Recent data revealed a slowdown in adoption of iOS 26 among iPhone users, despite more than four months having passed since its launch to everyone.
StatCounter statistics showed that only about 15.2% of users installed the new version, which is a very low number compared to previous versions. iOS 18 reached 63% adoption in a similar period, while iOS 17 and iOS 16 posted high numbers of 54% and 62%, respectively.
This mixed response is due to the new design known as Liquid Glass, which focused on transparency and dispersion effects, which left some users feeling confused and lack of ease of use.
Although Apple makes the annual update process much easier to encourage users, it seems that this approach did not work with iOS 26 as expected.
However, the system introduced new features that were welcomed such as call filtering, iMessage improvements including polls and custom wallpapers, as well as CarPlay updates, and other useful additions.
Users who are dissatisfied with the Liquid Glass interface can also reduce transparency by changing the display settings from “Clear” to “Tinted.”
Meanwhile, iOS 18 will continue to be supported for years to come, giving users who balk at the new changes some time to adjust before considering an upgrade.
