The iOS operating system has always been a success among users, with new versions being adopted quickly after launch. iOS 14 has been available since September, but most iPhone users have already installed this version. However, it seems that it is even more popular than last year’s iOS 13, a version that came rather to fix many of the problems in iOS 12.
iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 were quickly adopted by iPhone and iPad users
Apple has released new statistics for the adoption of iOS 14 and iPad OS 14 operating systems. It seems that of those who have iPhones released in the last 4 years still in use, 81% run on the latest version. 17% are on iOS 13, last year’s version, and 2% use older versions. We are talking about devices from the iPhone 7, iPhone 8 / X, iPhone XS / XR, iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 families.
When we talk about all the iPhone users in the world, who use even older phones, some of which probably don’t even have software support anymore, the situation is not very different. We have 72% of users on iOS 14, 18% on iOS 13 and only 10% on older versions. The last category would also include models such as iPhone 5 or iPhone 6, which could still work, but no longer have software support.
In the case of iPad tablets, the situation is a little different. Mainly because tablets are devices that are replaced much less often, and the lack of active software support is not such a big problem. Most of the work on a tablet takes place in video playback applications and in a browser, which do not necessarily need up-to-date software updates to work properly.
For iPad tablets launched by Apple in the last 4 years we have 75% of users on iPadOS 14, and 22% on iPadOS 13, with only 3% of users on an older version. When we consider all iPad tablets that are still in use, only 61% use iPadOS 14, 21% iPadOS 13 and 18% for an older Apple operating system. It is clear from these statistics that there are still many iPad tablets on the market in operation, but which are too old to be updated to newer versions of iOS or iPadOS.
These statistics can help software developers choose which iOS features to use in order to be accessible to as many users as possible. Fortunately, since most are already on the latest version or at least the previous one, software developers do not have to make too many compromises when developing applications for iPhone or iPad.
Robert J. Smith is still early into his career as tech reporter but has already had his work published in many major publications including JoyStiq and Android Authority. In regards to academics, Robert earned a degree in business from Fordham University. Robert has passion for emerging technology and covers upcoming products and breakthroughs in science and tech.
