Adoption of the new iOS slower than in other years. But most iPhones are running iOS 16

It seems that iOS users have become less interested in new software updates for their smartphones over the past few years. Adoption of iOS 16 is still growing in December, but it doesn’t seem to be as popular a version of the operating system as it was several years ago. Most iPhone users are already on the new version, but some still seem to want to stay on iOS 15 going forward.

A quarter of iPhone users are reluctant to switch to iOS 16

According to a Mixpanel survey, only 69% of iPhone users now use iOS 16. Adoption was very fast in September, just after launch, but the speed at which users are installing the update has slowed in recent weeks. However, the data shows that iOS 15 has suffered a similar “fate”.

Most likely, many of the users who stick with iOS 15 are still scared off by the multiple bugs that iOS 16 has had since its inception. Apple kept releasing minor software updates and even a major version, iOS 16.1, but there are still small unfixed issues. And iOS 15 faced similar issues.

iOS 14 was criticized at launch for too few improvements, but that version was also one of Apple’s most stable in years. As a result, by the same time in 2020, iOS 14 was already on more than 80% of active Apple smartphones.

So in December 2022 we still have 24.5% of users on iOS 15 and another 6.14% on older versions. Those using older versions of iOS 15 could also be among those who can no longer upgrade to newer versions, but whose devices still work. Apple has in recent years even started offering security updates for older operating systems like iOS 12, even if those devices no longer have active software support.