Apple says 66% of iPhones are now running iOS 26. Sounds impressive until you realize they waited an extra three weeks to announce it compared to last year, and the number is still lower than iOS 18 at the same point.
iOS 18 hit 68% in 127 days. iOS 26 took 150 days to get to 66%. Apple essentially gave itself more time and still couldn’t match last year’s performance.
The reason is obvious: people don’t want Liquid Glass. Apple’s new design language makes everything translucent and adds visual effects that slow down the interface without making it more useful.
What makes these adoption numbers meaningless is that Apple has removed any real choice from the equation.
You can’t downgrade once you update. The company stopped signing iOS 18 almost immediately after iOS 26 launched. Security patches only come with the full OS update. The Settings app won’t stop bothering you until you give in.
So when Apple says 66% of users adopted iOS 26, what they mean is 66% of users eventually stopped resisting. People tapped the wrong button, couldn’t ignore security warnings anymore, or just gave up fighting the notifications. But very few actively wanted this update.
Apple knows this, which is why they’re measuring “transactions on the App Store” instead of something more direct.
Also: Apple finally figured out how to sell you a $699 MacBook and still even make more money
Your phone pings the App Store in the background to check for app updates? You’re part of the statistic. It’s a clever way to count devices rather than decisions.
Look at the iPad numbers. iPadOS 26 is only on 57% of iPads despite having three extra weeks.
People who use iPads for actual work are more careful about updates because they can’t afford to deal with buggy software or relearn their interface.
Apple forces the choice by making the alternative unworkable. If you stay on iOS 18, you’ll lose security fixes, and apps will eventually drop support.
The system is designed to make standing still impossible, so people move forward even when they don’t want to.
