Apple recently released the latest installation statistics for iOS 26 and iPadOS 26, revealing how many iPhone and iPad devices are currently running these latest system versions. According to Apple’s official statement, these adoption rate data are based on statistics of iPhone and iPad devices that generated transactions on the App Store on February 12, 2026.
Looking at specific data, 74% of all iPhone models launched in the past four years have been upgraded to the iOS 26 system, and the overall adoption rate of iOS 26 among all iPhone devices is 66%. Regarding iPad, 66% of iPad models launched in the past four years run iPadOS 26, and the overall adoption rate of all iPad devices is 57%.
Comparing this set of data with last year’s iOS 18 can reveal some noteworthy changes. On January 21, 2025, Apple announced the adoption rate data of iOS 18. At that time, 76% of iPhone models launched in the past four years were running iOS 18, and the overall adoption rate of all iPhones was 68%. For iPad, the adoption rate for models over the past four years at that time was 63%, and the overall adoption rate for all iPads was 53%.
Although the adoption numbers for iOS 26 and iOS 18 may seem similar at first glance, the reality is more complicated. Apple released iOS 26 statistics later than before. About 150 days passed between the official release of iOS 26 to the public and the release of this statistics, while the statistics of iOS 18 were released only 127 days after the system was released. In other words, iOS 26 has about three weeks more promotion time than iOS 18.
This means that iOS 26 adoption is actually slower than iOS 18, but the speed gap isn't as large as some early unofficial estimates claimed. The specific reasons for the slowdown in the adoption rate of iOS 26 are not yet known for sure, but some analysts believe that some users choose to temporarily avoid this version of the new Liquid Glass design interface. From a technical perspective, the adoption rate data of iPadOS 26 is indeed higher than that of iPadOS 18, but it is also necessary to take into account the fact that iPadOS 26 has three weeks more promotion time than the previous generation.