The big question many users are asking themselves these days is How many iPhones are already using iOS 26? And whether the new version of Apple's mobile operating system is catching on as quickly as its predecessors. With the latest official data in hand, it's now possible to get a pretty clear idea of ​​just how far iPhone owners have made the switch.
Apple has made public its first iOS 26 adoption data Since the update's release in September 2025, based on activity recorded on the App Store globally, the figures show a somewhat cooler scenario than in previous years, although far from a worrying situation, especially when compared to what is happening on other mobile platforms.
What percentage of iPhones use iOS 26
According to Apple's most recent measurements, the 74% of iPhones released in the last four years It already works with iOS 26. That is, three out of every four relatively modern phones have been updated to the latest available version of the operating system.
If the perspective is broadened to the entire fleet of iPhones in useIncluding older models, iOS 26's market share is around 66%. In other words, two-thirds of the iPhones still in use worldwide have already completed the transition to this version.
These percentages are slightly lower than those for the same time period of the previous year, when iOS 18 reached approximately 76% on recent devices, and around 68% if all devices were considered. The difference is about two percentage points in favor of iOS 18, even though the analysis window for iOS 26 was even slightly larger.
While the first iOS 18 adoption report closed at 127 days since its launchIn the case of iOS 26, approximately 150 days have passed since its initial release to users. This extra timeframe has not yet been enough to match the initial momentum of the previous version.
Nevertheless, the data still reflects Apple's very high capacity to mobilize the majority of iPhone owners towards a new version of the system in less than half a year, something that continues to be unusual when compared to the fragmentation seen in Android.
What about iPhones that haven't made the leap yet?
The majority of phones that haven't yet installed iOS 26 are running the immediately preceding versions. Apple explains that iOS 18 retains around 20% of recent iPhone users, a not insignificant percentage considering the time that has passed since the update was released.
If the total number of devices is taken as a reference, Around 24% of iPhones remain on iOS 18The remaining 10% is divided between older versions, where both models without support for iOS 26 coexist with users who, despite having compatibility, have preferred to stay as they were.
Two factors influence the number of phones that haven't been updated. On the one hand, there are the iPhones that have been left out of the iOS 26 compatibility listOn the other hand, there are people who have decided not to change versions due to performance, design, or simple habit.
Among the models that have been dropped from the update are popular devices such as the iPhone XS and other devices of that generationThese devices, which once had a significant market presence, are no longer counted towards iOS 26 updates, naturally reducing the percentage of users who can expect to install the new version.
Added to this is the reality that many users, especially those who have had the phone for several years, are more reluctant to change systems for fear of noticing the device being slower or finding incompatibilities in their usual apps.
Initial doubts about the adoption of iOS 26
In recent weeks they have circulated reports that pointed to very low adoption of iOS 26The figures didn't quite align with what's typically seen in the Apple ecosystem. Some external analyses even placed the presence of iOS 26 on barely 15% of iPhones, a figure that raised concerns among some members of the community.
However, those calculations have proven unreliable. As sources close to the system's development explained, Safari on iOS 26 began identifying itself as if it were iOS 18.7 for websites, with the aim of complicating the tracking and identification of users through techniques of fingerprinting.
When this change occurs in the browser's identification string, statistics services such as StatCounter and similar tools interpreted iOS 26 sessions as if they originated from iOS 18.7The result was a distorted picture of the actual distribution of versions, suggesting that almost no one was installing the update.
Once this point has been clarified and with the official data on the table, it can be stated that iOS 26 adoption is lower than that of iOS 18But that's light years away from the extremely low percentages that had been reported based on those Safari user agent reports.
The two percentage point difference compared to what iOS 18 achieved in the same period is not irrelevant, but it falls within a reasonable margin considering the context in which this new version of the system has arrived.
Liquid Glass, controversial design and resistance to upgrades
One of the elements that has generated the most debate around iOS 26 is Liquid Glass, the profound aesthetic redesign that Apple has applied to the interfaceThis is one of the most ambitious visual changes the platform has seen in recent memory, and that always leads to some clash with user habits.
From the first months after launch, various surveys and comments in specialized forums indicated that A significant portion of iPhone owners did not want to upgrade to iOS 26 Precisely because of that change in appearance. Many preferred to maintain the look and stability of iOS 18, which they already knew by heart.
This initial resistance was particularly noticeable among those who use the phone as their main tool for work or study and do not want to encounter sudden changes in icons, menus, or animationseven though the overall functioning is correct.
The situation began to change with the arrival of iOS 26.2, an update that changed the rules of the gameAt that time, Apple decided that compatible iPhones still running iOS 18 would no longer be able to receive the latest security patch without first installing iOS 26.
This move was interpreted by many users as a form of force the adoption of iOS 26because those who wanted to keep their phone protected against recent vulnerabilities were practically forced to update the entire system.
The role of security and deferred functions
The link between security patches and major system update It's one of the factors that most significantly impacts adoption statistics. In practice, a high percentage of users decide to install a new version of iOS when they begin to perceive that it's falling behind in terms of protection against bugs or attacks.
In the case of iOS 26, that dynamic has been combined with another factor: the delay of some key Siri features and other new features associated with artificial intelligence, which are expected for later versions, such as iOS 26.5.
This situation has led some of the more advanced users to wait until all the promised features are actually available before considering the new version stable and complete. For others, however, the focus remains on having the latest security fixes rather than additional features.
In Europe, and more specifically in countries like Spain, these types of decisions are usually made with a certain degree of caution: those who rely heavily on the iPhone for their daily lives They tend to wait a few weeks or months after the release of each major update, waiting to see if there are any relevant battery, performance, or compatibility issues with banking and government applications.
That initial waiting period may explain some of the slightly slower pace of iOS 26 compared to iOS 18, although as the months go by the overall experience stabilizes and most of the reservations disappear.
What does the landscape look like with iPadOS 26?
While the focus is usually on phones, Apple's data also allows for comparisons. the behavior of iPad users with iPadOS 26In the case of tablets, the adoption of the new version is somewhat different.
In the most recent iPad models, those released in recent years, iPadOS 26 reaches a 66% market shareThat is, two out of every three modern tablets already run on the latest iteration of the system.
If all iPads in circulation are taken into account, without limiting by age, the installation of iPadOS 26 is around 57%Although this percentage is lower than that recorded for iPhone, it improves upon the numbers obtained with iPadOS 18 at the same point in the cycle, when it hovered around 63% for recent models and 53% globally.
This evolution indicates that, unlike what happens on the iPhone, The transition to iPadOS 26 is happening in a somewhat more solid wayOne possible explanation is that, for many European users, the tablet is used more as a secondary or leisure device, so there is less fear of encountering visual changes or operational adjustments.
In any case, both in Spain and in the rest of Europe, the level of iPad updates remains high compared to other manufacturers, with a significant proportion of tablets still receiving recent versions many years after their launch.
With all these pieces on the table, The adoption data for iOS 26 paints a picture of a system that is progressing a little more slowly than iOS 18.This has been conditioned by a demanding visual redesign, the exclusion of some models, and the staggered rollout of new features. Even so, Apple's ability to consolidate most of its users on the same software version within a few months remains one of the defining characteristics of the ecosystem, including among iPhone owners in Spain and the rest of Europe.
