Apple has recently begun to highlight the iOS 26 upgrade option in the system update interface, encouraging iPhone users who are still stuck on iOS 18 to upgrade to the new version of the system as soon as possible. Since the launch of iOS 26 in September this year, the version has been displayed as an "optional update" at the bottom of the "Settings - General - Software Update" page, while the iOS 18 update is presented as a default and preference.
Starting today, this presentation changes: Users who have not yet upgraded will see iOS 26.1 marked as a "Recommended Update" in settings, while subsequent security and maintenance updates for iOS 18 have been moved to a secondary position lower in the interface.
At present, Apple does not force users to upgrade to iOS 26 immediately, but it is obviously promoting the installation rate of the new system through interface design. Some users have a wait-and-see attitude towards upgrading. The main reason is that iOS 26 introduces a new interface design called "Liquid Glass", which significantly adjusts the visual and interactive style of the iPhone, causing certain concerns about adaptation costs. Since iOS 15, Apple has allowed compatible devices to stay on the previous major version for a period of time and only receive security updates. This policy is still in use with iOS 18, but it is not expected to be extended indefinitely.
The report pointed out that at this stage, Apple is still continuing to push security updates to users who choose to stay on iOS 18, but this support may be gradually reduced in the coming months. After further boosting iOS 26 installations through "recommended updates" and other means, Apple is likely to eventually remove the option to continue to stay on iOS 18 on compatible devices. By then, only iOS 26 will be left as the only optional update path on the system upgrade page of models that support iOS 26. Users who need to continue to get the latest security fixes will have to complete the migration to iOS 26 by then, and for older devices that do not support iOS 26 on their hardware, Apple is expected to continue to provide iOS 18 updates for a longer period of time.
As of now, Apple has not announced the specific adoption rate data of iOS 26, so the outside world cannot know how many users have completed the upgrade. According to past practice, Apple usually updates statistics several months after the release of a new system, so the official installation rate information about iOS 26 may not be announced until January or February next year at the earliest. It should be noted that once users upgrade from iOS 18 to iOS 26, they will not be able to downgrade back to the old version of the system through official channels. The upgrade operation is considered an irreversible process under Apple's current system.