iOS 26 Adoption Hits 15% Four Months After Launch

Four months after its launch, iOS 26 has achieved only about 15 percent adoption among active iPhones worldwide, according to analytics data released in January 2026. This leaves more than 60 percent of devices running the older iOS 18, a stark departure from the rapid uptake seen in previous major updates from Apple.

The figures, derived from web traffic analytics tracking operating system versions across global websites, show a breakdown of iOS 26 usage as follows: roughly 10.6 percent on iOS 26.1, 4.6 percent on iOS 26.2, and 1.1 percent on the initial iOS 26 release. By comparison, iOS 18 variants, including iOS 18.6 and 18.7, dominate the landscape. Historical data from the same analytics firm indicates that iOS 18 had reached 63 percent adoption by January 2025, four months after its debut, while iOS 17 hit 54 percent in a similar period the year before and iOS 16 exceeded 60 percent in early 2023.

Apple released iOS 26 in September 2025, introducing a comprehensive visual redesign known as Liquid Glass. This aesthetic features translucent layers, blurred backgrounds, and dynamic depth effects intended to enhance interface depth and expression. The update also included...