Change your Apple ID from a third-party email to an Apple domain

Apple has made a notable update to the process of changing the email address associated with your Apple ID. Starting today, you can change your Apple ID from a third-party email service such as Gmail or Yahoo to an Apple domain…

Previously, Apple only allowed users to change their Apple ID email from one third-party provider to another. For instance, if your Apple ID was associated with a Yahoo email address, you could switch it to a Gmail address and vice versa. You couldn’t, however, go from Gmail/Yahoo to @iCloud.com.

As Apple notes in an updated support document, you can now make the shift. The company explains that if your Apple ID is currently associated with a Gmail or Yahoo email address, you can now switch to  an@iCloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com  account.



On the support page, Apple outlines the steps you must take in order to make the switch. The company notes that you must sign out of “every Apple service and device that uses your Apple ID” prior to changing the email address associated with your account. From there, you can follow these steps:

    Use your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

        Go to Settings > [your name] > Name, Phone Numbers, Email.
        Next to Reachable At, tap Edit, then delete your current Apple ID.
        Tap Continue. Enter the Apple ID that you want to use.
        Tap Next.

    Use your Apple ID account page

        Go to appleid.apple.com and sign in.
        In the Account section, click Edit.
        Under your Apple ID, click Change Apple ID.
        Enter the Apple ID that you want to use.
        Click Continue.

Apple also makes the important disclaimer that once you change your Apple ID from a third-party email address to an Apple domain, you’re stuck there and can’t change back.

This is a notable change for users who may have made their Apple ID with a Gmail or Yahoo account that has since become defunct as they’ve assimilated into the Apple ecosystem. It’s bizarre that it took Apple this long to make this change, but it’s definitely a much welcomed one.