AppleInsider Staff
Apple on Tuesday updated its Apple ID policy, allowing account holders using third-party email addresses as login credentials to switch to an Apple-provided email address.
Apple has long allowed new customers to sign up for an Apple ID, which is used to authenticate and manage a user's Apple account across services ranging from iTunes to the online Apple store, using third-party email addresses like those from Google and Yahoo.
Until now, the company let users switch their login to another third-party account, but not an Apple domain such as "@icloud.com," "@me.com" or "@mac.com." For example, an Apple ID holder using "johndoe@gmail.com" might switch their login to "johndoe43@yahoo.com," but they were restricted from transitioning to one of Apple's email addresses.
That is no longer the case, as one MacRumors reader points out. Earlier this month, the person sent a letter to multiple Apple executives requesting the Apple ID login quirk be fixed. A reply from an executive relations employee said the problem was being reviewed by Apple's engineering team.
Today, the reader, identified as Dillon, received a phone call saying the issue has been resolved.
Apple has subsequently updated a support document titled "Change your Apple ID" to reflect the account management modification.
As noted in a new section regarding third-party email addresses, the company cautions that switching login information from a third-party service to an @icloud.com, @me.com or @mac.com account is a one-way process.
If you enter a new Apple ID that ends with @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com, you see a message to confirm. When you change your Apple ID to an @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com account, you can't change it back to a third-party email account. Your former Apple ID that ends with a third-party email, becomes an additional email address for your Apple ID account.
The change should be a boon for users, especially platform switchers, who used a non-Apple email address to set up their Apple ID account before transitioning to Apple's suite of services.
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65 Comments
Did Apple ever fix the quirk where you couldn't use your regular Apple ID for a developer account and weren't allowed to create a new Apple ID using an icloud.com (etc.) domain, forcing you to use a third-party email provider?
Apple must hate email. I wish they made a revolutionary email service. Email feels so old and outdated, I know someone can innovate in this space.
It’s about damn time. I thought it was quite stupid for not allowing me to switch from a third part to Apple’s own email address.
To be clear, does this mean that those with iTunes Store/iBookstore/App Store accounts using a 3rd-party address can now link it to an iCloud account so they can have a single account?
I think the email protocol is fine how it is and it's been many years (since the MobileMe days) that I remember getting copious amount of spam not blocked by their servers, but I'd love here some thoughts of how it can be better.
From a client aspect, they have made it easily in iOS Mail to unsubscribe, and in all their OSes they've increased data detectors to be more useful with contacts, phone numbers, addresses, events, dates, etc. so that even in other apps they show up as possible options.
You understand that if Dillion was the only one to make this request that he wouldn't hav received a reply. It's likely only because he was one of the last ones to request it when they had a resolution on the ready that he was picked.
I just tried to change my gmail account to my iCloud account and the system will
not allow it. I get an error message stating I can’t use iCloud addresses.