iOS 15 and macOS 12 potentially confirmed in WebKit code

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By Joe Wituschek
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macOS Big Sur
macOS Big Sur (Image credit: Apple)

What you need to know

  • WebKit code makes reference to iOS 15 and macOS 12.
  • Both versions are expected to be announced at WWDC 2021.

It appears that the next version of iOS and macOS will indeed be iOS 15 and macOS 12.

While we won't see an official announcement from Apple until WWDC 2021, 9to5Mac has found reference to both new versions in the open-source WebKit code. The find is a good one as Apple usually refers to its future software versions as TBA.

9to5Mac was able to confirm that the mentions of iOS 15 and macOS 12 were added to the open-source WebKit repository last month. It was added with the commit message "Update WKWebView getUserMedia delegate to latest proposal," by an Apple employee who works on the WebKit technology.

The code does not, however, mention any of the features users can expect from the latest software for iPhone and Mac. While iOS 15 follows the usual naming schedule that Apple has followed in the past, macOS 12 would be notable as the company went years updating versions of OS X before the company switched to macOS 11 Big Sur last year.

The macOS naming is particularly notable this year because Apple jumped from macOS 10.15 Catalina to macOS 11 Big Sur. This marked a notable change in the macOS naming conventions for the first time since the introduction of Mac OS X in 2000.Following the introduction of macOS 11 Big Sur, many people speculated on whether Apple would cycle through the 11.0 point versions for yearly updates like it did with Mac OS X. Instead, Apple subsequently released macOS 11.1 as a minor update, indicating that macOS would switch to an update naming style similar to iOS for yearly releases.

Apple is expected to host another virtual WWDC this year. The company will likely announce the latest version of iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS.

Joe Wituschek
Joe Wituschek
Contributor

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.