Email address cannot be used for iMessage

Question

Email address cannot be used for iMessage

Just set up an icloud email address for my daughter. I want her to be able to use that icloud email address to send iMessages to me or her mother using our iPads and iPhones.

I set up the icloud email address for her with no problem and am able to e-mail her with it and she is able to send emails back to me with it.

Went into Settings>Messages>Add Another Email. I typed in the icloud email address I set up for her and received the following error message:

"This email address cannot be used for iMessage."

I do not know why I received this error message. The icloud email account was set up.

I also went into the Messages app on my phone and sent a iMessage to the iCloud e-mail account and received a response that the message was delivered and Read!

If anyone has dealt with this issue before, please let me know what you think. Thank you!

Joe 😀

iPhone 5, iOS 7.0.4

Posted on Dec 29, 2013 7:16 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

David Menzel

Level 4

1,465 points

Dec 29, 2013 8:15 AM in response to Joseph Romano

On her iOS device please go to Settings > iCloud > Messages > Send & Receive, then click on the currently signed in Apple ID, sign out of the existing account and then try to sign in using her new account. Please also do the same in Settings > FaceTime.

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Answer 2

Dec 29, 2013 9:02 AM in response to David Menzel

So if I'm reading this right, you cannot assign multiple Apple IDs to iMessage on the same device? You have to log out of the first in order to use the second?

If this is true, does this work device to device? In other words, if she has access to an iPad and an iPhone, could you allow the iPhone to message and FaceTime through my daugther's new icloud email while the iPhone is still assigned to her mother's e-mail?

Or, is there a way to allow multiple apple IDs to iMessage and FaceTime on a sinle device WITHOUT having to disable one?

Thanks for the previous fast response and the future help.

Joe 😎

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Answer 3

Dec 29, 2013 9:12 AM in response to Joseph Romano

Yes, your are right, you cannot assign multiple IDs for iMessage on one device. And yes, your daughter could sign in using her Apple ID for iMessage and FaceTime while her moher stays signed in with her iCloud account.

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Answer 4

Dec 29, 2013 9:33 AM in response to David Menzel

Okay. Thank you David. So, just to clarify, if I have my daughter's iCloud account logged in on the iPad and her mom's icloud account logged in on her iPhone I should be okay. Each one can FaceTime and iMessage on their respective devices.

Just reply back to confirm if you get a chance. Thank you!

Joe

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Answer 5

Dec 29, 2013 2:49 PM in response to Joseph Romano

On any device FaceTime would work with the account that you set up in Settings > FaceTime.

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Answer 6

Dec 30, 2013 4:20 AM in response to David Menzel

Thanks again David. I will try to change the account used on the iPad for my daughter to the new iCloud e-mail I set up for her. Hopefully I will not get that error message again! I appreciate the time and help.

Joe

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Answer 7

Dec 30, 2013 4:23 AM in response to Joseph Romano

You are welcome!

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Answer 8

MNfam

Level 1

4 points

Jun 19, 2016 1:44 PM in response to David Menzel

This is very helpful. I am experiencing the same issue. However, when I go to settings > iCloud > Messages> I don't receive a send & receive option. Just an opportunity to sign in or create a new apple id.

Could you please advise for this scenario?

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