iOS 26 Adoption Slows: Is Liquid Glass to Blame?
▼ Summary
– Initial reports suggested iOS 26 adoption was dramatically low, with speculation blaming user aversion to the new Liquid Glass interface.
– Statcounter data for January indicated only 16.6% of devices used iOS 26, compared to about 70% for iOS 18.
– However, the article’s analysis of Condé Nast website traffic shows a less severe adoption rate, with about 45% of iPhone pageviews coming from iOS 26 in December 2025.
– This traffic data indicates iOS 26 is being adopted more slowly than iOS 18 was, but not as catastrophically as the initial reports claimed.
– Other factors, like iOS 26 dropping support for older iPhone models from 2018, also help explain the slower adoption rate.
Recent data suggests the rollout of Apple’s latest mobile operating system, iOS 26, is progressing at a notably slower pace compared to previous major updates. Initial reports, fueled by analytics from Statcounter, painted a dire picture, indicating adoption rates as low as 16.6 percent in January. This figure stands in stark contrast to the roughly 70 percent adoption seen for iOS 18 during a comparable period. The narrative that quickly gained traction pointed to user dissatisfaction with the new Liquid Glass interface as the primary culprit, suggesting a design revolt was stalling the update.
However, a deeper analysis reveals the situation is more nuanced. While adoption is indeed slower, the disparity isn’t as severe as the early numbers implied. Internal traffic data from a major publisher’s network of websites tells a different story. Comparing the final three months of 2025 to the same period in 2024 shows that iOS 26 was active on approximately 45 percent of iPhones by December 2025. The previous year, iOS 18 had reached about 76 percent penetration by the same point. This represents a significant slowdown, but not the near-collapse suggested by the initial data.
Several key factors help explain this slower uptake beyond any potential design controversy. A major technical shift is the likely cause of Statcounter’s undercount. iOS 26 introduced substantial changes to how browsers identify themselves, a move that can break the tracking methods used by many web analytics platforms. This means a large number of devices running the new OS may simply not be recognized as such by third-party data firms, artificially deflating the reported adoption figures.
Furthermore, the pool of eligible devices itself has changed. iOS 26 dropped support for older iPhone models including the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR from 2018. In contrast, iOS 18 maintained compatibility with every device that could run its predecessor. This naturally creates a smaller addressable market of devices capable of installing the latest software from day one.
The availability of an alternative update path has also influenced user behavior. Apple concurrently released iOS 18.7, a substantial update that delivered critical security patches without requiring the jump to the entirely new iOS 26 interface. This option proved popular, with data indicating it’s installed on nearly a third of all iOS devices, providing a safe harbor for users who are cautious, have older hardware, or simply prefer the familiar interface.
While the redesigned Liquid Glass experience may be a factor for some users, the evidence points to a combination of technical reporting issues and strategic user choices as the dominant reasons for the measured rollout. The data indicates a cautious, perhaps more fragmented, upgrade cycle rather than a wholesale rejection of Apple’s latest software vision.
(Source: Ars Technica)
