Apple’s getting ready for OS rebrand, starting with its name

There might not be an iOS 19.

Apple is renaming its operating system, a change that will affect all of its devices.

The company’s upcoming operating systems will be identified by year instead of version number.

This means the current iOS 18 version will become “iOS 26,” with other updates turning into iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26.

This change is due to Apple’s desire to bring consistency to the names of its various operating systems. Currently, each device comes with a different operating system, for example, iOS 18, macOS 15, or watchOS 12, as their versions were released at different times.

Apple is expected to present the news during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 9th.

According to Bloomberg, the company will introduce a new user interface across operating systems to make it more universal for users with multiple Apple devices. The new interface will include watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS.

Apple’s new naming system will include the upcoming year, even though the next operating system will be launched in September of this year.

The company already tried such a naming system by introducing it to its software for office and creativity applications, when in 2007 it released iWork’08 and iLife’08.

During the WWDC, Apple is also expected to announce that it will open its AI models to third-party developers who could use the company’s large language models (LLMs).

Among other speculated features, Apple’s AirPods could include a live-translation mode with Vision Pro headset users getting the ability to control their device through eye-scrolling.

With Apple Intelligence, users might get expanded health features and an AI-powered battery management feature.