Next month will see Apple's biggest software update in recent memory, including some surprising changes to Apple ID

This fall will see the release of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, all with a wealth of new features One little-known change, however, is that Apple ID will be renamed “Apple Account This change applies to all Apple products and services However, this change does not affect the functionality of Apple Account, so you will not need to do anything when the change occurs

Apple's newsroom states, “With the release of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and watchOS 11, Apple ID will be renamed Apple Account to provide a consistent sign-in experience across Apple services and devices and and will rely on the user's existing credentials,” along with several other new features coming in the fall These changes were announced at Apple's WWDC presentation earlier this year

Along with this announcement, Apple detailed several features coming to Apple hardware in the fall These include changes to iCloud Mail, including a new way for users to manage their inboxes and better categorization Mail will now be organized and categorized into several different sections Personal and time-sensitive emails will be categorized in the primary inbox Confirmations and receipts will be categorized in Transactions News and social notifications will be classified in the Updates category, while marketing emails and coupons will be classified in the Promotions category

Meanwhile, iCloud settings have been redesigned to be easier to navigate and allow users to take action on personalized recommendations to enable key iCloud features This will allow users to get the most out of iCloud+ and quickly view the status of their last iCloud backup For reference, iCloud+ is a premium subscription version of the basic iCloud version and includes several features not found in the basic version, such as Private Relay and Hide My Email

The Apple Newsroom post also details several other features coming this fall, including updated Apple Maps, which will showcase more ways to explore the world, including hiking and custom walking routes Another major new feature is the inclusion of InSight on Apple TV This new feature is similar to the X-Ray feature found in Prime Video, which will allow users to easily see background details of a movie while it is playing

Apple users will face several major changes, most of which will have a significant impact on how they use their devices However, the Apple ID change is only a minor change compared to everything else planned for the future This includes Apple's version of AI, called Apple Intelligence, which will be included in the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, the new iPhone 16 series, and the M1 MacBooks and beyond, and M1 iPads and beyond

For a full breakdown of everything Apple announced, see our breakdown of the Apple WWDC 2024 event