Why naming it iOS 26 makes sense and why doesn't it?

iOS 26 is said to be the next version of Apple's mobile operating system, instead of iOS 19 as usual. According to many reports, Apple plans to rename iOS 19 to iOS 26 at WWDC 2025. This comes as a surprise to many, as the company may skip seven iOS versions. However, this new naming scheme is not entirely unreasonable given Apple's strategy of synchronizing software and products.

Why it makes sense to call it iOS 26

There are a few reasons why calling it iOS 26 instead of iOS 19 isn't as odd as you might think. First of all, it's been done before. Samsung is a famous example when it comes to renaming product lines and skipping version numbers.

Samsung launched the Galaxy S20 series in 2020, but before that, it jumped from the Galaxy S10 to the S20. The South Korean giant renamed its lineup and synchronized it with the release year, jumping ten versions in the process.

So someone looking at the Galaxy S23 can easily tell that the device was released in 2023. It also gives them the feeling that they're using the "latest and greatest." Conversely, a device from last year might feel outdated, which in turn motivates them to upgrade.

Skipping version numbers isn't always fun. Microsoft made a joke out of skipping Windows 9 and announcing that Windows 8.1 would be upgraded to Windows 10 (again, in 2015). Windows 10 was supposed to be the "last version of Windows," but things turned out differently.

Apple's case is a little different, with iOS version numbers jumping ahead by a year. So iOS 26 will be released in 2025, iOS 27 in 2026, and so on. This approach is similar to how game companies like Electronic Arts name their titles.

While it may seem a little out of sync, this naming scheme fits with Apple's development schedule. The company typically announces new versions of iOS at WWDC in June and releases them to the public in the fall. It then continues to release minor updates throughout the following year.

In other words, a particular version of iOS will be on your iPhone for a quarter of its release year and about nine to ten months of the following year. Meanwhile, Samsung releases new Galaxy S devices early in the year, so it makes more sense to sync the names with the current year.

Not just iOS 26, reports say Apple will simplify its confusing software naming system by renaming almost all of its operating systems to the same version. So there will be iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, and watchOS 26 instead of iPadOS 19, macOS 16, tvOS 12, and so on.

While this big move will make things easier for users, it also highlights the work Apple is doing to unify the software experience across devices. iOS and iPadOS have been linked from the start, but macOS added ARM support in 2020 and began incorporating iOS-like interface elements.

Apple has developed a set of Continuity features that allow different Apple devices to work together. macOS 14 Sonoma further narrowed the gap between iPhone and Mac in 2023 with a new widget picker interface that allows access to and sync with widgets saved on your iPhone.

The new widgets introduced in macOS 14 are interactive, just like on the iPhone. They let you do things like mark reminders as complete, play or pause media, access smart home controls, and more.

macOS 14 Sonoma

Apple's iOS 26/iOS 19 will be the second major name change in iOS history. The first was when Apple changed the name of the operating system from iPhone OS to iOS in June 2010.

iOS 26 is expected to be the biggest update in years, with a brand new 'drama' glasses interface, a reworked Camera app, live translation for AirPods, new gaming apps, and a new suite of accessibility features. The glasses-like design, first introduced on Apple's Vision Pro glasses, is expected to make its way to tvOS and watchOS as well.

Why Calling It iOS 26 Doesn't Make Sense

It already feels a little weird when you realize that the iPhone 16 runs iOS 18, for some reason, even though the first versions of both the iPhone and iOS came out in the same year. Adding eight more digits to the iOS version number makes it even weirder. The 19th generation of the iPhone operating system will be called iOS 26. Imagine you buy an iPhone 17 later this year and it runs iOS 26 out of the box.

There are a few things Apple could do to alleviate this oddity, however. Perhaps Apple could rename the iPhone line and start calling it the iPhone 26 to match the software. A more far-fetched and even less likely option would be to drop the version number from the iPhone name altogether.

Apple already does this with its tablets (iPad, iPad Pro, and iPad Air) and Mac computers, so this shouldn't be a problem once users get used to the initial shock of the announcement. But we can't ignore the fact that not having a version number attached to a product has its drawbacks.

All of this is speculation, though. Whatever happens, Apple fans will have to live with it, just as they're living with the hope of an improved Siri and AirPower that can charge multiple Apple devices at once.

Marvin Fry

Update 08 June 2025