Why can't I use my iCloud email address as my Apple ID

An Apple ID’s name/primary email cannot be changed from a third party email address to an iCloud email address (i.e. to the same iCloud email address that is already associated with/an alias for that Apple ID)?

That is insane from a user perspective! How is this even a thing?

Fixing this as soon as possible should be a priority for Apple.

I strongly encourage all who experience this issue to provide feedback to Apple here https://www.apple.com/feedback/icloud.html.

Contrary to what some people may think, feedback is actually read and taken into consideration by Apple. That's why it’s very important for all to provide feedback. If folks at Apple are made aware that this is a serious issue for enough users, that may well move the needle towards fixing this rather sooner than later.

To that end, I just provided the following feedback:

Subject:

Change Apple ID's name to iCloud email address

Feedback Type:

Account

Comments:

I would very much like to be able to change my Apple ID's name and primary email from a third party email address to my iCloud email address (i.e. to the same iCloud email address that is *already* associated with/an alias for my Apple ID).

Currently this not possible. I find this incredibly inconvenient and user unfriendly.

Many other users are experiencing the exact same issue and would also very much like to see it resolved as indicated in this thread: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4434456

Please make it a priority to fix this issue as soon as possible.

LACAllen wrote:

However, I would appreciate if you could explain or provide a reference/link to the how of this : "So, one can switch the email address associated with their AppleID from a valid @gmail.com .... to an @icloud.com email ONE TIME."

Change your Apple ID - Apple Support

Once you've changed from @gmail to @icloud, you can't change again. One time.

No, NOT One time. Not at all. The issue isn't that you can't change from one @icloud to another. We all get and understand that. The issue is that you can't change from @gmail TO @icloud - NOT EVEN ONE TIME. Yes, there is a change button. Yes, I can change from one gmail to another gmail, or to something different, but I can't set the @icloud account as primary - NOT EVEN ONCE. As gail said: "If you try to edit a non-Apple domain email address to an iCloud email address, it just goes out into the ether. It will not change it."

Yeah this is quite annoying. I used gmail and windows/android for a few years but now I'm back on mac I thought it would be a good idea to use icloud. My main reason was that gmail labels screw up email clients and makes hard work on a mac. So I moved all my gmail mail to icloud, all set to go. Then to my dismay I go to change my appleID to my new @icloud email and no go. Sorry, you can't do that. Can't believe it! So my next approach was:

1) Forward email from @gmail to @cloud.

2) Changed app store payment details to send billing info to @icloud.

Now, anything I buy will at least send receipts to @icloud. However, I have no idea where they will send mail if I log in on another device (the panic email you get), possibly @gmail. Who knows?! It's actually quite ridiculous. If I had continued to use gmail, that was my appleID, my primary email, my only email, everything, so it was actually easier than using @icloud! What a train wreck.

Hi -

As per reitermoritz's reply to my comment on the 20th March 2013, I feel s_rafida has again missed the point slightly and is still being misunderstood. Like the other other Apple customers here, we don't want to have 2, 3, 10 or 7 email addresses. We want ONE. Because we had (now in hindsight directly caused this problem) by using a NON-APPLE email intially as the ID and then an @icloud address for the icloud account and email, we are the ones NOT in a position to get rid of the email associated with the ID and move it to the icloud email address. There are fortunate people out there who have set-up new accounts, devices from scratch who were not Apple customers before that have been able to from the very beginning have their icloud address as their Apple ID, and therefore ONE account.

This means that us poor sods have to go through the inconvenince and frankly seamingly unecessary pain to create digital clutter in our lives and be forced to open some unused email account simply to use it as an Apple ID. What an utterly perposterous and cumbersome system.

I think it is ridiculous.

However, I would appreciate if you could explain or provide a reference/link to the how of this : "So, one can switch the email address associated with their AppleID from a valid @gmail.com .... to an @icloud.com email ONE TIME."

Change your Apple ID - Apple Support

Once you've changed from @gmail to @icloud, you can't change again. One time.

Hi I am in the same boat, I originally used my gmail account from my old phone previous email provider, I have now deleted the gmail account and no longer use it.

Now I am forced to continue to use an obsolete email address to log into my Apple account which in my opinion is completely unnecessary.

It only makes sense to sign into icloud.com with your icloud email address and use it as the Apple ID, its absolutely stupid that Apple will not allow you to use their own domain, where is the logic behind that? its just simply frustrating.

I'm having same problem. It's not such a big deal but I'm in the same boat my one and only AppleID is currently rocking an antiquated gmail address, and it's just stupid...

I just bought a new MBP and decided to start using icloud properly and set up an @icloud.com email in order to properly consolidate all Apple's products and services under my name and make sure cloud syncing works with my phone etc. etc.

But ironically, the one thing governing all of their services (my Apple ID) is still designated a Googlemail accnt (their veritable rival) because we can't use Apple domain email addresses??! I don't understand. It just seems ludicrous. Can anyone explain why this is the case?

If you had an existing (non-apple) apple id before icloud, apple gave people the ability to have an icloud (email) account attached to it. By signing into an icloud enabled device, and checking off mail, you are given the option to create an @icloud address (formerly an @me.com one), that is associated with that apple id. This allowed people to continue to use the apple id that had all their purchases, and have an @icloud address. You can sign into any apple services using this address and pretty much ignore the originating non-apple address if you want. If that originating address is no longer valid... well, that's not really apples fault. You can maintain it, or create a new non-apple address to change it to (only reason you'd really need to do this is for the sake of rescue emails).

If you don't have an apple id, and wanted to use icloud, you can create an icloud apple id by signing into an icloud enabled device. This is an apple id in its own right, and therefore cannot be used to change the address of an existing non-apple id.

This is essentially how it works, and is pretty easy to understand.

Now, what you guys are wanting is a new feature, which DOES make sense. I'm with you guys on this. You want to be able to remove the non-apple address from your accounts, and just use the @icloud address permanently, without a non-apple address. After all, new icloud signups can do this...

Anyone wanting this new feature should request it at apple.com/feedback.

We too wish to use our existing @icloud.com as the primary email. After years of numerous email accounts, consolidation makes good business sense for my wife and I. We just wanted to weigh in on this discussion and add our vote.

This consolidation concept must be happening with phones, too. My Verizon account manager tells us that many are dropping cell phones and going back to a home line... One single home phone. Hmmm...

We vote for the ability to use our existing @icloud.com as the primary email. Please!

You can change the non-Apple email address which forms your iCloud login to another non-Apple email address.

Firstly, if you have 'Find My iPhone/iPad/iMac' enabled on any of your devices, turn it off.

Create a new email address, for example at Yahoo or Gmail, or anywhere convenient (or you can use an existing address as long as it has never been associated with an Apple ID).

Go to http://appleid.apple.com and click 'Manage your Apple ID'. Sign in with the current ID.

Where it says 'Apple ID and primary email address' and gives your current ID email address, click 'edit'.

Enter your new address and click 'Save changes'.

Now you will need to go to each of your devices and sign out in System Preferences (or Settings)>iCloud - 'Sign out' on a Mac, 'Delete this account' on an iOS device (this will not delete the account from the server).

Then sign back in with your new ID. Your iCloud data will disappear from your devices when you sign out, but reappear when you sign back in.

I re-iterate: before you start, turn off 'Find My Mac' (or whatever) or you will need the services of Support.

Will you please explain how you changed your primary email address to one with an Apple domain? I would like to do that, but it appears that the primary email address is inseparable from the Apple ID. They are listed under the same heading, and there is only one edit button. I understand that I cannot make my iCloud address my Apple ID, but your comment makes me wonder why I am unable to at least make it my primary address as you did your @me.com account. How did you get around this, if you please? Thank you.

Update:

I sent my findings/frustrations regarding this topic to senior Apple management. The safety aspect of this situation in particular is something that needs addressing, but overall the situation is confusing and the user experience is very poor.

I was first contact by an Executive Relations manager to discuss the matter. The matter was forwarded to an iCloud engineer and a member of Apple support staff has just contact me to relay the feedback from the iCloud team.

1. The situation is well known within the iCloud team. Without going into any details, it was made clear that there a lot of legacy systems running at the backend. The main issue is that Apple wants to simplify it's services by using one ID throughout the Apple network. However, the backend uses many different systems for many different types of accounts. It is 'near impossible' to actually get what we want.

2. When you have both a primary AppleID and Alias, these are actually two separate AppleID's. They are just tied together in the backend to 'simulate' one AppleID. Changing the primary AppleID into your Alias and vice versa would result in all sorts of problems in the backend that are very difficult to fix without completly restructuring the AppleID/iCloud user system.

3. You can in fact change your primary email address, so that communications regarding your Apple ID actually goes to a different email address than that of the primary AppleID. This cannot be done by users, but only by request and only if Apple approves your request.

4. I asked if they at least would make it possible for users to specify which email address they want to use for communication. The answer was, as expected: 'I don't know'. However, it seemed that they are very aware of the situation and judging by the way they handled the situations we might see this option some day. Changing your primary AppleID into an icloud.com/me.com address, however, will probably not be possible for a long time, if ever.

5. It seems there is an overall 'fear' at Apple regarinding Apple ID's. It seems they are very hesitant to make any real changes and any changes will take a long time to be approved and implemented. This is pure speculation, but I assume this has to do with a fear of running into unforseen security risks. The last thing Apple (or any organisation) would ever want is a security breach in your central accounts system. Look at all the media attention this has gotten over the last months, even though Apple wasn't to blame for those 'hacks'.

Bottom line: it's still a silly and dangerous situation. At least now we know why, or at least a little. We will probably just have to live with this and hope that Apple will integrate the alias system further and deeper so that the alias actually becomes useable as a fullon AppleID and your primary AppleID is just there as backup.

The issue is that you can't change from @gmail TO @icloud - NOT EVEN ONE TIME. Yes, there is a change button. Yes, I can change from one gmail to another gmail, or to something different, but I can't set the @icloud account as primary - NOT EVEN ONCE. As gail said: "If you try to edit a non-Apple domain email address to an iCloud email address, it just goes out into the ether. It will not change it."

Read the passage again. If the @gmail address is already an Apple ID, you can't change.

Where have I said or implied you could?

Israel Brewster wrote:

LACAllen wrote:

However, I would appreciate if you could explain or provide a reference/link to the how of this : "So, one can switch the email address associated with their AppleID from a valid @gmail.com .... to an @icloud.com email ONE TIME."

Change your Apple ID - Apple Support

Once you've changed from @gmail to @icloud, you can't change again. One time.

No, NOT One time. Not at all. The issue isn't that you can't change from one @icloud to another. We all get and understand that. The issue is that you can't change from @gmail TO @icloud - NOT EVEN ONE TIME. Yes, there is a change button. Yes, I can change from one gmail to another gmail, or to something different, but I can't set the @icloud account as primary - NOT EVEN ONCE. As gail said: "If you try to edit a non-Apple domain email address to an iCloud email address, it just goes out into the ether. It will not change it."

This is correct.

You cannot change an Apple ID's primary email address to an iCloud Email address not even once. You can change a non-Apple domain email address to another non-Apple domain email address as many times as you want.

An iCloud Email address is either an Apple ID in and of itself already (if it was created on its own from the Mail app on macOS or from an iOS device) and by extension cannot be used with a different Apple ID, or is simply an email alias that belongs to another non-Apple domain Apple ID (if it was created after creating the Apple ID).

Once again, You absolutely cannot change an Apple ID to use an icloud email at all.

LACAllen wrote:

Once you've changed from @gmail to @icloud, you can't change again. One time.

This is incorrect. You cannot change it to icloud, not even once.