A friend of mine with an iPhone, doesn’t have an iCloud email address. I was helping him set up one on my Mac. Via the web we logged into iCloud.com into his account. We confirmed he did not have an iCloud email address so we created one for him.
After creating it, again still at iCloud.com, we had no problem signing into his new iCloud email address and seeing his inbox with a welcome message.
So I tried to help him add the email account in Mail settings on his iPhone. We entered the address, and then there was a space for what seemed to be the password, and there we entered his iCloud password.
We got a nice screen, showing iCloud features, spinning and spinning and spinning, and never stopping.
I force quit set up and try it again and the same thing happened.
Anybody ever hear of anything like this? It seems like it should be the easiest thing in the world to just add the iCloud email address to Mail.
Usually creating an iCloud email address also creates a new Apple Account (it used to be called Apple ID) and new accounts require a two-factor authentication.
There is a way to do it within the existing Apple account (from https://account.apple.com/ - you log in and then email address and then add with the “+” button, and you need to choose an iCloud address that’s not been used before - but it’s too late now if you didn’t do it that way.
So if you didn’t create an address that way I’d try signing in to account.apple.com and log in with the new iCloud and make sure that he has his phone number set as a second factor.
If that’s not it, then I’d call Apple support and see if they can work it out.
It was created within his current account at iCloud.com. For example, I can see his photos, etc, there. After logging in via the web there was even a message to create a free iCloud email address.
Maybe I’m trying to duplicate something on the iPhone that’s already there?
I finally gave in and called them, with my friend sitting here beside me. They solved it in 60 seconds.
In Settings > iCloud we needed to switch Mail to “on.” That was all it was. Like duh. After that the new @icloud.com mail address showed up in Mail. I sent him a test mail and it arrived.
By the way, is there a way for all email sent to that address to show notices on the lock screen when they arrive, since it’s push mail?
Settings / Notifications / Mail. Make sure that Lock Screen is turned on under Alerts at the top. Then tap Customize Notifications. Tap the account and make sure that Alerts is turned on.