A friend has two email addresses and wants to change the default one.

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Level 1

10 points

A friend has two email addresses and wants to change the default one.

A friend has one main iCloud email address on her iPad, but doesn't know the password. We've managed to rectify this and would like to change email addresses from the main one to the secondary, so making the secondary the default and main one. In other words swap the now default email address to make the secondary the default one, but still use the Mail app. The secondary address is Sky who use Yahoo, so do I use the drop down menu which appears in settings and shows Outlook, Yahoo etc, and select Yahoo, who Sky use themselves.

She is an elderly lady who was given her iPad by one of her family a while back, but who hadn't deleted anything, so the settings are from the family member. This lady is getting used to using Mail so would prefer to stick with that, otherwise it'll be Sky's own site and relearn Sky/Yahoo's way. I suggested contacting this family member but was told the password wouldn't be remembered.

I thought of resetting the iPad to remove anything to do with iCloud, but that hasn't worked. We've gone through iTunes and put her Sky (secondary) email address in there, it took but that didn't change anything either. We've managed to change her Apple ID logging in details to the new email address and password, so thought the rest would be a doddle but no.

Am I reading and trying to redo too much to make the Sky email address the main and default one? should I simply use the drop down menu and select Yahoo?

She doesn't have a clue on how to do these things as she's very much a learner, that's why I'm trying to help and to think all this came from not knowing the Apple ID password.

Posted on Feb 4, 2016 1:23 PM

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Answer 1

Pmintz25

Level 4

2,058 points

Feb 4, 2016 1:33 PM in response to puretoon

You are confusing two different issues. You are talking about changing the default email in Mail, and also talking about using iCloud. While she may have the same email address as her Apple ID, the Apple ID itself does not affect the Mail application.

Making Yahoo the default email address and using iCloud are two totally different issues.

So to address the issue of making the Yahoo email the default account, you must first make sure it has been added to the iPad.

Go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Add Account (unless the account is already here)

Next, scroll down on the same page and look for Default Account, tap this and change to whichever email address you want as the default

You can also delete unwanted email accounts in this same settings pane by tapping the unwanted email address and tapping Delete Account, or Sign Out if it is an iCloud account.

If you did in fact make changes to an iCloud account, the changes may not take effect until you sign out and then back into the iCloud account.

Hope this helps

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Answer 2

puretoon Author

Level 1

10 points

Feb 4, 2016 2:01 PM in response to Pmintz25

Thanks for your prompt reply Pmintz25. I have used my old iPad to check this out as we now have the Pro ourselves, but on following your instructions (Settings>Mail, Contacts Calendars> Add Account) when I select Add Account it shows me a drop down menu with iCloud at the top, then Exchange, Google, Yahoo, AOL, Outlook , then 'other', but nothing representing what you're saying. I've got 'Setting' heading the left column, then Mail, contacts in blue with Add Account above the said list. No amount of scrolling with alter what its showing. There isn't Default Account. I got exactly this very same screen when helping her, but tried the 'other' which didn't work. I have, however selected Yahoo on my old pad just to see what would happen and it asked me for my username which I inserted as I use Sky email myself, it then took me to Sky's site to log on. I'm presuming on doing this-selecting Yahoo! it will then add her Sky email to the Mail app by default.

the reason I tried with the iCloud bit was that I'm aware with Apple it seems to take more than one place to make changes acceptable-ie iTunes being one, but this time the lady hadn't opened iTunes and nor had her family so it took her Sky email with out a problem.

That's the situation I"m in now, but if I'm following your well written instructions wrong, then I'm sorry and if you've any more help it would be appreciated.

Many thanks

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Answer 3

Pmintz25

Level 4

2,058 points

Feb 4, 2016 2:06 PM in response to puretoon

See Sky Mail's help for adding an email account to the iPad

http://help.sky.com/articles/get-emails-on-your-mobile-or-tablet

If you don't have any other email accounts added, then disregard my instructions on making the email the default account.

If the Sky email account is the only account on the iPad, it will automatically be set to the default email address.

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Answer 4

puretoon Author

Level 1

10 points

Feb 4, 2016 2:28 PM in response to Pmintz25

Again thanks for your reply. I actually tried this at her house on her iPad, but just when we thought all was good, it threw a message up, something about imap and iCloud account so we couldn't go any further as it wouldn't let us.. I know Apple use imap and not POP3 so knew what this referred to.

I appreciate your help Pmintz25 . I'm in the frame of mind to use the Yahoo! bit which showed that I've previously mentioned as Sky use Yahoo! to deal with their emails.I still don't know why her iPad was set up with an iCloud email address for mailing, but her Apple ID is for Sky email. I do appreciate on resetting the iPad it 'invites' you to join iCloud emailing side, but.......there's nothing straight forward in technology is there 😉

Thanks again for your time and effort Pmintz25

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Answer 5

Pmintz25

Level 4

2,058 points

Feb 5, 2016 10:34 AM in response to puretoon

So my Yahoo email address is also my Apple ID. You can't use your Yahoo account for iCloud mail, it has to be an @icloud.com or @me.com account, but you can use your Yahoo account as an Apple ID. This can be confusing since an iCloud account CAN be an Apple ID, but an Apple ID is not always an @iCloud or @me account. An Apple ID can be any type of email address you choose.

Based on what you've told me, it sounds like her iPad has an iCloud account already enabled for Mail. What I would recommend doing is sign out of iCloud and all other email services, and then sign into iCloud with her Yahoo email address. Unless there is an @iCloud or @me account linked to her Apple ID, iCloud should not allow her to enable Mail in Settings > iCloud. This is normal. All you would have to do is go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars and add the Yahoo account in here as well.

When using a Yahoo account for an Apple ID, signing into iCloud allows you to enable all of iCloud's features EXCEPT Mail. To use Mail, you must also sign into the Mail app with your Yahoo email. So her Yahoo account must be signed in both places.

Honestly, it may be easier to completely reset the iPad and start over. That way you know exactly which email accounts are being added. If you are ok with deleting everything on the iPad and starting over, go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Only do this if you are sure you don't need anything on the iPad

If you two are near an Apple Store, it may be worth the time to have someone help you side by side. Sometimes these issue are easier to understand when someone shows you how to do it.

Best of luck

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Answer 6

puretoon Author

Level 1

10 points

Feb 5, 2016 12:50 PM in response to Pmintz25

Hello and many thanks for your valuable help Pmintz25.

If I can quote you:

'Unless there is an @iCloud or @me account linked to her Apple ID, iCloud should not allow her to enable Mail in Settings > iCloud. This is normal. All you would have to do is go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars and add the Yahoo account in here as well.'- I did not know this was normal, as you said, and it's exactly what came up when I tried to change things. Yes, adding the Yahoo! account was going to be my next move so thanks you for that.

I've actually printed off your last reply to help me-hope you don't mind. Although it doesn't sound it, I am computer literate, but have used Windows for many years , 98 first then XP, then jumped to Windows 8, 8.1, then fed up with that went onto Apple near two years ago, but this problem my friend has is unique to me and have never come across it before.

I can't thank you enough Pmintz25 for all your time and effort in helping me.

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Answer 7

Pmintz25

Level 4

2,058 points

Feb 5, 2016 1:49 PM in response to puretoon

Always happy to help a fellow Mac user.

The reason Mail is not an option for non-Apple emails is that your email provider (Yahoo, AOL, etc...) already store your emails on their own server! Wouldn't make sense to have apple back up emails that are already backed up.

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