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Available to
All ECU macOS users
Terminology
Apple Account. Formerly called, Apple ID. One account that give you access to all Apple services. Users are no longer allowed to use their ECU email address when creating a personal Apple Account.
ECU-managed Apple Account. Used for ECU business only. Users do not have access to specific iCloud services, Apple Developer apps, media services, and store content. Advantages are better device management plus separate personal/work accounts.
Personal Apple Account. The Apple Account you create using a non-ECU email account that gives you access to all Apple services.
Overview
Effective March 18, 2026, ECU will begin managing the @ecu.edu and @students.ecu.edu email domains as part of the university's authentication system. This is a standard practice that allows control of Apple services and apps and assists in managing university-owned shared Apple devices in classrooms, labs, etc. This change also makes it easier for users to log in to these shared devices with just a ECU username and password.
To minimize disruptions, a phased transition between September 2025 and March 2026 will allow time for users to update their Apple Account to a non-ECU email address.
If you created your personal Apple Account using your ECU email address, you will need to change that address to a non-ECU email address before March 18, 2026.
I need to create a new Apple Account
New personal Apple Accounts must be created using a personal email address such as @gmail.com.
ECU has blocked the ability to use an ECU email address to create a new personal Apple Account.
My current Apple Account uses my ECU email
If your ECU email account has been used to create your personal Apple Account, you have until March 2026 to change to a personal email. Apple will send you monthly reminders ahead of this deadline.
If you do not switch your account to use a personal email address, this account becomes an ECU managed account after the March deadline.
Resources
See the Related Articles section of this page for a link to the IT Knowledge Base article, Overview - macOS Resources for New Users.
Security
For up-to-date security, ECU will manage all Apple Accounts within the @ecu.edu and @students.ecu.edu domains to enhance security and streamline users' log in experience to ECU resources. Apple Accounts in either of these domains are the property of ECU, and cannot be used as a personal account. Therefore, if your personal Apple Aocount was set up using your ECU email address, it must be changed to a personal email address.