148: Last Minute WWDC Rumors: 'iOS 26' and Games App

7 snips

May 30, 2025

Excitement brews as a radical visual redesign of Apple's operating systems is set to debut, reminiscent of visionOS. A revolutionary shift to a year-based naming system is anticipated, helping to align software versions across platforms. Apple is also gearing up to unveil a new standalone gaming app aimed at enhancing the gaming experience by consolidating game purchases. The discussion touches on the big impact these changes will have on user experience and the future of iPhone naming conventions.

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INSIGHT

Apple Adopts Year-Based OS Versions

Apple is switching from sequential OS version numbers to year-based numbers across all platforms to improve clarity.
This change aligns OS versions with release years, reducing confusion for users and developers.

INSIGHT

Apple TV Design Refresh Expected

Apple TV will likely receive a visual redesign featuring translucency and refreshed icons.
The update will align tvOS with other Apple platforms, making it look more modern and consistent.

ADVICE

Improve Apple TV Recommendations

Apple should improve Apple TV recommendations by using personalized Apple intelligence across all subscribed apps.
The Apple TV app should focus on Apple content only, with home screen showing aggregated watch lists from all apps.

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On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through Apple's plan to introduce a complete overhaul of the design and naming system for its operating systems at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

Despite the ongoing focus in the industry on generative artificial intelligence, Apple is reportedly planning to debut a complete visual redesign of its platforms as "the highlight of the show" at WWDC. The updated design language includes translucent interface elements and menus that echo the visual style of visionOS. While the new design was rumored for iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16, it is now expected to extend to tvOS 19 and watchOS 12 too. The changes mark the most comprehensive cross-platform visual update since the introduction of iOS 7 in 2013.

Apple is also apparently shifting its software versioning system from sequential numbers to a year-based format, similar to how car manufacturers label vehicle model years. Instead of releasing iOS 19 and macOS 16, Apple will debut iOS 26and macOS 26, along with iPadOS 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26, and visionOS 26. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that this change is intended to reduce confusion for users and developers by aligning version numbers across platforms and matching them to the upcoming calendar year.

In addition to these design and branding changes, Apple is said to be developing a new standalone gaming app that will be introduced at WWDC. The app is intended to replace Game Center and will offer a unified platform for launching games, tracking achievements, social features, viewing leaderboards, and accessing editorial content. The app is purportedly designed to support both Apple Arcade titles and third-party games currently distributed through the App Store. On macOS, the app will also be able to detect and organize games installed outside the Mac App Store.

The gaming app represents Apple's most overt emphasis on gaming infrastructure since the launch of ‌Apple Arcade‌ in 2019. While Apple has historically treated Game Center as a background service rather than a user-facing platform, this new app appears to be aimed at making game discovery and engagement more prominent across devices.