Apple ID to iCloud Primary Email Address

Despite what that page appears to imply, you cannot make your @icloud.com address your Apple ID - this has to take the form of a non-Apple address. Quite apart from anything else, it's important that there is another address associated with the account, otherwise if for example there was a problem with your account and Apple needed to email you, if they did so to the iCloud address you might not be able to access it.

OK Roger, even if it seems absurd for the page displayed above by Richard to offer to do just that if we can't. But here's a deal: my wife has just started with a computer and has never had an email address in her life. Went to Apple shop, bought all the gear. Wants an Apple ID to use iTunes store etc, and wants to use iCloud. Are you saying she has to apply for an email address from Google, Microsoft, Yahoo in order to use iCloud, the Store and everything else? Seems absurd.

I thought that, as a virgin user if I can put it that way, she will be applying for a new Apple ID and that during that creation process she automatically gets given an iCloud.com email address and it is that that automatically becomes her Apple ID?

tetters wrote:

Are you saying she has to apply for an email address from Google, Microsoft, Yahoo in order to use iCloud, the Store and everything else?

This is correct. Most people have an email address from the ISP who provides their connection.

Roger Wilmut1 wrote:

Despite what that page appears to imply, you cannot make your @icloud.com address your Apple ID - this has to take the form of a non-Apple address. Quite apart from anything else, it's important that there is another address associated with the account, otherwise if for example there was a problem with your account and Apple needed to email you, if they did so to the iCloud address you might not be able to access it.

WC please Roger.

I just posted in this thread: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4493257?answerId=21641862022#21641862022

It is a possible solution for most, and work around for the rest. I figured inistead of posting the same here, I would push people to that thread so that issues can ba addressed in a single thread.

Basically, when you setup an @icloud.com email address with your current Apple ID, your @icloud.com email address becomes an alias log in ID. So without doing anything, you can log in using your icloud email tied to that Apple ID. But you wont get emails from iTunes that way. Therefore I wrote up instructions how to make your iCloud your primary email address, but will leave your Apple ID name "as is" which for most will be an @gmail.com email address. Which is completely find because you will now get emails from iTunes/Apple to @icloud.com and can leave your @gmail.com or any other email address asl your alternate for resuce purposes.

I hope that helps!

Oh Well Roger,

Armed with your protestations as to the impossibility of so doing, we entered the Apple Store, bought the iPad whereupon I issued the challenge to the Apple Geek attending upon us. Result? Humble Pie. He applied for my wife to have an Apple ID being her (also that minute newly created) @icloud.com email address.

End of problem. End of debate!

If you are looking to be able to setup a new Apple ID that uses an iCloud email vs an outside email, here is how you do it (I just did it tonight)

1. On your iMac, click the Apple icon in the upper left of the desktop, and choose System Preferences.
2. Under the Internet and Wireless section, select Mail, Contacts, and Calendars
3. Click the + sign at the bottom of the list on the left and select iCloud.
4. In the pop up, select "Create Apple ID...." in the lower left
5. Enter your country and birthday
6. In the next form you will notice a choice at the top that says to "use an existing email" or "get a free iCloud email address." It will then give you a place to create the part that will go before the @icloud.com.
7. Fill out the rest of the form and you have a brand new Apple ID based on your iCloud email address.

I have not tried to use it in the iTunes, but should just be a matter of signing into iTunes and setting up the credit card and such.

Hopefully that will help you if you have not gone too far with your purchaseds on her new Apple ID