Apple Drops Tradition With New iOS, iPadOS and macOS Numbering Scheme

Apple has confirmed that it is changing the way it names its software updates at its latest Worldwide Developers Conference keynote. The company has rebranded its software portfolio to match the last two digits of the upcoming year. The last software update for iPhones was iOS 18 but its successor is now being referred to as iOS 26 and not iOS 19. All of the software updates i.e. iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS, visionOS, and macOS will now follow the same numbering system. Apple has begun the developer testing for all of these software updates and public commercial release is set for the fall of 2025.

Apple has decided to follow the same naming system that is adopted by several auto companies. Even companies like Microsoft and Samsung adopt year-based naming systems for several of their products. The tech giant is using the last two digits of the upcoming year rather than the current year 2025. Apple is calling it the biggest redesign since iOS 7 with the new ‘Liquid Glass’ user interface being more expressive, intuitive, and AI-driven.

With this new naming strategy, Apple looks to remove all the confusion around all of the latest updates for different hardware. The latest updates before this announcement were iOS 18, watchOS 12, macOS 15, and visionOS 2. Now, the upcoming updates will be called, iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26. Apple aims to bring consistency and uniformity with the big naming overhaul. The new Mac operating system is also called Tahoe, named after the California-Nevada based Lake Tahoe.

WWDC has set the tone for what’s to come with the new iPhone 17 series set to release in September. The company will release these new models with iOS 26 out of the box. Other compatible models will get the latest updates sometime after the release of the new iPhones. Apple hasn’t announced when the new models will be released.