Forget iOS 19: iPhone Set to Receive a Game-Changing Update This Year!

Apple is set to make a groundbreaking change by standardizing the version numbers across all its operating systems with the upcoming generation. This year, we can expect to see iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26.

Is Apple shifting its strategy? To streamline the naming of its various operating systems, the company is reportedly planning to discard its current numbering scheme and instead append the year to each new major release. According to Bloomberg, the next iPhone update will be called iOS 26 instead of iOS 19, and similarly, we’ll see iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26.

For Apple, this move aims to simplify a software ecosystem that has grown more complex with the introduction of new products, each requiring its own system. Since these products were launched at different times, they currently feature distinct version numbers, ranging from iOS 18 for the oldest to visionOS 2 for the newest. Shifting all OS versions to a unified numbering system based on the following year—a common practice for products released at the end of a year—will help simplify understanding for casual users and eliminate confusion.

From iOS 19 to iOS 26 for iPhone 17?

Apple is expected to announce this significant change during its keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025, scheduled for June 9. The event will also unveil new interfaces and features for the upcoming updates. Leaks have already suggested that Apple has been working on more consistent UI designs across its ecosystem, drawing inspiration from existing elements in visionOS. iOS 26 is thus anticipated to feature a much more modern aesthetic, and it could be one of the biggest interface overhauls in iPhone history.

It raises the question of whether Apple will apply the same naming strategy to its devices. It would now seem logical to name future mobiles iPhone 26 instead of iPhone 17. However, there is currently no information supporting this possibility. Samsung previously made a similar shift in nomenclature, moving from Galaxy S10 (2019) to Galaxy S20 (2020). Several Android manufacturers have also aligned their overlay numbering with Android’s, but Samsung has not followed this trend.