In the latest official Apple report, the iOS 14 operating system had an extremely high adoption rate of over 86% in about half a year. However, it seems that this rate is constantly increasing, and an independent study from Mixpanel says that iOS 14 has already exceeded the threshold of 90% of active iPhone users.
iOS 14 is the version with the fastest adoption rate so far
Mixpanel data, collected independently of what Apple reports in its developer platform, says that currently 90.43% of active iPhone users use the iOS 14 version of the mobile operating system. The remaining 9.57% is divided between iOS 13, the 2019 version, with 5.07% of the total and all other previous versions, with 4.5%. Thus, iOS 14 becomes the version with the fastest adoption rate in the history of the operating system.
In February, 86% of iPhone users under the age of four used iOS 14, while 80% of all Apple phones in use used this version of the operating system. It is possible, however, to see a difference between Mixpanel data and official data from Apple, when the company launches a new dedicated report.
But what we can’t see from this table is whether iPadOS, the iOS tablet version, is enjoying a similar increase during the pandemic, now that tablets have become the most sought after devices on the market. Before 2020, this category of products was quite ignored by the general public. However, the advantages such as portability, increased autonomy and compatibility with most services and applications needed for work from home or distance school, have led to a “rebirth” of tablets.
Android 11 is also the most popular version so far
For comparison, a study conducted by Statcounter a month ago in the US, put Android 11 as the version of Google’s operating system with the fastest adoption rate. About half a year after its launch, 25% of devices in use already used Android 11, while Android 10 was found on 33% of phones.
Unlike Android, where each manufacturer has to develop new versions independently for each device, and launches can be delayed by other factors, such as telecom operators, Apple can launch a new version of iOS on all compatible devices. IOS 14 currently runs on all Apple smartphones launched from 2015 until now, and they all receive updates at the same time.
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.
