How to use custom email domains with iCloud +

Not even mentioned as an aside during WWDC 2021, Apple is adding the ability to use custom domains in emails. When fully released with macOS Monterey, iOS 15, and iPadOS 15, users will be able to customize their email domain name – and now Apple is showing how that will work.

The intention is that users can replace their old @ icloud.com – or @ mac.com, @ me.com – address and use a custom one instead. So Acme Cartoon owners could switch to @ acmecartoon.com and get all their emails working, just with the new address.

This feature will be present on all platforms, but for now, Apple has started testing it in beta form only online. Existing iCloud users can access beta.icloud.com, sign in and start setting up their custom domains.

At the time of writing, however, starting the process is for all users who are assured of being able to do so. All the steps for choosing an existing domain that you own are present, but the final step of verifying the address does not work.

It could be a coincidence of the moment Appleinsider tested it. This could be due to the overload of Apple’s servers. Or it may just be that Apple’s beta process is focusing on the front-end, the settings section first.

Whether it’s fully activated shortly or when it’s officially released, however, the steps are now clear – and there’s an unexpected caveat.

1. Log in to beta.icloud.com
2. Click on Account settings
3. Scroll to Custom email domain and click Manage
4. Click on Add a domain you own
5. Select if this feature is something that only you will use, or if your family will share the domain
6. Type the domain name you want to use instead of @ icloud.com, assuming you own it
7. Add at least one existing email address, i.e. [email protected]
8. Click on Add email address
9. When you have added all the addresses you use on @ acmecartoon.com, or elsewhere, click To confirm
10. Check the email Apple sends to this address to verify that it’s yours

This last step is where it’s not currently working, or maybe it’s just overloaded. Despite using another option to resend the verification email, Appleinsider has not yet received one.

Issues like this are the reason there are beta releases, so it’s no surprise and the key to all of this is that we now know how it’s going to work.

Beta version needs a button called “Oh, no it’s not”

Or rather, we know how it’s supposed to work. Right now there is an unexpected caveat which is surely a beta bug.

If you own a domain and use a two-letter username in front of it, as in [email protected], the beta version will refuse to use it. You get an error message telling you that the address is too short.

It is not clear if this is intentional or if it will be fixed before it comes out of beta. But what will likely be fixed is the help link which currently only routes to iCloud’s general functionality page.