Apple ID Changing an Apple ID login from an iCloud address to a third-party email

[UFO47]

A few months ago someone noticed that you could change your Apple ID from you@icloud.com to you@somethingelse.com—and I know for a fact that you really could do it, as I did so myself.

Could someone with an @icloud.com login tell me if this option is still available to you? You will be able to check at the Apple ID section of Apple's website.

I have an Apple ID that I'd temporarily like to switch to an @icloud login, then back again in the near future, however I'm warned:

If you make this change, you will no longer be able to use other email addresses as your Apple ID.

 

[UFO47]

To answer my own question: seems like you're ok to do it, despite the warning. Though there seems to be a limit to how many times you can flip back and forth. The error message offers no answers, but I think it'll be 30 days before I can do it again, from some Googling.

 

[UFO47]

Oddly, I can continue changing the Apple ID, but to anything other than the iCloud address.

This email address cannot be used as an Apple ID at this time.

Is the error I see.

 

[0128672]

Here’s the Apple Support article about how that works, and the wait period if the icloud address was created in the past 30 days:

Change your Apple ID - Apple Support

Change the email address that you use as your Apple ID.

support.apple.com

 

[UFO47]

Sure, but the address was created almost five years ago.

 

[0906742]

Is is possible to do this?
Change current Apple ID email from xxx@icloud.com to xxx@somethingelse.com and then take this xxx.icloud.com email and use it to another Apple ID that currently has xxx@somethingelse.com email to xxx.icloud.com email that was previously used in another Apple ID?

 

[UFO47]

I think that the iCloud address is forever linked to the Apple ID, with no way to disassociate it. Out of interest I tried to change the Apple ID to an iCloud Mail alias, to see what error it shows, and:

You can only add the @icloud.com address that is already on file in your account.

 

[0906742]

I think that the iCloud address is forever linked to the Apple ID, with no way to disassociate it. Out of interest I tried to change the Apple ID to an iCloud Mail alias, to see what error it shows, and:

Does original Apple ID iCloud stay linked to this original xxx@icloud.com too? I was thinking if I could only take that xxx@icloud.com and use it as my private email in another Apple ID where Apple ID was not using this email (since it is not possible to link it to another Apple ID). And if you remove xxx@icloud.com from Apple ID, does that email stay functional in the future or will it be deleted automatically after some time?

 

[UFO47]

I think I understand what you're saying.

Say your Apple ID login is bob@icloud.com, and you wish to change it to bob@somethingelse.com, you can do that. The bob@icloud.com email address will live on forever, associated with your Apple ID. It won't get deleted. If you log in to manage your Apple ID, you will see the icloud address listed as an email you can be contacted at, and there will be no option to remove it. If your login is changed to a third-party address, the third-party email is where Apple will send any notifications about your account, however the iCloud Mail address will remain usable and you can receive emails in the Mail app or on the iCloud website.

Basically, you can't remove a whatever@icloud.com address from your account and then attach it to a new Apple ID.

 

[0906742]

I think I understand what you're saying.

Say your Apple ID login is bob@icloud.com, and you wish to change it to bob@somethingelse.com, you can do that. The bob@icloud.com email address will live on forever, associated with your Apple ID. It won't get deleted. If you log in to manage your Apple ID, you will see the icloud address listed as an email you can be contacted at, and there will be no option to remove it. If your login is changed to a third-party address, the third-party email is where Apple will send any notifications about your account, however the iCloud Mail address will remain usable and you can receive emails in the Mail app or on the iCloud website.

Basically, you can't remove a whatever@icloud.com address from your account and then attach it to a new Apple ID.

Yeah, you understood exactly what I was asking. So it seems there is no practical way to do this. Reason I wanted to do that was that I without thinking too much took firstname.lastname@iCloud.com Apple ID to our shared family iPad under my name because I was using some third party email for my personal Apple ID. Now I would like to take that for myself and take something else for shared iPad.

I guess I could just took that shared Apple ID for myself and create new for shared one but how do I move all my stuff from my current Apple ID to that? Is it even possible to transfer all possible data from past years like Health and Calendar to another Apple ID? I know some basic text messages and notes probably is easy...
And even if that works I would then end up moving all the purchased movies from shared iPad to my personal which would create another problem how to transfer them to new Apple ID.

I guess careful planning would have worked in this case too, so can't blame much else but myself for that.

 

[UFO47]

Oddly, I can continue changing the Apple ID, but to anything other than the iCloud address.



Is the error I see.

So, for anyone searching for a solution in the future: I was able to change back to the iCloud address after 30 days.