Changing Apple ID - do not understand!

[Nubben]

Hi All,

My mother-in-law is trying to change her Apple ID but cannot do so. Here's the situation:

1. She as an old e-mail address she's about to cancel - name@btinternet.com
2. That address is also her Apple ID log in user name/e-mail
3. She recently purchased an iMac and has created an iCloud e-mail account based on that Apple ID
4. She would now like to change her Apple ID account from name@btinternet.com to name@icloud.com (which she has just created)

For some reason she cannot do this! I have read numerous articles about this on this forum but do not understand if the above situation is actually the same as in those articles.

Can the Apple ID be changed to the name@icloud.com? Doesn't seem so but please can anyone confirm?

She will shortly be cancelling her name@btinternet.com address so am concerned she will not be able to access the Apple ID account in case she has to.

Thanks all!

 

[kch50428]

One is not allowed to use iCloud email addresses as AppleIDs.

 

[Nubben]

One is not allowed to use iCloud email addresses as AppleIDs.

Thanks kch50428 however I have an Apple ID which is a mac.com address. Are you saying that iCloud.com SPECIFICALLY are not allowed to be used as e-mail addresses?

Many thanks!

 

[Weaselboy]

https://support.apple.com/kb/PH2570

The problem is that iCloud account IS an AppleID, so another AppleID account won't let you use that address since it already belongs to another AppleID (the iCloud one).

She could just use the iCloud AppleID in the app store and iTunes, but she would lose all her previous purchases. Unfortunately there is currently no way to merge two accounts.

Like you, I have an iCloud account I did use as an AppleID in iTunes etc... and it works just fine. kch50428 is mistaken.

What you might do is get her a Gmail or Outlook account and use that for the old AppleID account, then just have those emails forwarded to her iCloud email address. That is what I do with my main iTunes and app store AppleID.

 

[kch50428]

Thanks kch50428 however I have an Apple ID which is a mac.com address. Are you saying that iCloud.com SPECIFICALLY are not allowed to be used as e-mail addresses?

Many thanks!

They're not allowed to be AppleIDs.

 

[Weaselboy]

They're not allowed to be AppleIDs.

I think you are misunderstanding the issue. An iCloud account (email) IS an AppleID and after you make an iCloud account you can go straight to the iTunes or App Store and login there with that account. The problem here is OP is trying to use an iCloud email with another AppleID, and that won't work because the iCloud address is an AppleID already.

As both Nubben and I mentioned, we both have iCloud accounts used as AppleIDs.

Edit: See this link. It discusses the iCloud as AppleID and even shows screenshots of an iCloud address as the AppleID.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204053

 

[IowaLynn]

Just follow these directions.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202667

If you can’t sign in, reset your password, or receive verification codes, you can request account recovery to regain access to your account. Account recovery will take a few days, depending on what account information you can give.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201487

If you're still having issues signing in with your Apple ID and password, make sure that you're entering the correct Apple ID. In most cases, your Apple ID is also the primary email address of your Apple ID account. If these steps didn't help you change your password, contact Apple Support.

 

[Weaselboy]

Just follow these directions.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202667

If you can’t sign in, reset your password, or receive verification codes, you can request account recovery to regain access to your account. Account recovery will take a few days, depending on what account information you can give.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201487

If you're still having issues signing in with your Apple ID and password, make sure that you're entering the correct Apple ID. In most cases, your Apple ID is also the primary email address of your Apple ID account. If these steps didn't help you change your password, contact Apple Support.

I think you are missing my point as kch50428 did. What you linked will not work because the new iCloud address OP's mom got already IS an AppleID, so you cannot use that address with another AppleID account.

 

[chown33]

Hi All,

My mother-in-law is trying to change her Apple ID but cannot do so. Here's the situation:

1. She as an old e-mail address she's about to cancel - name@btinternet.com
2. That address is also her Apple ID log in user name/e-mail
3. She recently purchased an iMac and has created an iCloud e-mail account based on that Apple ID
4. She would now like to change her Apple ID account from name@btinternet.com to name@icloud.com (which she has just created)

For some reason she cannot do this! I have read numerous articles about this on this forum but do not understand if the above situation is actually the same as in those articles.

Can the Apple ID be changed to the name@icloud.com? Doesn't seem so but please can anyone confirm?

She will shortly be cancelling her name@btinternet.com address so am concerned she will not be able to access the Apple ID account in case she has to.

Thanks all!

The short answer is that she should be able to login right now using name@icloud.com as the AppleID.

You or she should try this now, to make sure it works.

This should also illuminate why she can't change her old name@btinternet.com AppleID to be name@icloud.com. It's because name@icloud.com is already in use. By your mother-in-law.

 

[Mr. Buzzcut]

I think you are missing my point as kch50428 did. What you linked will not work because the new iCloud address OP's mom got already IS an AppleID, so you cannot use that address with another AppleID account.

Pretty sure this is the correct answer given what OP described. You can certainly change your Apple ID, but not to one that already exists. So simply pick a new and unique one and abandon the one created in error.

 

[TrentSteelpower]

I have struggled with this issue for years. When I set up my iCloud account, Apple took it, without telling me, and made it my secondary id. They were surprisingly dictatorial about it, and would not budge. So I had to use a Gmail address as my primary.
So I think you'd do best to set up a Gmail, Yahoo, or some other free service and just wear it.