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ZDNET Highlights
- Adoption of iOS 26 is divided, with trackers showing radically different results.
- Users are hesitant to update due to design changes and initial bugs.
- Security improvements may be the strongest reason to install iOS 26 now.
It’s been a few months since Apple released iOS 26. Generally, new iOS versions spread like wildfire. Within a few months, most iPhone users have tapped that “Download and Install” button, right? not so fast.
The adoption process seems unusually slow this time. There’s evidence that many of us are dragging our feet and pressing “Remind Me Later” on iOS 26, even if the exact percentage is debatable.
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I personally updated my iPhone to iOS 26 on day one (the life of a tech writer, I had to do this for work), but I’ll be the first to admit that my iPad Pro remained on iPadOS 18 (iOS 18’s sister update) until recently. Why the delay? For one thing, I don’t use my iPad as often as my iPhone, and honestly I didn’t feel like spending an hour downloading and installing updates.
It showed me I was not alone.
What does the data say so far
a report from StatCounterThe website, which tracks usage, claims that, four months after release, only about 16% of iPhones are running iOS 26, while more than 60% are still on some version of iOS 18. In the US, especially, the trend is more pronounced. Nearly three-quarters of iPhones and iPads at the end of 2025 were still on iOS 18, with iOS 26 barely breaking 10% share.
In other words, most people haven’t bothered to update to iOS 26 yet.
There has been a huge decline even compared to previous years. As 9to5Mac Reportedly, by January 2025, about 60% of users were on the then-latest iOS 18, and iOS 17 adoption was over 50% in the same time frame.
Too: iPhone’s call screening makes updating to iOS 26 worthwhile
However, there is another data source worth considering: telemetrydeckThe company collects anonymized usage data from apps, and it shows that iOS 26 is running on about 60% of active devices in early 2026, with only 37% still running iOS 18, This level of adoption is far higher than what we typically expect from a new iOS release, Then why such a huge discrepancy?
It depends on the methodology. StatCounter’s statistics are based on web browser visits, where Safari reports the iOS version, while TelemetryDeck’s data comes from apps that use its SDK. This raises the obvious question, if so, which dataset is more reliable.
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StatCounter may miss users who have updated to iOS 26 but mostly use apps instead of browsing the web. Plus, people on older iOS versions may still spend a lot of time in Safari instead of apps for everyday tasks. TelemetryDeck also has limitations, as it only shows apps that use its SDK. This may skew toward app users who are early adopters and more likely to update.
Each method comes with its own bias. Apple hasn’t released official iOS 26 adoption numbers, and that’s rare, so for now, we’re left to piece together the picture from these third-party trackers. The truth probably sits somewhere between these two extremes.
How users are reacting to iOS 26
Well, let’s put the numbers aside for a moment and look at what Apple users are saying online about iOS 26. Is there really any hesitation in installing the update? I went to Reddit to find threads about iOS 26, and as expected, they were full of mixed reactions.
“This is truly insane and shows that Apple has massively underestimated the impact of introducing a complete overhaul of the OS with such a radical change in design.” One user wroteResponding to news about iOS 26’s low adoption figures. The same person said that they regret updating to iOS 26 and that there are still many iPhones running on iOS 18.
Others agreed that iOS 26 feels incomplete, citing strange UI choices and performance issues. “This is the first time I’ve regretted updating an iOS version,” One commentator said“Even after several updates, the 26 is still so irritable and clumsy,”
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Complaints about battery life and lagging are also common. One Redditor vented That their battery drains faster and that the OS on the iPhone 13 is “extremely slow, buggy, and drains my battery life”. Many others have described a “small glitch” since updating to iOS 26. a user Specifically mentioning issues like “keyboard lag spikes”.
Not everyone hates iOS 26.
One Redditor wrote iOS 26 is “absolutely fine”, he added, adding, “You’re all crazy. We go through this every time.” one more user agreedSaying, “I don’t have any major problems with iOS 26 except for the wildly stupid naming.”
Too: My Favorite iOS 26 Feature Makes Screenshots Even More Useful
On X, the discourse is evenly divided.
Apple’s “Liquid Glass” interface in iOS 26 is a lightning rod. Some users seem excited about it, with one poster announcement That “Liquid Glass is the future. Android will copy it whether you like it or not.” On the other hand, critics have called it impractical a user Complaining that “iOS 26’s Liquid Glass looks good, but it’s killing readability and ignoring accessibility.”
Apple has already tweaked some transparency effects in response to feedback, adding options to reduce or turn them off. Still, the lessons from social media are clear. iOS 26 is polarizing, and it’s keeping some users from upgrading.
Why haven’t people updated yet?
While I’ve been reading countless social media comments from iPhone users, I’ve been pondering why they’re delaying upgrading to iOS 26, and several clear patterns have emerged. Here are four possible reasons why they may delay the update:
1. Liquid Glass Backlash
The most obvious factor is the large design setbacks. People are nervous about the look and feel of liquid glass. This makes the interface ultra-translucent and fluid. It’s a dramatic visual change, and frankly, a lot of people either don’t like it or they don’t like the change.
Too: What is liquid glass? Here’s everything we know
Comments like “They’ve really taken the wrong direction with the glass-liquid based iOS design. Looks like garbage” are all over redditA Redditor Said The UI makes their iPhone look “cheap and disgusting”. Ouch. The reaction is genuine and may explain why many people are avoiding iOS 26 altogether, preferring to stick with the familiarity of iOS 18 rather than deal with a design they hate.
2. Bugs and performance issues
Everyone knows that major new updates can be bad. Although the launch of iOS 26 was not disastrous, there were teething glitches. Reports of battery life being affected are common (even Apple warned Some users may notice effects on battery). Some users have also complained about sluggish performance and strange behavior like CarPlay bug.
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“This is the only OS I wish I could ever roll back to,” One Redditor said“My iPhone has never lost charge while plugged in on CarPlay, but the iPhone still loses charge whenever the battery gets down to <20%,"
Apple also “delayed the creation” of iOS 26recommended“Update, which may have signaled to even its most discerning users that it’s okay to hold off. Now that iOS 26.2 is here, some of the concerns have likely subsided, but first impressions matter.
3. No compelling reason
Let’s be real: Aside from Liquid Glass, there are no antidote, mandatory features in iOS 26 that scream “Update now!” Many of its improvements are under the hood or niche. On Reddit, a the user said There are “essentially no functional upgrades from iOS 18” other than the UI. Another Redditor That said, third-party app developers aren’t doing much with the Liquid Glass API yet.
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If I had to guess, some people just aren’t motivated to update.
4. Update Fatigue
I fall in this category.
We’ve all gotten used to the annual iOS update cadence, but throughout the year, there are frequent minor updates to add polish, fix bugs, and improve stability. All of them still need to be downloaded and installed.
Too: iPhone battery bad after updating to iOS 26? here’s why
I don’t allow automatic updates because I like to decide for myself whether I want to run potentially disruptive updates or not. This means I have to manually stay on top of it to make sure I’m running the latest OS. As you can tell by how long it took me to update my iPad, I’m not good at it, and I can’t help but wonder how many other people fall into this “I’ll do it later” mentality.
It takes time to update and reboot a device, and then you have to adjust to whatever changes have occurred. If you’re not particularly excited about the new features and are suffering from update fatigue, it’s easy to tap “Later” and forget about it.
Unless there is a pressing reason or persistent signal, many people will leave things as they are, including me.
Should you update your iPhone?
I’m running the latest version of iOS 26 on my daily iPhone and enjoying it. I never minded the liquid glass look, and I didn’t notice any major performance issues. “I understand why many people are waiting,” he said. If your iPhone or iPad is running smoothly on iOS 18, what’s the hurry? Stay on iOS 18 (you have plenty of company) and enjoy the stability.
Still, as a tech journalist, I have to exercise some caution. It is important to keep an eye on this Apple security updates,
Too: Is iOS 26.2 worth downloading? 5 reasons to update today
iOS 26.2 update Fixed more than two dozen vulnerabilities on the iPhone, two of which could be used in “highly sophisticated attacks against specific targeted individuals on versions of iOS prior to iOS 26.”
