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

Guys, assuming that I managed to delete my old Apple ID account (which I established on an old Yahoo mail and has a related iCloud Email address : xxxxx@icloud.com), will I be able to create a new Apple ID through an icloud enabled device like my iPhone using the same user name I used in the old Apple ID xxxxx@icloud.com ? Or will they ask me to change to another user name yyyyy@icloud.com ?

No sir, you misunderstood me. If I managed to permanently delete my old Apple ID, i.e., xxxxx@icloud.com , which is a secondary email in my Yahoo Apple ID, no longer exists, will I be able to create a new Apple ID from scratch with the old user name xxxxx@icloud.com?

No sir, you misunderstood me. If I managed to permanently delete my old Apple ID, i.e., xxxxx@icloud.com , which is a secondary email in my Yahoo Apple ID, no longer exists, will I be able to create a new Apple ID from scratch with the old user name xxxxx@icloud.com?

You can't delete an Apple ID; and once any address - @icloud.com or any other address - has been associated with one Apple ID it can't be associated with any other; so I'm afraid that as I said before you cannot do what you ask.

Try it then. Even if you are able to get Apple to completely delete your AppleID, it doesn't mean you'll be able to re-use it if you create a new AppleID.

A new AppleID needs to be created from a non-Apple email address, which would exclude the @icloud.com address you want to use. But as you would've deleted that @icloud.com address it wouldn't exist for you to be able to use, even if Apple did allow it.

You can create an ICLOUD Apple ID when you sign up for an Apple ID in your enabled iCloud device for the first time. This is the issue, new users can create iCloud Apple ID, but not the old users who are stuck in their old non-apple Apple ID (and it’s related iCloud Email)

You're wrong. What you state was once true, but is no longer the case. If you go to iCloud preferences, while not signed in, you will see you have the option of creating an iCloud address without requiring an external, non-apple address. It has been like this for quite some time.

I only know what's in IMP68's post - obviously it's not something I can test out (particularly as I'm still clinging to Snow Leopard as it sinks slowly beneath the waves of 'progress').

But it's not the only place where Apple contradicts itself - for example podcast submissions where the image is too small are being told it must be 600 x 600 while in fact anything below 1400 x 1400 is now rejected: just one example.

They have now limited the number of characters for feedback. But, Thanks reitermoritz - I used your feedback note as a base and altered it only slightly to fit within the character limit.

In December - I had it working (with the help of a person at my local apple store) there was a warning message on my manage your apple id page - but I didn't care. Then last week - my email stopped working all together the only way to restore it was to put the non-icloud email back as my apple id & primary email address. <sigh>. Very short sighted of the Apple folks -- and surprising based on their claim for being user friendly. I don't mind having a true alternate email address (but like everyone else - I want my icloud one to be the primary and my AppleID. Thanks again.

My old primary email belong to a domain that I owned but no long want to have. Since, I'm going to let the domain expire this year, I need to update all of my account to send email to my icloud address. I was pretty flustered when I discoved that I could not change my apple id ( why does it need to be an email address and not just "username"? ) to match my iCloud.

I guess that I'll have to pick an email address out of the dozens that I have and call Apple to make sure no email will go to the expired domain. If someone buys that domain, they could receive password recovery emails from Apple.

Dear Apple Team,

In my effort to make life more manageable, I'm canceling all of my non-iCloud email accounts, letting my email domain ownership expire, and using iCloud as my primary email service. I would also like to use it as my Apple ID.

The front end for managing my Apple ID does not allow me to do this because it does not take an email address with a domain owned by Apple.

I'm will to pay for email service from another provider to use as an alternative backup address for password recovery but I don't want it to be my Apple ID anymore.

Please reconsider your stance on this issue. There are many ways recover a password, text messages and challenge-response questions are examples. People are abandoning email alternative accounts in droves, so I think Apple should adopt its practices in response.

Message was edited by: AxeBox360

No need to call Apple. Just go to appleid.apple.com and sign in to manage your account. You can edit the emails to a new address. No one could get your info even if they buy your domain. You can call Apple if you want, but they'll tell you the same thing.

Of course they could! If they buy the domain, they can direct all the email...including password reset emails....to their mailbox of choice. Easy peasy.

It's difficult to edit the email message to a new address when I don't have any other addresses. I've deleted all of my email accounts except the one that I own the domain for. And when that is gone, well...we'll see how that plays out.

AxeBox360 wrote:

Of course they could! If they buy the domain, they can direct all the email...including password reset emails....to their mailbox of choice. Easy peasy.

Not if you've changed the ID. They would have no access to your ID or your iCloud email. Any reset message would be sent to the new ID address (or you should really set up a 'rescue address'.

It's difficult to edit the email message to a new address when I don't have any other addresses

Just get yourself a free Yahoo or GMail address and use that as the ID. This is the process for changing it:

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.

So it's brilliant Apple policy to force their dedicated users to go to third party companies like Google or Yahoo and create extra email address with all following security issues instead of letting them to use their own mail for that? Man, i was solid with apple for like past five years but now i'm seriously thinking to switch back to Windows or move on to Linux.

jonwit wrote:

my icloud email is listed as an alternate on my apple id

do you know if I can convert that icloud address to it's own apple ID ?

I'm afraid this is not possible. An @icloud.com address cannot be moved to another account, used to create and Apple ID, turned into an alias nor made the ID for its account if it isn't already that.