TL; DR
- Some reports claim iOS 26 adoption is below 20%, based largely on web traffic data.
- App-based analytics instead show iOS 26 running on roughly 55–60% of active iPhones by early January 2026.
- The gap comes down to methodology, not a sudden slowdown in user upgrades.
Four months after its September 2025 release, iOS 26 adoption has become the subject of conflicting headlines. While some coverage suggests a weak rollout, a closer look at the underlying data shows a more familiar upgrade trajectory.
The pessimistic narrative largely comes from StatCounter, which estimates operating system usage based on global web traffic and browser user-agent strings. As of early January 2026, StatCounter reports that only around 15-18% of iPhones are running iOS 26. Its breakdown shows roughly 10.6% on iOS 26.1, 4.6% on iOS 26.2, and about 1.1% still on the initial 26.0 release. In this dataset, more than 60% of devices appear to remain on iOS 18, mainly iOS 18.6 and 18.7.
In contrast, data from TelemetryDeck tells a different story. TelemetryDeck collects anonymized usage information directly from apps installed on iPhones, rather than relying on browser traffic. According to its public dashboard, iOS 26 adoption reached approximately 55–60% by the end of 2025 and has remained in that range into early 2026, with iOS 18 falling to roughly 37–40%. This pattern closely matches Apple’s historical upgrade curves.
The discrepancy is largely explained by methodology. StatCounter’s web-based tracking can be skewed by factors such as Safari reporting older version identifiers on newer builds, uneven regional traffic, and changes in browsing behavior. App-based telemetry, by comparison, may offer a clearer picture of active device usage across day-to-day scenarios.
Historical context also supports the higher figure. Around four months post-launch, iOS 18 sat at roughly 60–63% adoption, later confirmed by Apple at 68% by January 2025. iOS 17 reached about 50–54% in a similar timeframe, while iOS 16 was closer to 60–62%. Seen against that backdrop, TelemetryDeck’s numbers place iOS 26 well within Apple’s normal range.
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Apple has not yet released official adoption statistics for iOS 26, which typically arrive later via developer support pages. With iOS 26.2 released in December 2025 and iOS 26.3 expected soon, further point updates could continue to push adoption higher, especially if they address early bugs or performance complaints linked to the new “Liquid Glass” design.
The mixed reporting highlights a familiar issue with upgrade narratives. The story changes dramatically depending on the data source, and focusing on a single metric can paint a misleading picture. Based on app-level usage data and historical trends, iOS 26 does not appear to be lagging in any meaningful way.
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