Cult of Mac: iOS 26 has proven to be a failure — its share is only 10.7%.
The new operating system (OS) for iPhone has proven unpopular among users. This was noted by the specialized publication Cult of Mac.
Journalists from the media referred to data from StatCounter, which indicates that at the beginning of 2026, only 10.7 percent of supported devices are running the current iOS 26.1. In comparison, the previous system iOS 18.7 has a share of 30 percent, and iOS 18.6 has 29.9 percent. The authors described the adoption rates of the OS as slow and failing.
The article states that such a situation is atypical — primarily because new versions of iOS usually spread quickly among users. For instance, the share of iOS 18 reached 63 percent approximately four months after its release. The share of iOS 17 during the same period was 54 percent, and iOS 16 was 60 percent.
Journalists from MacRumors identified the main reason for the rejection of iOS 26 as the Liquid Glass design. "After the announcement at WWDC last year, the new design received mixed reviews, which may be one of the reasons for the reluctance to upgrade," the authors noted.
