- Apple is planning to skip straight to iOS 26 instead of iOS 19.
- This change will affect all its operating systems, including iPadOS,tvOS,macOS, and visionOS.
- The company wants to synchronize its software with the succeeding year.
With just a few days to go for Apple’s annual WWDC, the Cupertino giant is all set to unveil the next iOS,iPadOS,macOS, and tvOS versions. While most people expect iOS 19 to release after iOS 18, Apple seems to think differently. The company is skipping straight to iOS 26 after iOS 19, and here’s a reason behind this change.
Apple To Release iOS 26 to Synchronize iOS Releases With Current Year
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple will release iOS 26 and macOS 26 this year. Here’s how the naming scheme will change:
- iOS 19 -> iOS 26
- iPadOS 19 -> iPadOS 26
- macOS 16 -> macOS 26
- watchOS 12 -> watchOS 26
- visionOS 3 -> visionOS 26
- tvOS 19 -> tvOS 26
As part of Solarium’s design, the company is making massive software changes for all its devices. The reason for the change is to make it easier to identify these versions based on the year.
Although the numbering will be based on the upcoming year rather than the current year, since these OS will release in September 2025.
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So iOS 19 will pave the way for iOS 26 to ensure consistency in the number pattern for consumers and developers alike. Currently, all operating systems by the Cupertino giant use different numbers due to the gap in their release year.
For example, there’s iOS 18,iPadOS 18, watchOS 12, macOS 15, and visionOS 2. Gurman says that Apple will announce this change at WWDC on June 9.
All new operating systems will adopt a bold new design to ensure a cohesive experience for consumers. Similar approaches have been taken in the past.
Not The First A Company Is Skipping Numbers
Samsung skipped the S11 in favour of the S20 to ensure its model reflected the current year. In 1995, Microsoft started naming Windows after their release year, starting with Windows 95, Windows 9,8, Windows 2000.
However, it soon changed its strategy to conventional naming schemes. Even Apple is no stranger to these changes as it released the iWork ’08 and Life software bundles in 2007, followed by Life ’11 in October 2010.
Although not a number-related change, Apple is planning to replace the Plus model in its iPhone lineup with the Air model. This is due to the deteriorating sales of the Plus model.
