Q: Resetting email and password in iCloud

You have to delete the old account, provide the password for the old ID when prompted to turn off Find My iPhone, then sign back in with the ID you wish to use.  If you don't know the password for your old ID, or if it isn't accepted, go to https//appleid.apple.com, click Manage my Apple ID and sign in with your current iCloud ID.  Tap edit next to the primary email account, tap Edit, change it back to your old email address and save the change.  Then edit the name of the account to change it back to your old email address.  You can now use your current password to turn off Find My iPhone on your device, even though it prompts you for the password for your old account ID. Then go to Settings>iCloud, tap Delete Account and choose Delete from My iDevice when prompted (your iCloud data will still be in iCloud).  Next, go back to https//appleid.apple.com and change your primary email address and iCloud ID name back to the way it was.  Now you can go to Settings>iCloud and sign in with your current iCloud ID and password.

I'm having the exact same problem but I cannot revert back to the old one temporarily as it is no longer an operational account and I therefore cannot verify the changes to the email address.  Any ideas?

As stated above, try to just edit the primary email address to change it to your old email address and save the change without verifying the old account.

Does this mean that I have to agree that all my photos will be deleted from my phone and pad?! That is what has stopped me when I tried to follow these tedious, convoluted ways of changing one's Apple ID due to change of email address.

Yes. But they will sync as soon as you enter the new Apple ID which belongs to your iCloud account.

And also helps following this:

What to do after you change your Apple ID email address or password - Apple Support

BUt my Icloud is not updated because I am without wifi all summer until beginning of September. In the meantime, my old email does not work any more so I cannot get the cerification code when I want to change ID! SIGH

The actual dialog when you sign out of iCloud on your device should look like this...

iCloud is asking to remove the non-synced photos only. If you wish, you can wait and complete the download and keep them on your device. It clearly says your photos will be in iCloud Photo Library. You will not lose anything.

Can you get to a coffee shop with wifi? Library? McDonald's?

HMmm, I live in Dennark, but there could be wifi access points around. I'll try. Thanks for your reply

IT does say something slightly like it, though nit quite. It speaks Danish, you see. But am I then best adviced to just make the jump and hope I will be ok afterwards? I log out of both phone and iPad. I go to Apple Id and change my Id. iI go back and log in again with my new address/ID? Have I got it right now?

And it won't keep indisting on my old ID whenever I need to update apps?

PLease twll me if I have understood it right now

I can't promise you anything from where I sit I'm afraid.

I can tell you how iCloud works. If you simply sign out of iCloud, nothing is permanently removed from your phone by doing this. Content will be removed, BUT can be synced (downloaded) again once you sign back in. IF it is the same Apple ID that you sign back in to, you will get the same content.

Does that make sense?

Changing the email address of your Apple ID, does not change the Apple ID, only it's "friendly" name.

It would be like this... your full name is Sally Jane Smith. Everyone knows you as Sally. One day you tell everyone to start calling you Jane. You are the same person, just using a different but valid name.

If you need reassurance, sign in to iCloud.com right now using the current Apple ID and password. You should be able to view all of your content there. Signing out of iCloud on your phone does not affect that content on iCloud.com. It will be there after you sign out and can be synced with your device if needed.

WEll, thank you for your advice, anyway. I am grateful. You explain things well

Thank you and you're welcome.