At WWDC 2025, Apple announced that it is officially unifying version numbers across its entire lineup of operating systems — marking a major shift in how the company names its software updates. Moving forward, all platforms will adopt version 26, aligning with the calendar year and streamlining user understanding.
Apple WWDC 2025 live: Goodbye to fragmented versioning
Previously, each Apple platform followed its own version timeline — for example:
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iOS was set to move from iOS 18 to iOS 19
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macOS was expected to follow its own naming and versioning (like macOS Sonoma → next)
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watchOS and tvOS had their own unique versions as well
Now, under Apple’s unified system, every OS — including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS — will use version 26, starting this year.
This change is meant to make updates easier to track, especially for users navigating across multiple Apple devices. It also reflects Apple’s push for greater ecosystem consistency — from design (Liquid Glass) to naming conventions and software rollout cycles.
