iOS 26 SUPERGUIDE

What's coming with the iPhone's next operating system, and what can it do for you? Find out with our in-depth guide

- Written by Ian Osborne

When Apple announced its next iPhone operating system was to be named iOS 26, you could be forgiven for wondering if you'd been asleep for the last seven years. The previous version was iOS 18. What happened to versions 19 to 25? Don't worry - you're not a modern-day Rip Van Winkle. The number '26' doesn't refer to the release version, but to its year. iOS 26 was released in autumn 2025, and will be replaced the following autumn, so most of its shelf life is in 2026, hence the name. The reason Apple has opted for this nomenclature is to harmonise its operating systems across its devices. So this autumn, we also got macOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26 and so on. It's a move that makes sense.

Another new innovation that's a part of all Apple’s new operating systems is the Liquid Glass interface.