Ahead of iOS 19‘s unveiling at WWDC25 next week, Apple shared updated iOS 18 adoption figures. As of June 4, 2025, the OS powers 88% of all iPhones launched in the last four years.
This number drops slightly to 82% when considering all active iPhones. More iPhones have adopted iOS 18 than iOS 17 during the same timeframe last year.
iOS 18 spreads faster than iOS 17
In June 2024, Apple’s stats indicated 86% of iPhones from the last four years ran iOS 17, with the figure falling to 77% for all active iPhones. In comparison, a higher percentage of iPhone users, especially those with older models, have upgraded to iOS 18 this year.
iOS 18’s major additions, including Apple Intelligence, probably encouraged faster adoption. The number will likely rise a bit more before Apple publicly releases iOS 19/iOS 26 in September 2025.
Photo: Apple
Considering iOS 18 supports devices as far back as the 2018 iPhone XS, this is no small feat. If anything, it shows Apple’s excellent software support strategy and how it updates its older devices with new features for years after release.
iPadOS 18 adoption also outpaces iPadOS 17
Apple also shared iPadOS 18 adoption stats. It’s running on 81% of devices launched in the last four years, with iPadOS 17 running on 12%. The figure drops by 10% to 71% when you consider all active iPads. Approximately 14% of all active devices are still running iPadOS 17, with 15% using an even older build.
For comparison, in June 2024, 86% of iPads launched in the last four years ran iPadOS 17. This number fell to 68% when accounting for all active iPads.
Faster adoption of new iOS and iPadOS versions brings several benefits. It enables developers to take advantage of the new APIs to create more compelling apps. The new builds also typically contain new security and privacy-oriented features.
iOS 19/iOS 26 will take center stage next week when WWDC25 begins on June 9. Apple will also focus more on releasing its beta builds after that, only pushing minor, security, or bug-fixing updates for iOS 18.
