iOS 18.1 to let users change or delete iCloud.com primary email addresses
The upcoming iOS 18.1 update will allow users to change a previous primary email address, as well as letting those with iCloud.com, mac.com, or me.com email addresses change them.
Your Apple ID is now known as your Apple Account, and comes with new flexibility.
Previously, Apple didn't allow any changes to your primary iCloud email address. Instead, those who regretted or no longer wanted to use that primary address could create a handful of "alias" email addresses that covered most uses.
As of iOS 18.1, however, users can change the primary email address associated with your Apple Account -- formerly known as Apple ID -- and use either the new address or the prior one for logging in. Previously, users would have to delete their old primary email, and re-verify their identity in order to pick a new one.
Even if you used an alias, the primary email address could still be seen by others when users send requests to share or collaborate on documents. The same applies to sending invitations to events via the Calendar app.
The change, first spotted by MacRumors, allows those who picked a flippant @icloud.com, @mac.com or @me.com, or have simply outgrown the old primary email address, to update it. The move by Apple also allows users, for the first time, to turn off a primary iCloud email address in addition to the option of deleting it.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
But if my Beta updates aren't showing the actual releasing let me know... thanks!
I suppose there are legitimate reasons for an individual to have multiple Apple Accounts (formerly Apple IDs), However I still cannot fathom why Apple can't come up with a way to merge accounts when all of the parties involved are one and the same person. Apple allows me to have multiple email aliases and multiple Hide My Email aliases but they can't allow me to authorize them to merge my two accounts into a single account. I'll sign a release document and get it notarized if that's what they demand. My overriding concern is that they'll eventually remove the current hack-around to lessen the burden on their end and I'll lose everything I've purchased under one or the other accounts. Hopefully logic and common sense will prevail. Sure.
Then, 9 years ago when I bought a new iMac 5K, it assigned my "@me'com" address as my Apple ID, without asking. It took a couple of years to figure why I had a hard time signing in to certain accounts. Turned out I was stuck with 2 Apple IDs.
When I got an Apple Card, I couldn't put it in my wallet, because the IDs didn't match. Fun!
Like thousands of others, I have two AppleID's with purchases/paid content linked to both and I'd like nothing better than to be able to merge the two together.
I suspect you won't be able to merge accounts, though - my guess is this is just what it says - chaining the primary email address and if you try to change the email address on your second account to match your primary account you will get an error.
Combining two accounts is on my list as well. Some time ago Apple allowed the use of "aliases" as email addresses. So I created an additional @mac.com address and all was well for some time. A year or years later that address was changed to a separate Apple ID. Now and then some alert would pop up saying I needed to sign into that account and not my original account. I don't remember the password for that account but I can still read email. What a clusterf.
2) I tell people with two Apple IDs to just use the same, secure password for both and/or use a proper password manager so they don't forget their passwords.