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Apple Confirms Switch to iOS 26 Naming Convention: Here's Why That Matters

Monday's WWDC reveals Apple's plans for new naming conventions for its operating systems.

Headshot of Gael Cooper
Headshot of Gael Cooper
Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
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  • Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year"​ award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
Gael Cooper
2 min read
Apple Store in Berkeley, Calif.

Apple announced at WWDC that it's changing the naming system for its software updates.

 James Martin/CNET

Monday's Apple Worldwide Developers Conference immediately confirmed the already reported news that Apple is changing the way the company names its software updates. It's an approach that may seem familiar to anyone who's familiar with Windows 95 or a '57 Chevy. Apple is rebranding its operating systems by using the last two digits of the upcoming year. So the current iOS 18 will be replaced by iOS 26, not iOS 19, when it arrives in the fall of 2025.

That is, the new numbering system reflects the last two digits of 2026, rather than the current year of 2025, similar to how new automobile models are introduced. Samsung and Microsoft have both used year-based naming systems.

The change should make it simpler for users to keep track of what operating system is the most up-to-date.

Watch this: I'm Impressed With iOS 26. Apple Just Made iPhones Better

Watch WWDC for more Apple news

The name announcement is just one of many changes expected to be announced at the WWDC event, which is going on now. Here's how to tune in, and here's what CNET staffers are hoping to see in the next Apple operating system.

Watch this: WWDC 25: Expect Big Changes to iOS, but Not Much on a Smarter Siri

Read more: Apple's MacOS Reveal at WWDC: What the New Tahoe Name Says About What's Coming

The updates will take the names iPadOS 26, MacOS 26, WatchOS 26, TVOS 26 and VisionOS 26, aimed at bringing consistency to Apple's branding and remove confusion. Before the change, Apple's operating systems including iOS 18, WatchOS 12, MacOS 15 and VisionOS 2, used different numbers since they didn't debut at the same time.

Tahoe time

Apple also confirmed that its next Mac operating system is called Tahoe, as in Lake Tahoe, Tourism reps for the California-Nevada lake told CNET they thought that the name choice, if correct, is "a beautiful boost for our year-round destination." 

What about the iPhone?

The current iPhone model is iPhone 16, which came out in September 2024. The iPhone 17 lineup is expected to be announced in September, but there's no word on it being renamed to iPhone 26 rather than iPhone 17.