iOS 16 is now installed on way more iPhones than you might think

iOS 16
(Image credit: iMore)

As Apple gets ready to announce iOS 17 at WWDC 2023 on June 5, the company has now shared details about just how popular its iOS 16 software update has been.

Apple announced iOS 16 during its WWDC 2022 event in June of last year before making it available for download in September. Now, the company has shared details not only of how well iOS 16 is doing in terms of installed user base but also how the iPadOS 16 update is doing as well.

The figures show that both software updates have been well-received, while we can likely expect the figures to increase as the months roll on — Apple isn't expected to release iOS 17, the update that will replace iOS 16, for around three months.

Big big numbers

According to figures posted to the App Store portion of its developer website, Apple says that the iOS 16 update is now installed on 90% of all iPhones that were introduced within the last four years. That number falls to 81% when you look at all iPhones currently in use.

As for the iPad and iPadOS 16, the numbers aren't quite so high but are still impressive. The iPadOS 16 update is installed on 76% of all iPads that were introduced in the last four years. As you'd expect, that figure falls when you look at all active iPads — the figure is 71% in that instance.

Apple says that these figures were "measured by devices that transacted on the App Store on May 30, 2023."

These figures are largely in line with the numbers that iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 managed after a similar amount of time out in the wild, and we can probably expect the same with the new updates next year, too.

All of Apple's software updates will be detailed during the WWDC event next week but none will ship to the public until around September time.

iMore's iOS 16 review calls the platform "a beefy update that shows us the true potential of customization." Though iOS 15 was more about refinement, iOS 16 is a major overhaul of Apple’s mobile operating system, much like iOS 14 before it. 

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.

  • Annie_M
    I am always so surprised when people do not install updates.
    Reply
  • Wotchered
    Annie_M said:
    I am always so surprised when people do not install updates.

    I think that a lot of people are not”sensitised” to the main reason for updating, Security.
    I must say that apart from that, I would not pay much notice to the updates myself.
    I have not seen an update feature that I need or use in a long time. I really like this platform but can’t get excited by the general run of cosmetic updates (My spellchecker is trying to make me choose update’s as its preferred form,WTF !!!) Now there’s an area for improvement.
    Reply
  • Annie_M
    Wotchered said:
    I think that a lot of people are not”sensitised” to the main reason for updating, Security.
    I must say that apart from that, I would not pay much notice to the updates myself.
    I have not seen an update feature that I need or use in a long time. I really like this platform but can’t get excited by the general run of cosmetic updates (My spellchecker is trying to make me choose update’s as its preferred form,WTF !!!) Now there’s an area for improvement.
    I agree that a lot of people do not pay attention to updates, nor understand that Security is the main reason. I do think that updating regularly makes my devices run better.
    Reply
  • Wotchered
    update’s … ?
    Reply
  • Wotchered
    As there is no case for an apostrophe in updates, I was irritated that Apple interrupted my one finger typing to offer me one !
    Reply
  • ThePinkChameleon
    I’ve never concerned myself with who does and doesn’t update their device. If it’s my immediate family, like my husband, parents or kids I let them know about the updates when they come out, from there it’s up to them if they want to proceed.

    I always take initiative to update when the updates drop.
    Reply