Apple may change its naming convention to identify its operating systems by year instead of version number

Apple releases operating systems for each platform, such as iOS for iPhone, iPadOS for iPad, and macOS for Mac. The OS was given a version name or code name, but it has been reported that the next OS, which is expected to be announced at the annual developer conference ' WWDC25 ' to be held on June 9, 2025, will be labeled with the year following the release year instead of a version number.

iOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, iPadOS 26: Apple to Rebrand Device Software - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-28/apple-to-rebrand-device-operating-systems-ios-26-macos-26-watchos-26

iOS 26 is coming next month, not iOS 19 - 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2025/05/28/ios-26-coming-next-month/

At the time of writing, the latest major versions are iOS 'iOS 18', iPad 'iPadOS 18', macOS 'macOS Sequoia (macOS 15)', watchOS 'watchOS 11', tvOS 'tvOS 18', and visionOS 'visionOS 2'. macOS has a code name, and the other OSs have major version numbers.

Apple releases major updates to each of its operating systems once a year, but because the release dates for each operating system vary, even versions of the same generation of operating system have different version numbers.

According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, who is familiar with Apple-related information, Apple will add the 'year following the release year' to the next OS instead of the version number or code name in order to make the OS brand image consistent and to move away from the traditional approach that could cause confusion for users and developers. In other words, the next OS announced at WWDC25 and released in the fall of 2025 will be 'iOS 26' and 'macOS 26' rather than 'iOS 19' and 'macOS 15'.

Garman points out that the move to unify the OS numbering is intended to unify the branding by revamping the entire OS interface based on the new design language 'Solarium' across the entire OS.

Apple plans to make major changes to the OS design of not only iOS 19 but also Apple Watch and Apple TV based on the new design language 'Solarium' - GIGAZINE

9to5Mac, an Apple news site, commented, 'When I first heard this news, I was confused at first. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Remembering version numbers across Apple platforms is always difficult, especially when the version numbers are close but not exactly the same.'