How do I change the alias for my Apple ID

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Level 2

191 points

How do I change the alias for my Apple ID

I found a post from 4 years ago How do I change my Apple ID Alias name to something else? with the answer to my question (you can't), but was wondering if anything changed with respect to aliases.

Thanks!

Posted on Sep 3, 2014 5:49 AM

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Answer 1

Sep 3, 2014 8:16 AM in response to larryd517

If your Apple ID is a non-Apple address - i.e. not @icloud.com, @me.com or @mac.com - then you can change it to another functioning non-Apple address at http://appleid.apple.com provided that address hasn't been associated with an Apple ID before.

If you Apple ID is an Apple address then you cannot change it.

If you have an iCloud account you cannot change the primary @icloud.com address. You can add up to three 'email aliases' which deliver into the main inbox alongside messages to the primary address.

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Answer 2

larryd517 Author

Level 2

191 points

Sep 3, 2014 8:19 AM in response to Roger Wilmut1

My Apple ID is @gmail (I know how to change the ID)

My alias is an @me.com

I want to change the alias

Thanks!

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Answer 3

Sep 3, 2014 8:27 AM in response to larryd517

By alias I think you mean the main address - @icloud.com and @me.com are the same thing and you can't change them. Only the additional 'email aliases' can be deleted and new ones created (and incidentally these can only be @icloud.com ones - existing @me.com addresses continue to work but new ones cannot be created).

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Answer 4

larryd517 Author

Level 2

191 points

Sep 3, 2014 4:52 PM in response to Roger Wilmut1

Here's why I'm asking...

I read this http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/02/apples-two-factor-authentication-doesnt-protect -icloud-backups-or-photo-streams/?ncid=pushup today. While I use two step authentication, I wanted to have the highest degree of protection and noticed the following, (near the end of the article)...

"...On the user front, all of the standard pieces of advice still apply. Use a complex password, do not share it with anyone, use a private email if at all possible for your ID — one you also don’t share with anyone. "

My Apple ID was an old gmail address. Today, I created a new gmail address that I will never use for email, nor share with anyone and changed my Apple ID to this address. Associated with my Apple ID, I have two email addresses (@icloud for personal mail and @me for banks, websites, etc.).

In addition, I added these two addresses as aliases to my Apple ID. However, after reading that article, I would like to get rid of the aliases (since they're not exactly private) and just use the newly created private gmail account as my Apple ID.

is this possible?

Thanks!

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Answer 5

Sep 3, 2014 11:12 PM in response to larryd517

Associated with my Apple ID, I have two email addresses (@icloud for personal mail and @me for banks, websites, etc.).

Do you mean that you added these as aliases and they exist in addition to the @icloud.com address which is the primary address on your iCloud account? If so you can just delete them at icloud.com in the 'Accounts' tab of the Mail preferences pane. If they are the primary address you can't delete or change them.

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Answer 6

larryd517 Author

Level 2

191 points

Sep 4, 2014 8:50 AM in response to Roger Wilmut1

Okay, now I'm starting to get confused.

My Apple ID was @gmail.com for years.

A year ago, I set up an @icloud address...which, I believe, allowed me to create an @me address (or vice versa) as an alias to the Apple based email account

A few days later, I went to AppleID's website and added the two newly created addresses as aliases to my @gmail.com Apple ID

Yesterday I changed my Apple ID to a new @gmail.com address

What I want to do is to keep the two addresses (@icloud and @me) as email addresses but get rid of them as aliases (for purposes of interacting with Apple web sites).

(is there a differnce between an Apple ID alias... and an @icloud.com alias?

Is that possible?

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Answer 7

Sep 4, 2014 8:57 AM in response to larryd517

As I understand it you have created two email aliases on the iCloud website, which would be in addition to the primary @icloud.com/@me.com address.

Then you went to applied.apple.com and added these as alternate email addresses.

You should be able to delete them there (I can't check on the process because I can't look at the page without invoking the 2-step verification fandango). This won't remove them from the iCloud website where they will continue to function as aliases.

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Answer 8

larryd517 Author

Level 2

191 points

Sep 4, 2014 10:38 PM in response to Roger Wilmut1

Thanks for all your help

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