Apple’s try to preserve on-line advertisers from monitoring Safari customers had the unintended impact of fully throwing off reporting on iOS 26 adoption. Relatively than solely a small share of iPhone customers putting in some model of Apple’s newest working system, iOS 26 adoption is just a bit beneath common.
Cult of Mac regrets its earlier position in inadvertently serving to to unfold incorrect information.
iOS 26 adoption is just under overage
Discovering criticism of iOS 26 on social media isn’t troublesome, and feedback are ceaselessly laced with swearing. “That is severely the worst ugliest _____ interface replace i’ve ever seen,” is typical. And is “This new iOS replace is straight rubbish.”
So it wasn’t shocking when the net analytics agency StatCounter reported that iOS 26 adoption by iPhone customers was at historic lows.
Nonetheless, StatCounter not too long ago realized that it had been dramatically undercounting iOS 26 customers. This week, it up to date its system, and its depend of iOS 26 adoption rapidly shot as much as 52.6%.
After the sooner miscount, being suspicious about StatCounter’s new numbers isn’t unreasonable. However TelemetryDeck stories that iOS 26 adoption is at 54.8% — shut sufficient to depend as affirmation.
For comparability, in January 2025, about 63% of iPhone customers had some iOS 18 model put in, in line with StatCounter. In January 2024, some iOS 17 model was on 54% of iPhones. A yr earlier, the iOS 16 adoption charge was 62%.
What went mistaken? Blame Apple.
StatCounter laid the explanation for the miscount on Apple. Aodhan Cullen on the StatCounter Workforce advised Cult of Mac that “iOS 26 doesn’t accurately establish itself.”
There’s truly cause. Apple intentionally misidentifies gadgets that run iOS 26 as working iOS 16 to make it tougher to “fingerprint” iPhone customers. This can be a promoting monitoring approach that identifies a tool by quietly accumulating a mix of technical indicators — reminiscent of display screen measurement, fonts, working system model, IP handle patterns and different configuration particulars — relatively than counting on conventional identifiers like cookies, which could be blocked. If an promoting firm can fingerprint gadgets, it could possibly monitor customers and serve them focused adverts, defeating the aim of Apple’s App Monitoring Transparency. And customers can’t choose out of fingerprinting.
“Apple’s Safari anti-fingerprinting modifications misreported iOS 26.2 as 18.7 and iOS 26.1 as 18.6,” stated StatCounter.
The analytics agency utilized a patch on January 19 to alter the way in which it tracks iOS 26 adoption. After that, it stories that 45.5% of iPhone customers are on iOS 26.2 and 6.2% are on iOS 26.1.
Notice that StatCounter’s repair isn’t retroactive. Its information on iOS 26 adoption from earlier than January 19, going again months, stays incorrect.
Set up iOS 26.2 for those who haven’t already
Apple makes updating iOS remarkably easy and broadly accessible for iPhone customers. Updates are delivered instantly over the air by way of the Settings app, requiring just a few faucets. And iOS 26 has followers in addition to detractors.
Crucially, iOS updates convey greater than new options: they’re additionally how Apple distributes safety patches. Those that refuse to replace the working system depart their handsets open to hackers.
When you’re hesitant about iOS 26 since you’re making an attempt to keep away from Apple’s new translucent and fluid new interface, you’ll be able to flip Liquid Glass off.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and utilizing it for for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Traditional II (which he nonetheless has), however now he makes use of a 13-inch iPad Professional as his major pc. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, in addition to different websites.