Apple says 79% of all iPhones and 86% of iPhones released in the past four years were running iOS 26 as of June 7, vs. 82% and 88% for iOS 18 before WWDC 2025
Apple has shared updated iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 adoption figures, revealing how many iPhones and iPads were running those software versions …
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s February figures put iOS 26 on 66% of all iPhones and 74% of iPhones released within four years. The June update shows continued uptake across both the installed base and newer devices.
The comparison with iOS 18 shows iOS 26 remains modestly behind the prior release at the same pre-WWDC point, consistent with related coverage that flagged slower automatic updating earlier in the cycle.
First-order effects
- Apple, developers, and service operators can now address iOS 26 features and behavior across roughly four in five active iPhones, with newer-device coverage higher still.
- A meaningful minority of the iPhone base remains on earlier software, so apps and support policies cannot yet assume iOS 26 universally.
Second-order effects
- Developers gain a larger practical audience for iOS 26-specific capabilities, while retaining compatibility work for older versions because adoption trails iOS 18’s comparable pace.
- The gap between recent iPhones and the full installed base reinforces the importance of testing across older hardware and software cohorts rather than treating current-version adoption as uniform.
Third-order effects
- If slower adoption versus the preceding release persists, Apple’s platform will have a longer mixed-version transition period, raising the value of backward-compatible product design and staged feature rollouts.
- The figures also suggest that changes to update defaults can materially shape the speed at which Apple’s software ecosystem converges on a new release.
The trend: iPhone software adoption remains high but is becoming more sensitive to Apple’s update-distribution choices, extending the period in which multiple iOS generations coexist.