Apple did not jump from iOS 18 to iOS 2. Instead, what happened is a version jump from iOS 18 to iOS 26 in 2025. This was a strategic move by Apple to unify and synchronize the version numbers of all its operating systems—iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS—so they all share the same major version number aligned with the year ahead, 2026. This jump was made for several reasons:

• To create more unity and continuity between the platforms with consistent software version numbering.
• To reflect that the software released in 2025 will be used mostly throughout 2026, similar to how car models are named for the upcoming year.
• To simplify the naming system and reduce confusion from different version sequences running in parallel across devices.

The version numbers from iOS 19 through 25 were skipped directly to iOS 26 to accomplish this synchronization and rebranding effort starting in 2025. This approach was applied to Apple’s other OS lines as well.

In summary, there was no jump to iOS 2, but a leap forward from iOS 18 to iOS 26 for strategic and branding reasons connected to the upcoming year 2026.