Your Apple ID iCloud and Alias

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Level 1

8 points

Your Apple ID iCloud and Alias

After trying to find out how to lose the iCloud email associated with my Apple ID, and the confusion relating to the alias's that apple keep referring to in their articles, I think this is how it must work.

When you first set up your Apple ID you also set up an iCloud account. This account can have the same id as your Apple ID if your Apple ID ends with @icloud. If you choose to use another email address as your Apple ID, such as a Gmail email, then you must set up iCloud with an @icloud address. This address is then referred to as your Apple ID alias. As you can sign into your accounts with both id's.

If you don't want to use this @icloud address, you must turn it off in mail preferences. It cannot be deleted as it is directly linked to your Apple ID. You can make alias's of your @icloud address if you want more email addresses, or want to hide your original @icloud address but these alias's will not allow you to sign in to your apple devices.

Posted on Mar 10, 2018 10:35 AM

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Answer 1

zfJames

Level 4

2,726 points

Mar 10, 2018 11:34 AM in response to kollibear

Actually, when I set up my Apple ID, I didn't have to set up an @icloud email address. It's optional. Why does it matter if you have an @icloud email address anyway?

Here's an article on this point: About your Apple ID email addresses - Apple Support

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Answer 2

kollibear Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 10, 2018 4:13 PM in response to zfJames

Your right, it is optional to have an @icloud email address. Why does it matter? Well definitely for some it doesn't matter at all not to have it as they already have email addresses already setup and established and have no need to use iCloud to manage their emails and also don't need or want to hide or disguise their Apple ID for security or personal reasons. For others, iCloud offers a way to establish an email address or addresses that they can use and manage within Mail and iCloud quite easily and accessible within all devices. It also offers a way to hide or disguise your actual Apple ID by using the @icloud address instead of the Apple ID. My point really was that Apple refers to the original set up of your Apple ID and if you choose to use @icloud email, as that @icloud address is an alias of your Apple ID and cannot be changed, you can only disable it if it is no longer needed. It also refers to any other @icloud addresses you set up as alias too, but they are only alias's of your @icloud email, not your Apple ID and cannot be used to sign in and can be deleted.

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Your Apple ID iCloud and Alias

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