Apple has published the first official adoption figures for iOS 26. The data shows strong early uptake across both iPhone and iPad models. According to the company, 74 percent of iPhones introduced in the last four years now run iOS 26. When you look at all active iPhones, 66 percent have already updated.
The numbers give a clear picture of how quickly users moved to the latest version. iOS 26 launched on September 15, 2025. Apple measured adoption on February 12, 2026, which puts the update at 150 days old at the time of reporting.
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Apple published the data on its developer website. The company said the figures are “measured by devices that transacted on the App Store on February 12, 2026.”
iOS 26 Adoption on iPhone
For iPhones introduced in the last four years, adoption breaks down as follows:
- iOS 26: 74%
- iOS 18: 20%
- Earlier versions: 6%
Across all active iPhones:
- iOS 26: 66%
- iOS 18: 24%
- Earlier versions: 10%
These numbers show that most recent iPhone users updated within five months of release. Older devices still account for a meaningful share, which explains the gap between newer models and the total installed base.
iOS 26 Compares to iOS 18 and iOS 17
To put this in context, iOS 18 reached 76 percent adoption on recent devices after 127 days. iOS 17 also hit 76 percent after 139 days.
Here is how adoption looked for earlier launches on devices introduced in the previous four years:
After 127 days of iOS 18:
- iOS 18: 76%
- iOS 17: 19%
- Earlier: 5%
After 139 days of iOS 17:
- iOS 17: 76%
- iOS 16: 20%
- Earlier: 4%
Compared to those releases, iOS 26 stands slightly lower at 74 percent after 150 days. However, the difference is small and still reflects strong update momentum.
Across all devices, the comparison is also close:
At a similar stage for iOS 18:
- iOS 18: 68%
- iOS 17: 19%
- Earlier: 13%
At a similar stage for iOS 17:
- iOS 17: 66%
- iOS 16: 23%
- Earlier: 11%
With iOS 26 now at 66 percent of all iPhones, the update tracks closely with iOS 17 and slightly below iOS 18 at the same point in time.
iPadOS 26 Adoption Numbers
Apple also shared figures for iPadOS 26. Adoption on newer iPads remains solid, though slightly lower than iPhone.
For iPads introduced in the last four years:
- iPadOS 26: 66%
- iPadOS 18: 28%
- Earlier: 6%
Across all active iPads:
- iPadOS 26: 57%
- iPadOS 18: 26%
- Earlier: 17%
For comparison, iPadOS 18 reached 63 percent on recent devices at a similar point in its release cycle. iPadOS 17 stood at 61 percent under the same conditions.
The latest data confirms that iOS 26 has achieved broad adoption within five months of launch. Most users with newer devices moved to the update, while a significant share of older hardware continues to run previous versions.
Overall, adoption remains consistent with recent iOS release trends. Apple’s ecosystem still shows strong update participation, especially on devices introduced in the last four years.
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