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

I left AT&T as an internet provider months ago... So, I changed my apple ID to the iCloud.com email, no problem. My iTunes account, my iCloud account and all my contacts that use facetime and iMessage use my iCloud email.

Yesterday I bought a new iMac and the confirmation for the purchase was sent to my old email with AT&T...

How can this be. I had erased that a long time ago?

I can log into my apple ID account, my iTunes account but it won't let me to change my iCloud email as my primary email or my Apple ID... But it is already my Apple ID.... It does not make any sense.

I tried to open a new Apple ID account using my iCloud email but it won't let me!

What is going on? Is there a legal issue?

I won't change my set up at this point. Apple can send all the emails they want to my old address and I will never know!

I hope Apple decides to come forward and either explain this to us or change it!

I've been with Apple since 1988 when I bought my first computer! And this not how Apple used to be....

Good luck to you all!

(an ex-Apple fanatic)

Apparently this thread (Like almost all of them on this site) has changed from offering a solution or at least a good work around to "How to make Apple do things the way we want" which never really works out anyway. SO There is a very easy solution for this. Even though it is not perfect, most people will find this to be a good long term fix. Once you have created your @icloud.com email address you can now use it to log in place of your apple ID/Primary email address. No need to type that old Google address anymore. Now for those emailed receipts from the apple/itunes store... a simple automatic forwarding form your goggle account will put them right into your @icould.com inbox. No need to even have your gmail account set up in your mail manager. If you do ever have to access gmail it can be done through a web browser. Since it does not appear that we will be able to change our Apple IDs to @icloud.com any time soon we are going to be stuck with that old email address anyway. But, for all practical purposes we can make it Disappear. Why not just take 5 minutes to set up the auto forward and remove the old account form Mail, and move on to (almost) a single @icloud.com email address? I hope this helps.

Agreed that Apple is shortsighted for designing such a system in the first place where the security of you account depends on two parties (Apple and other email provider) instead of just one(Apple). It is a headache for security minded users.

Exactly right. But you don't have to set up auto-forwarding.

On Apple's Manage Apple ID page you can set your primary email address to anything you want.

In my case, I have an old @sbcglobal.net email address that I unfortunately must still use as my Apple ID. However, I set my primary email address as my @me.com address. So all emails that Apple sends me (iTunes receipts, Apple Store appointments, etc.) get sent to my good email account. What's more, as you mentioned, I can still actually sign in to all my Apple services using that @me.com address. However, after I log in, my Apple ID name still appears as @sbcglobal.net.

Another solution I'm thinking of, and it depends on how much you have invested in iTunes purchases (in my case not an awful lot, less than 100 songs and all backed up anyway), is to start from scratch and use my already created iCloud account to open a new iTunes account. As what I've read above is that it is possible for new users to do so. I can then use my current pop account which is my Apple ID as my secondary address. Of course, being able to simply use the account as we all want would be easier.

Hmm. I just logged out of iTunes pop account address and tried to log in using my iCloud address. It logged in but my pop email address ID came up. ?? Surely the iCloud apple ID is separate from the op email address apple ID? Why, why, why can't we rename the ID as the iCloud address grrrrr.

Another solution I'm thinking of, and it depends on how much you have invested in iTunes purchases (in my case not an awful lot, less than 100 songs and all backed up anyway), is to start from scratch and use my already created iCloud account to open a new iTunes account. As what I've read above is that it is possible for new users to do so. I can then use my current pop account which is my Apple ID as my secondary address. Of course, being able to simply use the account as we all want would be easier.

edit

I was thinking about this ... again ... is another solution to create a new icloud and apple ID at the same time ... as if a new user ... and then delete the old (or simply let it wither and die)? In short, start again?

OK. I found a way to do it. May be too radical for some. I did a reset on my iPhone and in set up as a new phone created a new iCloud address and apple ID using the new iCloud address, then a new iTunes account using the new iCloud addressed apple id (last night I created CDs of all iTunes purchases under my old account). Now I just set up my phone and iTunes again and I'm done.

I just got off the phone with apple support and as it turns out, I can't make my @icloud account as primary. I can change my primary to anything else, but, not @icloud. Kind of silly. I really hope Apple fixes this. My primary account is associated with @gmail and I will be cancelling my gmail account soon.

the support rep told me that @icloud is an alias, not an email address. I proved him wrong by sending myself an email to @icloud and receiving it both on my ipad and, at icloud.com. So @icloud is in fact, a valid email, not just an alias.

Apple, please fix this!!!

I proved him wrong by sending myself an email to @icloud and receiving it both on my ipad and, at icloud.com. So @icloud is in fact, a valid email, not just an alias.

That doesn't make it not an alias.

There is nothing to fix as nothing is broken. What you want is a new feature. Request are made at apple.com/feedback.

Further, the advisor you spoke with was likely referring to the icloud account as an alias login, which it is.

@imp68: I wish I could down vote you for being so arrogant. Who in their right mind forces you to need to stay with a competing email service in order to have @icloud.com service? Google doesn't. Yahoo doesn't. Microsoft doesn't. Should I go on and on....?

Apple doesn't force you to do anything. You have free will to use their service as it is or not at all. If you're unhappy with something, feedback is done here: apple.com/feedback. Not here.

It is much better to have a 3rd party email for account recovery reasons, anyway.

If it makes you this upset, maybe you should take a nice relaxing walk or light some scented candles. 🙂

bluefox34 wrote:

@imp68: I wish I could down vote you for being so arrogant. Who in their right mind forces you to need to stay with a competing email service in order to have @icloud.com service? Google doesn't. Yahoo doesn't. Microsoft doesn't. Should I go on and on....?

Try to understand that your Appleid is not an email address, it is a login string (a user ID if you like). If you close the account that it is an email address for (which is not iCloud) nothing will change. You will still be able to login usingo it. But you should provide a new alternate email address (if you were using it as such)

bluefox34 wrote:

no offense but there are a lot of people here who disagree with you

Everything in Imp68's post (the one that you replied to) is accurate, you may not like it but it is true. Which part do you disagree with?