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We are all used to hearing bizarre rumors about Apple products, but every now and then, one still manages to catch us off guard. With just 10 days left until WWDC 2025, Bloomberg reports that the next version of iPhone software might not be called iOS 19.
Apple wants to align its operating systems with the year, rather than a version number. That means Apple plans to jump from iOS 18 to iOS 26 for its 2025 release.
Like cars, all of Apple’s OS platforms will be labeled with the year of their release. The goal is to bring uniformity to the naming system.
Currently, because each OS was originally launched in a different year, the version numbers are inconsistent: iOS 18, macOS 15, watchOS 11, and visionOS 2. At WWDC, Apple is expected to change that and rebrand the upcoming versions of all of its software with the number 26.
In addition, Apple is also expected to announce a uniform UI for each OS. The UI overhaul is codenamed Solarium, after the glass structures that allow a lot of light. Among other changes, the UI will borrow elements from visionOS, such as translucent backgrounds and circular app icons, add floating navigation menus, and reposition the search bar for apps to the bottom of the screen.
We’ll get a first glimpse of the updated software during the WWDC keynote on June 9. As usual, the latest version of iOS is expected to roll out with the new iPhones in September. We might also get to see a new dedicated gaming app come pre-installed on the iPhone 17.
