Apple will unveil the latest version of the iPhone operating system at WWDC next month, but apparently it won’t be “iOS 19.”
The tech giant is going to shake up the naming system for iOS, with the next version set to be called iOS 26, according to a Bloomberg report by prominent Apple tipster Mark Gurman on Wednesday.
Switching to a system that identifies the iOS by year, Gurman described it as “the most sweeping change yet to its operating system names.”
Citing sources with knowledge of the matter, he also claimed that the new system will extend to software on other Apple devices, so expect to see the company unveil iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26 at its WWDC 2025 event on June 9.
According to the Bloomberg reporter, Apple has decided to make the change in a bid to “bring consistency to its branding and move away from an approach that can be confusing to customers and developers.” The current software names — for example iOS 18, watchOS 11, macOS 15, and visionOS 2 — feature different numbers as they each launched at a different time.
While it’s unlikely to make much difference to most Apple customers who just want their devices to do what they’re supposed to do and don’t really pay much attention to the details of the operating system that powers them, Apple may believe it’ll help with marketing as it seeks to sell more devices.
But what’s less clear is why it has apparently selected a number that’s a year ahead of the launch date. In other words, why isn’t Apple calling it iOS 25 if it’s going to be released this fall?
Gurman notes how Samsung renamed its Galaxy S line of handsets in 2020 to Galaxy S20 (instead of S11), to match the launch year. Perhaps Apple will follow suit with the iPhone in a year or two, but it can’t bear the thought of precisely matching Samsung’s system, opting instead to use the following year, similar to how automakers name new models.
Perhaps all will be revealed next month when Apple is expected to announce the new naming system at its annual developer event … which we assume it’s still calling WWDC25 and not WWDC26.
