

Jun 13, 2012 4:54 PM in response to kimberleyallen

Yes you can log into both accounts on all your devices, however you can only have one as your primary account. Primary accounts include the photo stream, Back to My Mac and documents & data syncing features that secondary accounts do not allow. You can login to a primary account at settings> iCloud (system preferences on a Mac) or log into a secondary account at settings> mail, contacts, calendars. You can then switch on and off whichever features you wish to use on each account.


Yes, it's a small world isn't it. Whilst Lytham is only 10 miles away from here, it's somewhere I don't often get to. Saying that though, my solicitors are in Lytham, so I do get there occasionally.

Jun 13, 2012 11:27 PM in response to Winston Churchill

Hi,

Thanks!


Fully understood, I just was curious if there was some sort of work around, or explanantion as to why this is so.


Do you think this would be fixed in the near future, as it seems awfully silly with iCloud launch and many customers switching their iCloud mail to the primary email account (like me)


Like everyone I have mulltiple gmail accounts, I just never ever check them, so hopefully common sense prevails and we will be able to log in with single sign on in the near future!

Jun 15, 2012 1:29 AM in response to MattHill2308

@winston Chruchill, seams like you may have an answer to may problem


I had an me.com account, moved in march to icloud, it worked, than somehow in may 2012, it stop working and since those days i had no time to focus on that problem s i am working on cruise ships and therefore we do not always have stable internet and i had to update my mac book pro , now i did but the problem is still there, i have tried all my possible thoughst but somehow i am still not able to get it done 😟

Oct 1, 2012 12:40 AM in response to Winston Churchill

Dear Winston Churchil,

I hope this question is not too long and that you can help me. I'll try to be as clear as possible, please forgive if my English is not perfect, I'll do my best:


  1. Two days ago I bought macbook air with Mac OS X, version 10.8.2.
  2. I used a @gmail.com to create my Apple ID.
  3. When I wanted to set up the email and notes on the iCloud, it asked me to create a @iCloud.com email address. When I entered it, it told me it was already taken.
  4. This happens, I think, because the word I want to use is the same word I used for the @mac.com address (which is the same word for my @gmail.com account and so on).
  5. So now iCloud is asking me to create another address, which I wouldn't like to do since all my activity is on the @gmail.com


As far as I understood from what I read here (but I might be missing some crucial detail) iCloud won't accept a @gmail.com account as primary address.


  1. Is this true?
  2. If the problem is that I want to use my same special word I used for my @mac.com account, is there a way to fix this? I've used this word since the big bang so as you can imagine, this is important for me.


Thank you so much for your time,

Oct 1, 2012 1:08 AM in response to cosmovart

Point 4 is correct. You can't create an iCloud address (@mac.com, @me.com and @icloud.com are all the same thing) using an address you already have (since that address is an Apple ID in its own right).


You can sign in with the @mac.com address (if you had migrated the account frfom MobileMe before 1 August) in System Preferences>Mail, Contacts and Calendars so that it appears alongside whatever you create as your new @icloud.com address.

iCloud/MobileMe/AppleIDs

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.