Email App Set-Up Without Logging Into iCloud

Your iCloud account is an Apple ID, and likely is tied to your personal Apple ID.

The best solution for what you want to do is to:

Go to an iOS device or Mac that is signed into your current iCloud account and sign that account out

When it asks if you want to keep your Contacts on the device, select Keep

Then go back to Settings>iCloud and you will the the option to set up a an Apple ID

Click on that, and provide your Birthdate and Name

Then you will see the option to set up a free iCloud email account

Click on that and set up an iCloud ID to be used as your work ID

When you sign in that ID to iCloud, turn off all of the iCloud options except Contacts

You will be asked if you want to Merge the Contacts on your device or Mac with iCloud

Select Merge

You will now have an iCloud email with your iCloud contacts and no personal information other than your Birthdate and Name (and you can make those specific to your company as well if you wish - just don't forget what you put for your Birthdate).

Cheers,

GB

OK, so first, this is a user to user technical support forum. We are users just like you. So there is nothing "partisan" here. I'm going to put your post below, and ask some additional questions and make some additional comments:

AkPaparazzi wrote:

what I can't stand is all the preference pains and other settings being stored by com.apple and all the annoying plists that I don't want. What I love about apple is that I can toss everything at a moments notice and reinstall to factory but I hate having to create a new user and reinstall all my programs. Just to get rid of the Apple retained data. I want every program to revert to the settings I have on my computer as a default not the setting an employee may change for their one time use. Is there anyway to turn this retention off. I spend countless hours setting up my computer back to the way I want it every day. So anoying fighting the Apple presets to revert back to my defaults.

OK, so I just don't know what the paragraph above means. When you set up an iCloud/Apple ID and use it for Mail and Contacts, that is all it affects. You turn off all of the other iCloud options, and nothing else that is currently on the device or computer is changed. Can you provide an example of the following:

1. Having to reset to factory settings and create a new user ID. What are you resetting? An iOS device or a computer? If a computer, a Mac? Why do you have to do that? What is happening that makes you feel that you need to reset everything?

2. Just to get rid of the Apple-retained data. What data, specifically, are you referring to? I can set up a Mac or an iPhone with a brand new iCloud account, and as a new device, and only sign into Mail and turn on Contacts, and aside from the core Apple programs, nothing else will be on that device or Mac. No other Settings, no other data. I'm just not sure what you are referring to.

Not sure what you are saying here? I am not interested in using any app that takes over my settings on my computer and stores them in a cloud. I will allow a program to take over the settings of the "basic program" and store what ever it wants.

Turning on Mail & Contacts in iCloud does not, as I indicated above, have any effect on anything else except your Contacts and Mail settings.

Contacts is an iCloud function, so requires an iCloud (Apple ID) account. Not sure what you mean by "basic programs", but I'm guessing that many of them [third party programs?] would require a sign-in.

I disagree if you believe many of the programs would require a full access sign in to my computer in order to use them.

I don't have any specific belief here about what you mean. I was asking for a clarification about what you mean when you say "basic programs". I don't know what you are referring to, so some specific examples would be helpful.

Retention of contacts is a basic function of most every program or app. Mail is a basic program of almost any computer. Full control of the computer settings is control of a computer and I am the only person that I want in charge of that control.

OK, so, not understanding your point. I am now at a total loss as to what is is you are trying to accomplish. Creating a new iCloud/Apple ID to be used for email and Contacts has zero affect on any other computer settings. It only requires unique settings (as you wish to define them) in the Mail Preferences. The Contacts just "are". It is a file with contact information that is shared with all other devices that are signed into iCloud with that same iCloud ID and which have Contacts turned on.

How do I turn it off? Or is this just a community that is ultimately - 100% controlled by Apple not a community but propiganda machine for Apple and will never help me troubleshoot a function that I do not want on my computer as long as it benefits Apple or allows Apple the control it wants to my computer. And if I am wrong and your advise is non-partison, for lack of better words, then please suggest a third party app that will allow me to use contacts in a mail program without turning over control of my computer. Please. And I beg you not to make me look like an idiot because I asked, I am sincerely asking this question with all respect.

How do you turn what off? As previously stated, we are all just users here unless you see a post by an Apple Community Specialist (which is not often). We are not controlled by anyone, we don't work for anyone here - we are all volunteers. I have no clue what you mean when you say you don't want help if it allows Apple to control what it wants on your computer. Control in what way? I do not understand.

As for a 3rd party app, I have no clue. I volunteer here because I use Apple products, and those are the ones I am most familiar with. I use a PC for work, and I am familiar with basic Microsoft apps, but beyond that, I do not have any special generic knowledge that would help you here.

You initially described a very simple requirement, and I provided you with an option to meet that requirement. As the posts have continued, the requirements have grown, and the issues that you perceive with the solution I recommended have also grown. At this point, it has moved from you using the Mail and Contacts apps to a company with multiple people, multiple levels of access, multiple programs, multiple requirements, which is well beyond the scope of what I was solving for.

Apple does have Apple in the Enterprise which is designed to specifically cater to businesses wanting to use Apple products and services across their business platform. Perhaps that is what you are looking for:

http://www.apple.com/business/mac/

http://www.computerworld.com/article/3055717/apple-mac/apple-wins-the-battle-for -enterprise-hearts-and-minds.html

I am not sure what else I can offer at this point, but it sounds like the simple solution that I was recommending would not meet the needs that you actually are trying to fulfill here.

Best of luck,

GB

When you go to System Preferences>iCloud on your computer, do you see Keychain checked?

AkPaparazzi wrote:

I can't tell how much it means to me that you took the time to address all of this - first and foremost thank you.

I created a new user and created a new apple email address NewTestForGB@icloud.com on my iMac 27in desktop with a Sierra 10.12.2 operating system. I then opened my new user without logging into my Apple ID. After the new user initialized I logged into the new Apple ID and unchecked everything and selected only Contacts and Email and nothing else for the very first time.

I have two documents to show you. I will not comment.

Document #1: My Keychain prior to logging into the NEW Apple ID

Document #2: My Keychain After Logging into my new Apple ID

Well, iCloud email requires an Apple/iCloud ID. Why can't you set up a new iCloud.com Apple ID on your work computer? If I can understand the limitations, maybe we can find a solution within the framework that would work for you.

Cheers,

GB

AkPaparazzi wrote:

Is there a way that if I don't use the Apple ID I can still use my basic programs on my computer? Or just log in the contact app ONLY? Without all the com.apples retaining my information and settings on other apps and programs?

No there isn't. Contacts is an iCloud function, so requires an iCloud (Apple ID) account. Not sure what you mean by "basic programs", but I'm guessing that many of them would require a sign-in.

And again, if you set up a brand new Apple/iCloud ID, with only Contactsn & Mail, there would be no information or other apps and programs information since you would be signing in with an ID that only has Contacts and Mail set up.

A new ID has no information except the Name and Birth Date that you supplied when you set it up.

Cheers,

GB

OK, I just did what you did and created a new iCloud ID under my Guest User account, and I do see that when you sign into iCloud, it signs your account into FaceTime and Messages automatically. I went in and unchecked "Enable this Account" on each. I checked iTunes and the Mac App Store, and they were not logged in.

I went into Preferences in both FaceTime and Messages and signed out of them. But, when I logged out and then logged back in, it signed my iCloud ID back into them again.

So, it does look like those two items will log in automatically. I also noted that when I logged into my iCloud account, I used Internet Accounts in System Preferences instead of iCloud, and it would bring up Game Center as well. I declined the agreement and deleted Game Center, but each time I logged in via Internet Accounts it came back. In addition, the iCloud options in the Internet Accounts showed checkmarks once the login was complete, and I had to uncheck iCloud Drive, Photos, etc.

So, I see what you mean about things happening behind the scenes. I think you might want to look into Apple in the Enterprise to see if that provides the kind of control you are looking for. I think that the "default" logins for iCloud services like FaceTime, Messages, and Game Center are primarily for the benefit of individual consumer users. In a business environment, as you indicated, you want more control, and I believe that Apple in the Enterprise provides the kind of specific control you are looking for via tools like Configurator and Mobile Device Management.

Again, the requirements became more complex the longer we discussed this topic, so based on what you want to happen, simply setting up a new iCloud email account is not going to provide you with the management capabilities that you want for your business.

Cheers,

GB

🙂 You are most welcome! I was glad to learn something as well, so Thanks back to you!

You have a great New Year too!

Cheers,

GB