Apple ID rebrand to 'Apple Account' expected in iOS 18 & macOS 15

Apple ID sign-in page

Apple's potential rebrand of Apple ID to "Apple Account" has seemingly been corroborated, with the change allegedly arriving later in 2024 alongside the macOS and iOS 18 releases.

The Apple ID is the term used for the accounts on Apple's various online services, but rumors have previously hinted at it becoming the simpler "Apple Account" instead. On Sunday, a report has said the same thing, making the change seem a lot more likely to actually happen.

Writing in the "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman writes that the name Apple Account will replace Apple ID in software and on Apple websites in late 2024 at the earliest. The change will probably coincide with the launch of Apple's next operating system generation, including iOS 18.

An "Apple Account" team already exists within Apple, Gurman adds, ahead of the rebranding effort, which could phase out Apple ID within a year. WWDC could be the first time Apple officially announces the change, giving developers time to adapt their apps to use the new language before the fall releases.

Though there is no official reason for the rebranding, it is likely that Apple is doing it so users can more easily understand what it is by name alone. While seemingly minor, it would be a change that impacts a name Apple has used for over 20 years.

The existence of two sets of reporting on the change makes the prospect of a rebrand quite likely. However, there's no guarantee that Apple will actually pull the trigger and make the change until it's actually implemented.

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15 Comments

VictorMortimer

said about 1 month ago

It won't help.

Users have no idea what you're talking about when you say Apple ID, they don't know that it's an email address, they don't know that it's the same thing they use for iCloud, they're confused as to what iCloud is, and they definitely don't know how to remove devices they're selling/giving away from it.

I don't know what the fix is, but a simple rename isn't going to help.

sidrictheviking

said about 1 month ago

VictorMortimer said:

It won't help.

Users have no idea what you're talking about when you say Apple ID, they don't know that it's an email address, they don't know that it's the same thing they use for iCloud, they're confused as to what iCloud is, and they definitely don't know how to remove devices they're selling/giving away from it.

I don't know what the fix is, but a simple rename isn't going to help.

I’ve dealt with many family members and friends who confuse their Apple ID with their password. This might help some of them, don’t you think?

paisleydisco

said about 1 month ago

LOL name change isn't going to make people smarter. My friends and family prove me right.

They'll still be confused about the 'apple account' -- nothing can save these types. They can't understand the Apple ID/account from their typical email. They don't understand the Appe ID has a password that is not the password for their Apple ID email name. Etc. You say Apple ID and they start typing their passwords or say they don't know their password. LOL clown show

The only way to correct this would be everyone using an 'Apple Account' would be using an actual Apple email eg icloud.com and no other email. But that's not happening.

paisleydisco

said about 1 month ago

dewme

said about 1 month ago

sidrictheviking said:

VictorMortimer said:

It won't help.

Users have no idea what you're talking about when you say Apple ID, they don't know that it's an email address, they don't know that it's the same thing they use for iCloud, they're confused as to what iCloud is, and they definitely don't know how to remove devices they're selling/giving away from it.

I don't know what the fix is, but a simple rename isn't going to help.

I’ve dealt with many family members and friends who confuse their Apple ID with their password. This might help some of them, don’t you think?

I agree. My partner and other Mac users I know sometimes get tripped up by the login-vs-Apple ID credentials, especially when prompted for permission by macOS to perform a particular task. Yes, the prompt clearly states which credential it expects, but many users are still in a mindset that only one password should ever be needed. However, on multi-user systems like macOS, I don't see a clear path to having one set of credentials for everything. The user credentials have to be enforced at a higher level than Apple Account/Apple ID credentials to allow computer users to login to different user accounts with different permission levels.

Microsoft Windows 11 is essentially uses a single set of credentials for both the user account and the Microsoft Account. This is more confusing to me because the logged in user has to be mindful of the differences in permissions for performing certain operations. They have things like having to specify "Run as Administrator..." for individual applications an services. The only benefit the Windows 11 model is that you can log in to a user session using aliases to user login credentials like a PIN or biometrics. I suppose Apple could allow PIN, Face ID, and Touch ID to be associated with user accounts on macOS. iOS and iPadOS have no concept of user accounts.

Unless Apple jumps through a few hoops to streamline certain workflows, changing Apple ID to Apple Account is simply a renaming exercise. Perhaps they can make the prompts and dialogs that ask for credentials a little more clear for less computer savvy users?