Behind the disappearance of iOS 19

Many people were surprised by the jump from iOS 18 to 26, but things have changed even more.

Apple's operating system series has just changed the way it names versions. Photo: 9to5mac .

Apple just held its annual WWDC conference, where it announced all the new software for its devices for the coming year. Most notably, iOS 26 for iPhone. Those who own an iPhone 11 or later will get the update for free starting later this year.

One confusing thing is that the successor to the current iOS 18 is called iOS 26 instead of iOS 19 as usual.

According to 9to5mac , the operating system version number is purely a marketing tactic, not a science . Apple can name it any way they want. Therefore, the company takes this opportunity to adjust the iPhone operating system version number to correspond with the calendar year.

The lifecycle of the new operating system will mainly lie in 2026. iOS 26 is in the developer beta phase this summer and will not officially launch widely until September 2025.

After that, iOS 26 will be the main version on iPhone until September 2026, when iOS 27 is ready to replace it. That means about 9 of the 12 months iOS 26 will be the main platform on iPhone in 2026.

That’s why Apple decided to number iOS with the digits of the following year. To be consistent, the company also switched all other platforms to the new naming scheme, including iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, macOS 26, visionOS 26, and tvOS 26.

New design language on the iOS 26 interface. Photo: Apple.

The big question is whether Apple will rename its iPhone models in a similar way. We’re currently at the iPhone 16, and the iPhone 17 lineup is coming this fall. Apple could call it the iPhone 26 instead of the iPhone 17.

9to5mac suggests that this seems less likely because the iPhone brand is so influential. Consistency with the software version is not enough to convince Apple to change the iPhone naming scheme.

Additionally, Apple likes to sell iPhones for years. The operating system version is updated for free every year, but customers can still buy the "iPhone 2026" as a new product in 2028.

For example, even though the latest iPhone on the market is the iPhone 16, which was released in 2024, Apple still sells the iPhone 15 through its website. Retailers even stock new inventory of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 13, devices introduced three to four years ago.

Source: https://znews.vn/dang-sau-su-bien-mat-cua-ios-19-post1559820.html