iOS 10 adoption already topping 54%!

By Rene Ritchie
last updated

iMessage Lasers
iMessage Lasers (Image credit: Rene Ritchie)

Apple's App Store{.nofollow} version tracker now lists iOS 10 as having 54% adoption. That's following launch on September 16. 54% is slightly lower than the 57% recorded by iOS 9 by the this time last year, but iOS 9 kept the same device compatibility as iOS 8, while iOS 10 removed compatibility for a number of popular devices, including the 2011 iPhone 4s and iPad 2. What's more, unlike previous years, there weren't any popups or bright red badges prompting people to update until well after the first-week early-adopter surge wound down. That helped make sure the servers could take the initial load.

iOS 10 still shipped to every model of iPhone and iPad released since late 2012, on every carrier, in every region, all on the same day. That includes iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, and iPhone 5 as well as iPad Pro 12.9, iPad Pro 9.7, iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad 4, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 3, and iPad mini 2.

That's monumental when you consider Samsung's 2012 Galaxy S III can only run up to Android 4.4 Kit Kat, which was released in late 2014. Even Google's own 2012 Nexus 4, can only be officially updated to Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.

The latest version is Android 7.0, Nougat, announced earlier this year, but due to how Android works, has yet to reach a measurable number of devices. (Last year's Android 6.0 Marshmallow is currently sitting at just under 19%, according to Google Play.)

Imagine if iPhone 5 was stuck on iOS 5 or iOS 7, and iOS 10 hadn't reached 1% of iPhones or iPads yet? Or iPhone 7 owners were worried Verizon wouldn't okay the same updates?

Now, comparing iOS updates to Android updates isn't apples to oranges. There are a variety of reasons why an operating system created by Google but deployed by a wide range of vendors across hundreds of carries will never equal the penetration rate of an integrated, determined company like Apple.

But that's not the customer's problem. Updates, especially security updates, represent not only significant ongoing value, but table stakes. And that's what Apple is delivering.

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Rene Ritchie
Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.

13 Comments
  • Does anyone know of a software issue with ios 10? My brand new iphone SE use to get me thru 18hour days on a single charge. My wifes iphone 6, could do a similar haul. Now my iphone SE has to be charged twice a day and so does her iphone 6. I just purchased the iphone7 jet black. My first day of use, got me 11hrs standby and 6.25hrs before it needed charge, yet its advertised as having 2 more hours of use than the previous iphone. Something is wrong here, and i assume ios 10, because the 6 and SE functioned perfect on ios9. And my ipad mini has similar battery issues, i didn't even touch it yesterday and it dropped 20% .
    Words of wisdom anyone? Sent from the iMore App
  • Are you sure this battery decrease happened when you updated these devices to iOS 10? There's always the possibility it could be an app you're using among all the devices. One of the biggest culprits is having apps set to be allowed to use location "Always" rather than "Whilst using the app", you can check which apps are set to "Always" under Settings > Privacy > Location Services. Also check the battery monitor to see what it says is using the most battery
  • I know YouTube has a battery drain issue that I can replicate on my iPhone 6S Plus like clockwork. The issue was not there until the iOS 10 update. If I open the YouTube app, click a video, and then scroll down and read comments for a moment, my phone will begin quickly heating up. If I just turn the screen off, the phone cools down, but the battery life plummets. I don't know if you are using YouTube, but that has been the issue for me. I resolve it by fully closing the app if I read the comments and my reading of those comments triggered the battery drain bug. FYI, I factory reset my iPhone when I installed iOS 10, so that should not be the issue. The drain is specific to the YouTube app only for me. Sent from the iMore App
  • I miss the days when the iPhone had its own optimized YouTube app…
  • I also have an iPhone SE. My battery has been just as good with iOS 10. I had 8 hrs of usage today on 12 hrs standby. My battery is at 47%.
    Maybe it's an app you and your wife both have that changed its behavior? Sent from the iMore App
  • @pwrof3: What apps do you have installed on your phone?
    Can you please upload a screenshot? My battery life seems poor too.
  • Yeah my signal and my battery life has sucked, so I rolled back.
  • I would have to take 10 screen shots, haha, but def no new apps Sent from the iMore App
  • Sure! Here you go:
    https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ana8PVjuVkgprsMyRXZLwiBKBYq_wQ
  • I have to say that I was disappointed that Apple took a page out of Microsoft's book, starting roughly two weeks after the iOS 10 rollout, nagging me incessantly to update every day until I did, sometimes every time that I went back to the home screen (4-5-6 times a day). And I found that I had difficulties clicking on the "Remind me later" option; that area of the screen somehow seemed less sensitive to pressure than other parts of the screen (and this was consistent across several devices). SMH, Apple. Let us update when we're ready/have time.
  • I agree. My wife's iPhone 6S was inadvertently updated when she didn't ignore it (actually the kiddos hit the update button). So now she is on iOS 10 and hates it, including the new messages app. To avoid the annoying message, I deleted the auto downloaded update and then turned the auto download off. Made it so the message went away. I am not going to update to iOS 10, as I personally believe it is a joke.
  • You either accept change or hate it, but no matter how you feel, change is going to happen and usually for the better, so if you can't get used to the "new" you're going to be left behind, like how a lot of people's parents/grandparents don't know how to use computers. Why exactly is iOS 10 a joke? With the new Messages app, you don't have to use the extra features if you don't want to
  • It is annoying, although it's worth the update. About "having time" to do it, why not just start the update process and leave your phone in your pocket? It's all automatic as soon as it starts, the phone will automatically be back on when it's done