Apple Is Changing the Name of All Operating Systems, Says Report—What Will They Be Called?

There are many experiences from Apple that changed throughout the years, but while its operating systems remained the same, there is now a report that suggests that this would no longer be the case.

Starting this year, Apple's operating system will reportedly change its name, and this means that the next iPhone operating system will no longer be called iOS 19, following the previous iOS 18 release.

It was not revealed why Apple may be opting for this name change, but the company is known for shaking things up over the years.

Apple Is Changing the Names of Its OS

A new report from Bloomberg shares that Apple is reportedly planning a massive change to how it names operating systems, and it will no longer follow the current chronological release name.

Over the years, the iPhone's operating system depended on its version number as the main name, and in 2024, it named iOS 18 as such because it is the 18th mainline version of the operating system.

The same goes for its other operating systems, namely iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS. It is also important to note that Apple only included a special name for its Mac operating system alongside its version number, with 2024's macOS 15 also known as "Sequoia."

What Might Apple's New OS Be Called?

However, instead of being named as their mainline version numbers, they will be using the following year's number, says the report. This means that instead of iOS 19, it will be referred to as iOS 26 and not iOS 25 as it will feature the following year's number. This is similar to how model numbers of cars are usually done (i.e. 2026 Toyota RAV4).

It will be subsequently adopted by other operating systems as well, including the iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26—with all of these reportedly set to be unveiled by WWDC 2025 on June 9.

Apple's Operating Systems

There have been significant changes in Apple's operating systems over the years, and most of them center on adding new features, offering an overhaul to the user interface and its looks, and many more. It is known that the transition from iOS 15 to iOS 16 saw the customizable lock screen, with this update also bringing forth widgets for iOS.

One of the biggest updates for years is the iOS 18's release last year, particularly as the company introduced its first foray into generative AI with Apple Intelligence and Siri with ChatGPT experiences. Users were given a chance to access Writing Tools for content, ask Siri for assistance with improved capabilities, photo editing tools, and other features that are slated for future updates.

That being said, since the wave of reports started piling up for iOS 19, many sources claimed that this would be the one that will bring the future overhaul where visionOS UI will be its featured design.