Your Apple ID is your pass to every iCloud services Apple has to offer. Talk of iTunes, Apple Music, and iCloud. Gaining access to these services require you to set up identification upon registration. Meanwhile, changes or errors may occur, causing you to have the need to change your Apple ID.
An Apple ID is usually an email address and often comes off as an @me, @icloud or @mac address. This doesn’t mean you can’t sign up with a different email like Yahoo or Google.
Meanwhile, there are processes to changing the email address associated with your Apple ID. One of the ways this can be done is through the web browser. It’s a simple process but unfortunately, there are certain times when trying to change your Apple ID can prove difficult or even unachievable.
That happens quite a lot and this guide has been prepared to put you through. The message you might get when trying to change your Apple ID could be that your email already exists or some other error you don’t understand. Read on to find how to overcome these minor problems and change your Apple ID.
Before you start
Understand that your Apple ID is an email address and not some code or keywords. Meanwhile, the password doesn’t have to be exactly the same. Meaning your email password, for example, Franklnade*****@gmail.com which you used as your Apple ID doesn’t have to be the same with your Apple ID password.
To complete your registration or a change of Apple ID, you will be required to verify your email address so it can be confirmed that you have access to it.
Apple automatically creates an iCloud email address for you when you create a new Apple ID.
You are advised to log out of your Apple ID from all devices you previously logged in. This is so as not to make it come like a surprise when your old Apple ID no longer works.
How to Change Apple ID
Having established the basic information you should know before proceeding to change your Apple ID, it is important to note that you must know your current Apple ID and the password associated with it before you can change your ID from any web browser. Once this is ensured, follow this guide;
- Navigate to applied.apple.com from any web browser on your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or PC.
- Input your Apple ID and password associated with it
- Proceed to tap the arrow to log in
- Verify your identity with the two-factor authentication (if enabled)
- Click on Edit which is next to “Reachable At” in the Account Section.
- Tap the Change Apple ID option under your Apple ID
- Input your new preferred email address
- Now go and access the email you provided
- A link is expected to have been sent, tap on the Verify email address link.
- Proceed to enter the verification code back at applied.apple.com
- Click verify after this.
- Then click Done
That sounds easy and simple if all things go as planned. But the world isn’t perfect, not even technologies. Problems might arise while trying to change your Apple ID and we decided to bring you a solution in case changing your Apple ID doesn’t go as expected.
You might encounter two probable scenarios when trying to change your Apple ID;
- Email address already being used with an Apple ID.
Email Address Already is Taken Error
If you encounter a warning that the email address you intend to switch to is already registered or being used by another user, it’s because another Apple ID is currently attached to it. This isn’t unprecedented, we will take you on how to fix it now.
To do this though, you will be needing three email accounts;
- The email address associated with your active Apple ID
- The email address you plan to link with your new Apple ID upon successful change.
- And the third email address is to be used as a trash email. One that has not been used as an Apple ID.
STEP 1
Get the password for the Apple ID linked with the email you wish to switch to. In a bid to get rid of the Apple ID blocking you from using your planned email address, you will have to have access to it. Asking Apple for a password reset for the Apple ID associated with the email is a way to get around this. To do this;
- From any web browser, go to iforgot.apple.com
- Input the email address you wish to switch your current Apple account to
- Click on Continue after this
- Tap on I need to reset my password
- Proceed to click on Continue
- Select Get an email
- Then tap Continue
- You will receive a mail from Apple, Open it
- After this, tap Reset Now
- Then input a new password
- Re-enter the new password
- Then click Reset password
Now you have the password for the Apple ID that you don’t recall creating so you can have access to it to make changes to it.
STEP 2
Next is to change the email address linked to the inactive Apple ID. To do this, follow the guide we gave for changing the email address associated with your Apple ID and use the ID email address and password from the first step.
Change the email linked with that account to the throw-away email address.
STEP 3
This step entails you changing your active Apple ID email. It’s easier and possible now that the email address you plan to use for your active Apple is available for use.
Simply follow the guide for changing the email linked with your Apple ID.
This time though, when you enter the new email address, you will be able to use whichever one you want.
We hope this is useful. What is your experience with having to change Apple ID, kindly share with us in the comment section.