Apple is changing how it names iOS and other software versions, and multiple sources are now saying it’s real. Instead of launching iOS 19 this year, Apple is expected to go with iOS 26, tying version numbers to the release year instead of sequence.
This shift has now been reaffirmed by AppleInsider’s Marko Zivkovic, backing up an earlier report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
Apple’s New Naming Logic Explained
Apple has used sequential numbers for its software updates for years, like iOS 17, 18, and so on. But starting 2025, it seems Apple is aligning version numbers with calendar years, so users can easily tell which year a platform update is for.
According to both Gurman and Zivkovic, you can expect these naming changes:
- iOS 26 (formerly iOS 19)
- iPadOS 26 (formerly iPadOS 19)
- macOS 26 (formerly macOS 16)
- watchOS 26 (formerly watchOS 12)
- tvOS 26 (formerly tvOS 19)
- visionOS 26 (formerly visionOS 3)
Even though iOS 26 will be released in September 2025, Apple will brand it for 2026, similar to how the auto industry works (e.g., the 2025 Honda Civic ships in late 2024). Let me throw this at you though. Is it just me or the optics of running iOS 26 on an iPhone 17, sounds antiquated? I have a sneaky suspicion that starting with Apple’s 20th Anniversary iPhone, we may see the iPhone branding change up as well.
Related: macOS 26 Could Drop Support For These Macs as Apple Shifts to New Design
This change also hints that Apple wants to modernize and unify not just the OS design language, but branding across platforms. While internal testing still shows some references to older version numbers (like macOS 16), the public branding seems locked in for “26.”
Related: watchOS 12: New Apple Watch Features You’ll Want to Try
All will be revealed at WWDC 2025 on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. PT. Stay tuned for the official names and features across the Apple ecosystem.
Comments