Q: Solution to iMessages authentication issue.  Need to stop using the @mac.com apple ID and use @me.com

Hi,

It was that it could be any Apple ID.

But for some time now it has become apparent that the Apple ID is use also needs to be linked to an iCloud account.

My Original Apple ID is an email from a Dial up Account I once had.

It has been lined to iCloud so I have an @me.com and the later @icloud.com ID that go with it.

I use the Original ID in Messages for the iMessages account and the @me.com one in System Preferences > iCloud as the iCloud ID.

There is some evidence that they are treated separately at these points.

As an AIM Screen name in Messages I use both the @me.com and @iCloud.com ones as AIM does regard them as Separate entities.

I do have older @mac.com IDs that are just Apple IDs and not linked to iCloud.

At the moment I have not seen the need to convert those as well.  They give me a couple of other AIM Screen Names.

9:07 pm      Saturday; November 7, 2015

Can you provide a description exactly how to do this?

Hi,

Apple Originally issued @mac.com ID when it ran the .Mac service.

You could sign up for a trial account and the ID worked for iChat beyond the trial period even though your lost the email service and the other on line features that were on offer.

Next Apple changed to MobileMe which issued @me.com ID

If you were paying for @mac.com services then you could link the email and effectively have two "Names" to the account with one password.

So you could use piglet299@mac.com and piglet299@me.com to access MobileMe Online service and the Mail to either would arrive at the same place.

In iChat though the two IDs could be used as two separate AIM valid Screen Names.

Since the end of MobileMe and the start of iCloud @me.com IDs were the first ones issued.

Apple Later brought out @icloud.com ones.

As I explained above this is how I ended up with an @me.com and @icloud.com ones

In cases were people had a @mac.com one linked to MobileMe then iCloud may have all three.

Next bit.

During the MobileMe time Apple kept the @mac.com registration page open so that you could register an "iChat name".

It continued to issue @mac.com IDs that you could only use in iChat as a valid AIM name.

Technically @mac.com and @me.com names are still valid AIM Screen Names in iChat and Messages.

However there have been changes in the security that AIM require to login that means that a double check process that means you have to be logged in to Apple as well as AIM means they will not work in iChat 6.0 or lower (they will work in iChat 6.0.1 and Above).

So in relation to the Title of this Thread it depends on what type of @mac.com ID you actually have.

It it was linked to MobileMe and you have an @me.com ID as well you can just change them over.

This involves Signing Out of the current ID and then tying the new ID over the top and adding the password (the box retains the old ID until you type something new in)

If it is an @Mac.com account that happened to also be your Apple ID to login to Apple but was not linked to anything else you might be able to link it to iCloud.

I am not sure if you get @icloud.com IDs straight away now or if it can be a @Me.com one.

I have several @mac.com IDs as I sued to test them over iChat across three computers.

I have never made these iCloud IDs  (I am not sure I can unless I add back recovery emails and the like. which I have removed in the past).

I hope this covers the type of ID you have and how you might have got hold of it in the first place and what you might have done along the way as well as detailing how to change the ID in Messages for the iMessages account.

8:38 pm      Wednesday; May 11, 2016