Is Apple about to retire iOS?

Apple could be about to retire the iOS name and go back to iPhone OS, according to a new rumour.

The prolific Apple leaker Jon Prosser, of Front Page Tech, reckons the company will go back to the moniker last used for iPhone OS 3 in 2009.

This may be speculative, but given iOS 13 only really applies to the iPhone following the launch of iPadOS in 2019, it wouldn’t be a surprising change.

Related: WWDC 2020 latest

Apple’s other operating systems – watchOS, tvOS and macOS – are specifically descriptive so it makes sense that iPhone OS might follow suit.

It isn’t long before we’ll find out as Apple takes the virtual state at the WWDC keynote on Tuesday June 22. The company traditionally reveals its in-development operating systems for the year, ahead of a wider roll out in the autumn, and we expect this year to be no different.

So what can we expect from iOS/iPhone OS 14? Well, recent leaks have suggested Safari may be getting a neat automatic translation tool. Other reports have said there might be a new bundle that combines key subscription services like Apple Music, Apple TV Plus and Apple Arcade into a more affordable package.

The company has also been tipped to enable third-party apps to be set as default programs for certain tasks. So, for example, if you use Spark for email, clicking on an email address would automatically open that app instead of the default Mail tool.

Once again, there are rumours Apple could roll out home screen widgets, which have been a much-loved feature on Android since its inception.

As always there are sure to be some design tweaks, security updates, enhanced privacy tools and significant updates for core apps alongside the raft of new features.

What are you hoping for from the 14th major update for the iPhone’s operating system? Let us know @trustedreviews on Twitter