iOS 26 is official: Apple changes from version numbers to years for its OS names

As part of an overhaul to its operating systems, Apple is making one of the most significant changes ever to its OS branding, the company announced at its WWDC 25 developer's conference. Starting in 2026, it will shift from the current version numbers (macOS 15, iOS 18, iPadOS 18.5, etc.) to a year-based system across its entire OS lineup. As such, the names will change to iOS 26, iPadOS 26, MacOS Tahoe 26, WatchOS 26, TVOS 26 and VisionOS 26 and follow that pattern going forward. 

To explain the new system, software SVP Craig Federighi said tongue-in-cheek that the company's crack marketing team noticed that years end with two digits, so why not go with that? However, future Mac operating systems will retain their California nature theme names like Tahoe (the new version of macOS) and the current Sequoia, on top of the new numbering scheme. That's because "macOS demands more" than just two-digit year names, Federighi explained. 

The year-oriented change is understandable — keeping track of Apple's latest updates was getting to be a chore for users given the number of unique operating systems. With the addition of the Vision Pro extended reality headset, the company now counts six OS families with four unique numbering schemes. 

Apple's iPhones will retain the current numbering system, however. Recall that Samsung switched to a year-based Galaxy S phone naming system in 2020 after the Galaxy S10, with the current model being the Galaxy S25. That doesn't seem to be in the cards (yet) for Apple. 

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