Apple has released the highly anticipated adoption statistics for iOS 26 for the first time. The company says that 74% of all devices introduced in the last four years are running iOS 26, while 66% of all devices are running iOS 26.
How many iPhones are running iOS 26?
These numbers are based on devices that transacted in the App Store on February 12, 2026. It was published today on Apple’s developer site.
Devices introduced in the last four years
iOS 26 was released on September 15, 2025. These numbers were measured on February 12, 2026 — so after 150 days availability.
- iOS 26: 74%
- iOS 18: 20%
- Previously: 6%
Compared to the launch of iOS 18:
iOS 18 was released on September 16, 2024. These numbers were measured on January 21, 2025 — so after Availability 127 days.
- iOS 18: 76%
- iOS 17: 19%
- Previously: 5%
Compared to the launch of iOS 17:
iOS 17 was released on September 18, 2023. These numbers were measured on February 4, 2024 — so after Availability 139 days.
- iOS 17: 76%
- iOS 16: 20%
- Previously: 4%
From all devices
- iOS 26: 66%
- iOS 18: 24%
- Previously: 10%
Compared to the launch of iOS 18:
- iOS 18: 68%
- iOS 17: 19%
- Previously: 13%
Compared to the launch of iOS 17:
- iOS 17: 66%
- iOS 16: 23%
- Previously: 11%
iPadOS 26
In the meantime, here are the dates for the iOS 26 update so far.
Devices introduced in the last four years
- iPadOS 26: 66%
- iPadOS 18: 28%
- Previously: 6%
Compared to iPadOS 18 launch:
- iPadOS 18: 63%
- iPadOS 17: 27%
- Previously: 10%
Compared to iPadOS 17 launch:
- iPadOS 17: 61%
- iPadOS 16: 29%
- Previously: 10%
From all devices
- iPadOS 26: 57%
- iPadOS 18: 26%
- Previously: 17%
Compared to iPadOS 18 launch:
- iPadOS 18: 53%
- iPadOS 17: 28%
- Previously: 19%
Compared to iPadOS 17 launch:
- iPadOS 17: 53%
- iPadOS 16: 29%
- Previously: 18%
9to5Mac’s Take
These numbers have a lot of nuances that are important to keep in mind. First, iOS 26 launched three iPhone models this year. The update is not available for iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. Meanwhile, iOS 18 was supported on all the same iPhone models as iOS 17. This plays a role in the speed of updates.
Based on these numbers, it’s clear that iPhone users are slightly slower to install iOS 26 than iOS 18.
After 150 days of availability, iOS 26 adoption is at 74% among devices introduced in the last four years. Meanwhile, iOS 18 has been installed on 76% of devices after 127 days of availability.
But it’s also clear that iOS 26 wasn’t the disaster some pundits would have you believe. For a software update as big as iOS 26, these numbers are quite respectable.
In recent years, Apple has also made it easier for users to stay on their current version of iOS unless they’re ready to upgrade to the next major version. For example, Apple released iOS 18.7 at the same time as iOS 26. Most recently, it released iOS 18.7.5 with important security fixes.
I’d also be interested in the adoption numbers for macOS Tahoe, but Apple isn’t sharing that information. I think these dates would be particularly fascinating this year.
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