What is Apple iOS?

 

An iOS icon.

iOS stands for "iPhone operating system". iOS is a mobile operating system which runs on iPhone. Prior to 2019 it was the native software for iPad, right before the advent of iPadOS, however, today iOS is the only system software for Apple iPhone. 

There are three other operating systems used by Apple to power its non-iPhone brands, they include; tvOS, iPadOS and watchOS.