iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 Adoption: Checking in on the Upgrade Numbers
Ever wonder how quickly people jump to the latest software updates? Well, Apple just let its hair down and spilled the beans on the most recent stats regarding how many iPhones and iPads are running iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. Let's break down the numbers and see how the latest operating systems are doing in the wild.
iOS 18 Hits Strong Adoption Among iPhones
It's proving pretty popular among the four-year-old series of iPhones, which seems about right. For January 21, 2025, the breakdown goes a little like this:
- 76% running iOS 18 - that is a full-on majority getting with the latest features.
- 19% running iOS 17 - That's still quite a chunk using the previous one.
- 5% on older versions - A tiny sliver sticking to older software.
This is interesting compared to last year. During the same period last year, iOS 17 stood at 76% for recent phones, whereas iOS 16 accounted for 20%, and still older ones made up 4%. It certainly seems that the pace of upgrades for newer devices is remarkably consistent across years.
Consider All iPhones in Use
If we consider all iPhones out there - older versions included - then the picture shifts slightly:
Which, to put into more concrete numbers:
- 68% of all iPhones are now on iOS 18.
- 19% running iOS 17
- 13% running older versions.
Last year iOS 17 stood on 66% of all iPhones while iOS 16 ran on 23%, and older on 11%: Again a similar trend, with slightly better adaption year over year.
iPadOS 18: Adoption on iPads
The newest OS update for iPads, iPadOS 18, is also getting taken up nicely. Among iPads that have come into the market within the last four years:
- 63% are already on iPadOS 18.
- 27% still have iPadOS 17 installed on them.
- 10% run an earlier iPadOS.
These figures for all iPads active now are:
- 53% running iPadOS 18.
- 28% running iPadOS 17.
- 19% still running an earlier version.
Key Takeaways
These numbers from Apple indicate an extremely healthy adoption rate for iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. Well, the lion's share of users with current hardware seem to adopt the latest software with ease. It shows how well Apple has fared at keeping users up to date, which helps keep the experience consistent and access to the latest features and security updates across their ecosystem in line.
Of course, it will be interesting to see how this all evolves in the coming months as more people upgrade and devices come to the market.
