Apple’s newer operating systems are ditching the Helvetica Neue font

Apple has had a thing for the Helvetica Neue font these past couple of years, something that many users have complained about. However, as such a font wouldn’t work on the Apple Watch’s small display, the company had to design a new font known as San Francisco for the device, and now it appears as though the next versions of iOS and OS X will adopt this font as well. 

When Apple launched its new Watch, it designed a new font for the device called ‘San Francisco’, intended to maximize legibility of text on its tiny screen. Its arrival marked a breakaway from Helvetica Neue, which was introduced with the launch of iOS 7. Apple is sometimes criticized for its choice of Helvetica Neue in iOS and – more recently – in OS X Yosemite, as some believe the decision placed a greater emphasis on style over usability. But it seems that that’s all about to change, as 9to5Mac reports that Apple is abandoning Helvetica Neue in favor of San Francisco in the new versions of its operating systems. Unnamed ‘sources with knowledge of the preparations’ are credited with revealing that iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 will both replace Helvetica Neue with San Francisco, and recent internal builds of both operating systems – going back as far as March – are said to feature the new font.