Apple ID problem

[juniper]

Grr. My Apple ID account has gotten messed up and I don't know how, and can't seem to fix it.

Don't know if it's related to my iPhone 4s purchase yesterday.

My original ID, from a few years ago, is xxxxx. That's how I use iTunes etc on my Macbook.

Yesterday the Verizon store guy was setting up the new phone and asked if I had an Apple ID. I said yes and had me enter it. Then he asked for an email address, and I gave him one, yyyyy@yahoo.com

Busy yesterday, home late/fried, didn't play with the phone much other than adding some contacts. This morning I look at the iTunes on it and it says my Apple ID is the yyyyy@yahooo.com email, not my original xxxxx.

And now, on my MacBook, the original xxxxx is corrupted. Doesn't recognize my password, doesn't even recognize my birthdate when I try to reset the password! Won't let me get in at all. The "verify by email" is apparently sending the verification link to some email I don't use anymore, because nothing's coming through to any of the ones I checked.

I can't even make an appt online at the Apple store genius bar because I need my ID to make the appt ... phone calls to the store get a busy signal probably due to the new phone release, so can't call to make an appt.

Grr. I've tried to find answers online as to how to reset my Apple ID but no luck. I took my MacBook in for repair a couple of months ago so they have the serial # and my name on file, so I think if I can get to the genius bar they may be able to sort this out, but not until Thursday.

Any ideas?

[juniper]

ETA: finally got in via phone to Apple store and made an appt for Wednesday afternoon. She said they can reset my original Apple ID. I hope they can match up my iPhone to that, too, cuz otherwise what's the point?

[Williebee]

Take the phone, take the macbook, they can pull it all together for you.

(Undergoing a consolidation of identities myself at the moment.)

[justsomeguy]

I had a problem yesterday that sounds like what you're going through.

I'd set up my Apple ID years ago with a Hotmail address that I stopped using years ago, but never bothered updating the Apple ID to the new email because it never seemed to matter.

When trying to set up my new iPhone yesterday it told me that they were unable to verify email.

I went to https://appleid.apple.com and after poking around for a bit clicked on "Find out" under "Not sure if you have an Apple ID?".

From there I was able to enter my current email address and the old one, answer some questions, click on a link in an email they sent me and get everything consolidated into my original Apple ID account, but with my current email address.

Everything works now.

I hope that's helpful.

Good luck!

[juniper]

I went to https://appleid.apple.com and after poking around for a bit clicked on "Find out" under "Not sure if you have an Apple ID?".

From there I was able to enter my current email address and the old one, answer some questions, click on a link in an email they sent me and get everything consolidated into my original Apple ID account, but with my current email address.

Everything works now.

I hope that's helpful.

Good luck!

Well. I went to the Apple store this afternoon. I guess all the stores were closed this morning as the employees got to watch a memorial for Steve Jobs, which meant the store was packed in the afternoon.

The genius bar guy said I needed a different Apple ID for my phone, that the one from my MacBook wouldn't work. Not sure why, and he couldn't explain why. He did say that the IDs now had to be email addresses, not just a nickname like I used to have. So he verified the new ID and said to use that for the iPhone and iCloud.

He tried to get into my MacBook Apple ID and couldn't. Gave me the website iTunes place to try to get them to reset it.

Didn't have time to go into more than that at the store, and he said there's still some unanswered questions about how it all works. He said they'll probably be having some iCloud workshops at the store.

justsomeguy, I tried your solution tonight, and it didn't work. I wanted to keep my old ID and somehow hook my iTunes and iPhone together under that, but no go. My old ID has been disabled somehow. It doesn't recognize my birthday ...

But - I tried my new ID on iTunes and all my purchased stuff is there, my subscribed podcasts are there. So I think maybe my new ID, set up by the Verizon guy, superseded my old account but kept the info intact.

So I guess I'll just use the new ID. It's clunkier than the old one but if it works, it works. I haven't connected to iCloud yet, to figure that out.

[kuwisdelu]

I thought this was going to be about the MobileMe transition hoopla. Just be happy you're not caught up in that.

Sounds like the Verizon guy just changed your Apple ID from your old one to the @yahoo.com email address that you gave him. Probably because it threw a warning of some sort that you couldn't use the nickname anymore and it required an email address, so he entered the @yahoo.com one you gave him. You can change your Apple ID to be associated with any email address except a @me.com Your "new" Apple ID is the same account you had before — it just has your new email address associated with it as the Apple ID than the nickname you had before.

The "new" @yahoo.com Apple ID should work on your MacBook just fine as well. It *is* your old Apple ID, just with a different handle. That's why the "old" one didn't work anymore — your account was no longer associated with that old nickname. The account didn't disappear, since you apparently have all your purchases, and you can't transfer those.

But you definitely CAN use the "new" one between all of your devices — your MacBook, iPhone, iTunes, and iCloud. It's the same account as the old one, just under a new name. Your old one didn't disappear — it just got a new name, which is why the old name won't work anymore. You can change your Apple ID to any valid email address you like (except, for some stupid reason, @me.com ones) without it affecting your account and purchases.