Apple Skipped a Lot of Numbers to Launch iOS 26, but How Did We Get Here?

For most of Apple's history, it has iteratively updated its software by just counting up from one. iOS 14 came after iOS 13, and so on, and so on. Now, though, Apple has announced that its next software update will be iOS 26.

If you haven't been paying close attention, you might naturally assume that the previous iteration of iOS was 25, but you would be wrong. Instead, Apple is skipping right from iOS 18 to iOS 26, and many want to know why they've made that decision. Here's what we know.

The reason that Apple is skipping a bunch of numbers to get to iOS 26 is actually relatively straightforward. The operating system update is being extended across Apple's devices, not just the iPhone. That includes Macs, iPads, and watches.

The biggest new feature to come with this new operating system is a new design, and it seems like Apple's goal is to create more synchronicity between its various devices.

That's why all the operating systems now have the same number, and it seems like subsequent rollouts for each new system will happen across all of your devices. The change is drastic for iPhone users, but it's happening across devices, and some of them hadn't even gotten to 18. Moving forward, though, Apple's goal will be to launch new operating system updates to every one of its devices at the same time, so that each device has a similar design.

You might be thinking that iOS 26 probably shouldn't get released in 2025, but much like how next year's car models always manage to arrive this year, Apple seems to be releasing next year's iOS system this year. That way, the system is always current at least to the year it's in. If iOS26 expires sometime in 2026, it will never seem like it's out of date. These are the kinds of decisions that has kept Apple at the forefront of tech for decades.

iOS 26, then, is going to be a pretty big change for Apple, and one that the company is likely going to try to maintain moving forward. Now, your experience on your iPad, Mac, watch, and iPhone will be much more closely synchronized so that it always feels like Apple tech.

iOS 26 is currently in beta, and is now only available to certified Apple developers. The software is notoriously buggy during this stage, so unless you're a developer, it's best to wait. The public beta will be available in July for those who sign up in advance, but if you're willing to wait until the software has been fully debugged, then it should be available to download in September.

That download could be a major sea change for Apple users. Every update comes with some new design elements, but even by those standards, iOS 26 looks like it's going to be a big deal.