Apple’s iOS 11 is now running on 85% of all eligible iPhone and iPad devices, just weeks before the launch of iOS 12. However, while this number beats the pants off its Android Oreo contemporary, it isn’t quite as solid as previous iOS releases.
iOS 10 adoption had reached 87% as of August 2017, while iOS 9 had been installed on 84% of eligible devices – just 1% shy of the current mark – as far back in the release cycle as April 2016.
So, what has caused the drop off? Well, iOS 11 didn’t bring a huge amount in the way of new features for iPhone users (it was more significant for iPad users), while a number of launch bugs means uptake was slower than usual. VentureBeat reports it took more than two months for adoption to pass 50%
The numbers from Apple’s own developer forums show only 10% of users are sticking with iOS 10 on their compatible devices, while 5% of iDevice owners are on iOS 9 and earlier.
Related: How to fix iOS 11 problems
However, it’s fair to say that Google would kill for these numbers on the Android side of the coin. The Android 8.0/8.1 Oreo operating system, released around the same time as iOS 11, currently sits on 14.6% adoption.
More Android phones (19.2%) are on 2014’s Android Lollipop than Oreo, while Marshmallow (22.7%) and Nougat (30.8%) make up more than 50% of the market share on active Android devices.
There’s currently no presence for Android Pie, which was released last month on Google Pixel devices and a limited selection of other devices, with more to follow.
Google is hoping its Project Treble initiative will make it easier for manufacturers to upgrade their Android devices to newer versions. For the first time, Google allowed third-party manufacturers to take part in the Android P beta program, with many top device makers now prepping a quicker-than-usual update to their newer handsets.
Apple will launch iOS 12 within the next two weeks, with hundreds of millions of device owners receiving access on day one.
Have you held off on iOS 11? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter and tell us why.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.