Apple Is Making a Major Change to Its Operating Systems Across All Products. Here's What We Know.

Key Points

• Apple will switch to a year-based naming scheme for its operating systems, meaning iOS 18 will become iOS 26 later this year instead of iOS 19.
• This naming change will be applied consistently across all products—iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26—and kicks off in September 2025.
• At WWDC on June 9, Apple is set to unveil a new interface overhaul codenamed “Solarium,” featuring glassier UI elements and AI-powered features like improved battery management.
• Apple’s shift mirrors competitors such as Samsung and Microsoft, both of which already use year-based naming for Galaxy phones and Windows versions.

Apple is changing up how it names its software updates for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other products in an effort to make naming more consistent. The numbers for Apple's operating systems currently vary because Apple introduced initial versions at different times. (It's why the current watchOS 12 has a different number from macOS 15, for example.)

Bloomberg is reporting that Apple will soon change how it names its next operating systems, switching to a system using years rather than a version number. The number will represent the year after the one in which the update is released, similar to how cars are labeled. This means that the current iOS 18 will be replaced by iOS 26 later this year, in September 2025 (instead of it being called iOS 19).

Related: Apple Is Reportedly Developing AI Smart Glasses to Compete with Meta and Google

The outlet notes that Apple is planning to officially announce the naming change on June 9 at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The change is expected to remain consistent across all products, so updates on other products will be named iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26.

At WWDC, Apple also reportedly plans to introduce a new look to its interface across all Apple products and operating systems, rumored to be code-named "Solarium" after glass rooms that bring in sunlight. The tech giant is also planning to introduce new features to its lineup, including an AI-powered system to improve iPhone battery life.

The redesign will reportedly feature glassier user interface components and add more depth to elements. The goal is to unify the design of Apple products so that moving from iPhone to iPad to Mac will feel like moving within the same operating system.

Apple's new naming strategy is similar to approaches taken by competitors Samsung and Microsoft.

In 2020, Samsung began naming its Galaxy phone line after the year of launch, moving to the Galaxy S20, a leap from the 10th-generation Galaxy S10 released in 2019. Microsoft began naming its operating systems after the year they launched, starting with Windows 95 in 1995 and moving to Windows 98 and Windows 2000.