infotech

Apple Changes Operating System Naming, IOS 26 To Launch This Year

Apple plans to change its operating system version numbering scheme, which has been consistent for years, so that the latest iOS they will introduce this year will not be named iOS 19, but iOS 26. 

Usually, Apple names the next iOS and iPadOS versions with sequential numbers, where previously the company was predicted to introduce iOS 19 and iPadOS 19 at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025, while the Mac operating system will continue to macOS 15, and so on. 

However, now Apple is rumored to be using naming based on the year, which means that most likely this year there will be iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26, as reported by Engadget on Sunday. 

This new naming refers to the year after the public launch of the operating system, which usually occurs in the fall or around September or October. So even though it was announced this year, the operating system will be labeled 2026. 

Official confirmation is expected to be announced on June 9 during Apple's presentation at the annual WWDC 2025 event. 

At this event, Apple is also predicted to introduce major updates to the user interface (UI) to create a more uniform experience across the entire line of devices. 

This step is considered logical to simplify the Apple ecosystem. Currently, there is a numbering imbalance where watchOS has only reached version 11, while visionOS is only at version 2. 

Adopting a numbering that is aligned and based on the year of release can help users, developers, and industry observers more easily follow the development of Apple's operating system. 

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Tag: Apple IOS 26 IPadOS Worldwide Developers Conference WWDC