At its highly anticipated Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025, Apple delivered a sweeping reimagining of its software ecosystem—announcing iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26—as part of a bold strategic shift in its versioning philosophy. Departing from the traditional incremental numbering (which would have made this release iOS 19 following iOS 18), the company pivoted to a year-based naming convention, aligning the version number with the forthcoming calendar year. As Craig Federighi, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, clarified, the move to version “26” reflects the software’s utility extending into 2026: “Our releases for the fall that will power us through the coming year 2026 will be version 26”.
This renaming is more than cosmetic. It is intended to unify version numbers across devices that have historically followed separate versioning paths—such as iOS, watchOS, macOS, and visionOS—addressing long-standing confusion among developers and consumers . Drawing parallels with the auto industry—where car models often use next-year naming—Apple’s adoption of a calendar-aligned nomenclature promises greater clarity and coherence across its platforms.
Key among the unveiling was a transformative aesthetic overhaul, dubbed “Liquid Glass”, first shown at WWDC on June 9, 2025. This new design language, inspired by the fluid, immersive qualities of visionOS, brings translucent panels, rounded elements, glass-like depth effects, and skeuomorphic touches to the entire Apple ecosystem. It represents Apple’s most ambitious visual redesign since iOS 7’s flat interface debuted in 2013. Across native apps—Camera, Safari, Control Center, and more—users can expect floating toolbars, refraction-based visuals, and enhanced UI polish for better intuitiveness and aesthetic appeal.
Beyond visuals, iOS 26 ushers in a robust expansion of Apple Intelligence—the company’s in-house AI initiative. New capabilities extend Image Playground generative tools, Genmoji emoji creation, and advanced writing assistance in apps like Mail and Notes. Siri is set to become significantly smarter, offering features such as real‑time translation (including AirPods live translations), eye-scrolling on Vision Pro, and broader contextual understanding—potentially powered by Google’s Gemini model integrated beneath Apple’s interface.
Another AI‑driven enhancement is battery management. In iOS 26, on‑device learning will personalize power usage patterns—extending battery life based on users’ habits . This is especially valuable given the demand for efficiency and performance with upcoming hardware, including potential ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air models.
Developers will find much to explore: revamped APIs supporting Liquid Glass UI, generative AI in Apple’s Xcode environment for coding assistance, and new tools enabling third‑party app integration with Apple’s intelligence features. Additionally, Apple is enriching user-centric apps: Messages gains polls, chat backgrounds, and RCS-like encryption; Apple Music introduces AutoMix transitions and lyrics translations; a new Games app consolidates Apple Arcade and Game Center.
In terms of availability, the first developer beta for iOS 26 launched immediately following the June 9 keynote, with public beta access expected by mid‑July. The final public release is projected for around September 16, 2025, coinciding with the traditional iPhone upgrade schedule—about a week after the iPhone 17 launch.
On device compatibility, iOS 26 requires iPhones equipped with the A13 Bionic chip or newer, marking the end of support for iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR models. Advanced Apple Intelligence features—such as on‑device ML—require the A17 Pro chip or later, limiting full feature access to newer models including iPhone 15 Pro and beyond.
