Apple is preparing to implement a major change to its operating system numbering system. According to Bloomberg, the company is moving away from the traditional versioning method and will instead align operating system names with the year of their release. As a result, the next version of iOS, expected this fall, may be named “iOS 26” instead of “iOS 19.” Similar changes will apply to iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS.
Apple is updating version names to match the year.
The new numbering scheme will reflect the calendar year in which each major operating system is launched. Apple typically releases its operating systems in the fall, which means upcoming versions released in September or October 2025 will carry the “26” designation to correspond with 2026.
Sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that Apple aims to make the branding clearer and more consistent for users and developers. Under the current system, different devices operate on OS versions with varying numbers. For example, the Apple Watch runs on watchOS 11, while Apple Vision Pro uses visionOS 2.
The announcement of the new naming strategy is expected to be made during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote on June 9. During the same event, Apple is also anticipated to unveil a significant redesign of the operating systems’ user interfaces, aiming to create a more unified experience across its entire hardware ecosystem.
This potential shift may simplify OS version tracking for end users and developers alike. The discrepancy in version numbers stems from the different initial release dates of each operating system. By adopting a unified year-based naming convention, Apple may eliminate the confusion and establish a clearer branding structure across its platforms.
