Overview

• According to Bloomberg and people familiar with the matter, Apple will replace sequential OS numbers with year-based labels, turning iOS 19 into iOS 26 and similarly rebranding iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS and visionOS.
• The change is intended to simplify Apple’s disparate versioning across devices, where users currently juggle iOS 18, macOS 15, watchOS 12 and other mismatched numbers.
• The new naming convention and accompanying UI overhaul are expected to be unveiled at WWDC 2025 on June 9, with public release slated for autumn 2025.
• The redesign is said to draw on visionOS concepts, adding visual depth, transparency layers and softly rounded corners for a more cohesive look across platforms.
• Developers, including veteran engineer Craig Hockenberry, have warned that shifting decades of code and dependencies to a model-year system could introduce significant complexity.