Shakespeare once asked his audience "what's in a name?" but somehow it's up to me to continue that line of thinking with "what's in a number?" as I try to figure out Apple's new OS naming system, just announced at WWDC 2025.
Well I say system, but it's a rather simple matter of giving all Apple software unified version numbers based on the coming year, rather than one indicating which generation of the OS it is. This was a change that had been rumored for some time before the official announcement, but even now Apple's confirmed it, it's still not clear exactly why it's made this change.
So look through what exactly's changing with the titling for the software driving your iPhone, Mac and more. And hopefully by the end we'll know for sure if a macOS by any other name would smell as sweet.
So what's new?
Currently, the main Apple software versions were iOS 18/iPadOS 18, macOS 15 Sequoia and watchOS 11, to name a few. Even though all of these were released in the same year, they've got three different numbers, which is arguably a bit muddled.
So as of 2025, all of Apple's OSes are named after the year they'll mostly cover. So after iOS 18 comes iOS 26, and after watchOS 11 comes watchOS 26, rather than iOS 19 or watchOS 12, as we initially assumed. The one small exception is macOS 26 Tahoe, which still gets its California-inspired name alongside its number.
Don't get confused
Changing the OS numbers suddenly may well cause issues in the short term. When these updates roll out in a few months' time, users who aren't paying attention to the change could end up confused why their iPhone's leaping what appears to be eight generations of software overnight.
However, once you get over this, it's simple to know if you're up to date. If your OS version matches the last two digits of the current year (or the next year if you're a beta user, or always update immediately after being prompted), then you're good.
This still doesn't address the potential issues that pop up with regards to smaller updates. Whether it's iOS 19 or iOS 26, requiring a x.1 or x.2 update for certain features to be enabled can still be just as perplexing.
But unless Apple wants to increment the OS number every time there's an update, which is unlikely to say the least, we're still going to have to negotiate with the minor updates. But fortunately, you can rely on us to tell you how to check your software version and update on iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch if you need a hand.
But what does it mean?
Ultimately, changes like the new Liquid Glass design, refreshed iOS Camera app, updated Apple Intelligence features like Live Translation for calls, or the new Gaming app are going to matter a lot more than the name of the software that houses them.
But this change is more about the story that Apple's trying to tell us, the tech-buying public. And it's a story about navigating the company's device ecosystem with ease.
With all the latest Apple operating systems now sharing the same number means you can easily see if all of your devices are up to date, and hopefully simplifies the process of understanding if you can use specific features, especially if it's one that involves cross-device functionality.
The fact it'll make it clear when your device is no longer getting updates, and should perhaps be upgraded, is no doubt a nice side effect for Apple's product sales.
Tune in to our WWDC 2025 live blog for more Apple news as it drops. Or home in on specific upgrades in our iOS 26, next-gen CarPlay updates, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, macOS 26 Tahoe and tvOS 26 stories.
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