The upcoming iOS 18.1 update allows users to change the primary email address associated with their Apple Account more easily.
In the current version of iOS, changing the Apple Account primary email is quite a hassle. To do so you need to first delete your primary email, add a new one and then go through the verification process again. Alternatively, users can set up alias emails that replace the name when sending over documents, but the main email can still be seen on occasion, which can be pretty awkward if you're still using your old "fun" email you made as a kid.
But according to a report from MacRumors, this process should be much easier in iOS 18.1 as it will be possible to add a new primary email address to the account without needing to change the one used to create the account. This means that, while you will still use the original account to log in, there will be no chance of that email appearing on any shared documents, calendar invites or the like. This will save users a lot of time, and avoid some embarrassing situations.
The truth is that many of us set up our Apple Accounts a while ago and had some pretty terrible email addresses. So being able to quickly add a primary account without needing to reverify will be a major time saver, if it is easy to set up. We won't know for certain until October 28 (the rumored launch date of iOS 18.1) but hopefully, it will simply be completable in only a few taps.
iOS 18.1 should also bring Apple Intelligence features to users for the first time outside of beta release. Although some features still won't arrive until iOS 18.2, you still get Writing Tools, to help improve any text on your phone, a host of photo editing features, notification summaries and an improved Siri.
A lot is coming for iPhones in the coming months, and while this isn't the biggest change on the horizon, changing your Apple Account's attached email more easily is a major quality-of-life improvement for owners of the best iPhones.