UPDATE: This article was based on incorrect data from StatCounter resulting from a change on policy by Apple. The web analytics firm fixed the problem and now reports that iOS 26 adoption is just below average: about 53%. This article is kept only for archival purposes.
Only a tiny percentage of iPhone users have installed iOS 26, according to data from a web analytics service. The adoption rate is far less than previous iOS versions at this same point months after their releases.
The data only reveals how few iPhone users run Apple’s latest operating system upgrade, not why they’ve chosen to avoid it. But the most likely candidate is the new Liquid Glass look of the update.
iOS 26 still struggles to gain traction with iPhone users [Updated]
AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac

January 7, 1997: Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak returns to the company to participate in an advisory role, reuniting with Steve Jobs onstage at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco.
January 6, 1998: Just months after taking over a company on the verge of bankruptcy, Steve Jobs shocks attendees at San Francisco’s Macworld Expo by revealing that Apple is profitable again. An Apple comeback is on the way!