HT202667: Change your Apple ID

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Captain Lardnicus
Level 1 (4 points)
iPad

Q: This process does not work? I still cannot change my Apple ID

I am following the steps and get so far, but there is no edit button next to Apple ID as described.

 

When changing my primary email, I am presented with the option to "Make your Apple ID and primary email address one and the same."

 

But clicking this option merely presents an error: "An Apple ID has already been set up for this member name. To use it, sign in with the member’s email address ending in either @mac.com or @me.com. The Apple ID cannot be changed, but you can create a new Apple ID if you want to use a different member name."

 

I've read many articles saying it cannot be done, but this Official Apple page says that it is possible. Even the Apple ID site itself seems to make it seem like it is possible, but alas... Is this a new feature? Is it on the way?

 

Thanks!

 

Oliver

Posted on Dec 9, 2014 9:30 PM

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Captain Lardnicus

Q: This process does not work? I still cannot change my Apple ID

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  • by Captain Lardnicus,

    Captain Lardnicus Captain Lardnicus Dec 9, 2014 9:33 PM in response to Captain Lardnicus
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPad
    Dec 9, 2014 9:33 PM in response to Captain Lardnicus

    P.S. the solution "but you can create a new Apple ID if you want to use a different member name." is not really an option. I have thousands of dollars of purchases with this account that would not follow me with a new one. All I want to do is change my Apple ID!

  • by Roger Wilmut1,

    Roger Wilmut1 Roger Wilmut1 Dec 10, 2014 12:23 AM in response to Captain Lardnicus
    Level 9 (77,965 points)
    iTunes
    Dec 10, 2014 12:23 AM in response to Captain Lardnicus

    sonicboy wrote:

     

    I've read many articles saying it cannot be done, but this Official Apple page says that it is possible.

    In fact the article in question says:

     

    In most cases, your Apple ID is also the primary email address of your Apple ID account. You can change your Apple ID to any other email address you control, as long as it's not already being used and doesn't end with @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com.

     

    (My emphasis.) The 'primary address' is the address used to contact you by Apple and is the address for the ID, not your iCloud account. If it's already an iCloud address you cannot change it; if it's not an iCloud address you can change it but not to your iCloud address.



  • by j3ffn3ls0n,

    j3ffn3ls0n j3ffn3ls0n Oct 6, 2015 7:07 PM in response to Roger Wilmut1
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 6, 2015 7:07 PM in response to Roger Wilmut1

    and doesn't end with @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com.

     

    Why is that? What absurd explanation can be offered as a reason?

     

    I didn't abandon my old @mac.com account with which my original Apple ID was created (and thousands of dollars of purchases made since, which also can't be transferred to a new Apple ID)... it was APPLE that ABANDONED the @MAC.COM domain, but yet I'm stuck with that email address as my unwanted Apple ID, which email I can no longer access, and which contains my previous name anyway (having legally changed my name since).

     

    So, Apple will allow any other domain to be used and edited/changed as an Apple ID so long as it is not already in use as an ID (fair enough), but they can't do it for their own fracking product domains!?!? That's DBA 101 type of work. It's indefensible... but go ahead and try, anyway.

  • by Roger Wilmut1,

    Roger Wilmut1 Roger Wilmut1 Oct 6, 2015 11:30 PM in response to j3ffn3ls0n
    Level 9 (77,965 points)
    iTunes
    Oct 6, 2015 11:30 PM in response to j3ffn3ls0n

    This is a user to user forum. It's not up to us to defend it - all we can do it explain how things are.

     

    You have an @mac.com ID; if you migrated that to iCloud when that started you also have an @icloud.com and @me.com address and you can log in with either of those. If you are not receiving messages to the @mac.com version you should be, and you should contact Support for report that it's not working. All three versions of the address are in effect the same thing. Messages to all should turn up in the inbox.

     

    You can't change the main email address but you don't have to use it for email (nobody but you sees the address you use for login). You can add up to three 'email aliases'- these are additional addresses (not accounts) which deliver into the same inbox as the main account. (In fact it's a good idea to give out alias addresses, rather than the main address, because if they attract spam you can easily change them.)

     

    You should be aware before you start that once you've created an alias you cannot turn that address into a full iCloud account or move it to another account.

     

    More information on aliases here: http://help.apple.com/icloud/#mm6b1a490a