Owners pump the brakes on Apple’s latest software. StatCounter’s app-usage telemetry indicates that slightly more than 15% of users have shifted to iOS 26, one of Apple’s slowest early adoption cycles for a major iOS release in recent years.
Against my expectations, tepid is the drop-by friend that arrives with a killer of a Visual Design Trend called Liquid Glass – another transparent, translucent aesthetic that makes an impact on the whole interface. It’s a redesign that ignited fierce discussion on Apple’s forums and seems to be driving a lot of users’ wait-and-see attitude here.
Adoption Trails Earlier iOS Releases at Similar Stages
StatCounter’s estimate puts iOS 26 well below the rate of recent releases when they were at similar points in their distributions. By that point iOS 18 had passed 63% adoption and iOS 17 was over the 54% mark, and that’s how uncommon this cycle’s behavior is.
Since Apple doesn’t release official installation figures, third-party companies like StatCounter and Mixpanel are most commonly used as proxies. Their methodologies are based on aggregated app and web telemetry, which can’t account for every device, but a directional trend across multiple trackers suggests a slower-than-normal upgrade.
Liquid Glass Interface Upgrade Splits Users Over Design
Liquid Glass flows through the system — from Home Screen icons and other user interface elements, including notifications, Apple Music app or Safari’s “Show All Tabs” view — applying semi-transparencies, glass-like blurs, and soft gradients. Designers have applauded the coherence and motion language, but many users have said readability and visual contrast suffered.
On discussion sites like Reddit and among Apple fan pages, there’s been a mix of adoration for the polish and annoyance at what some see as “form over function.” They cite eye strain, busy backgrounds, and heavier motion as reasons to wait, not least for older devices where any perceived lag or battery stress is amplified.
There is no master switch to disable Liquid Glass completely, but you can turn it down. Power users tell me Reduce Transparency and Increase Contrast within the Accessibility settings (combine this with Dark Mode and more neutral wallpapers) can make a big dent in the effect while still giving you much of the update.
Beyond Design, What Else Is Behind the Caution on Upgrades
Early point releases typically are where Apple squishes the quirks that convince conservative users and IT departments to withhold judgment. And enterprise mobile device management policies keep rollouts slow until compatibility and mission-critical applications are certified, an effect that can significantly dampen adoption in the first several months.
iOS 26.1 brought a mix of updates that could make fence-sitters want to upgrade:
- Wider Apple Intelligence language access in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, and Turkish
- Live Translation for AirPods in Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Italian, Japanese, and Korean
- Improved child safety filters
- Enhancements to the Fitness app
- A new Slide to Stop gesture for alarms and timers
But there are plenty of people who consider stability and battery life more important than novel features. Typically adoption picks up after a couple of maintenance releases, when performance complaints die down and app developers finish their optimizations based on the new SDK.
Why Slower iOS 26 Uptake Matters for Apple and Developers
For developers, an extended gap between iOS versions results in longer QA cycles and a slower path to adoption of the latest APIs, especially any that involve interface redesign and on-device AI capabilities.
For Apple, more gradual adoption puts off the point when new platform capabilities feel universal and blunts the momentum of marquee features.
Security is another consideration. Apple backports important patches to recent releases, but the latest release usually gets patched quicker and more completely. The more users pass over, the more frayed the installed base’s security can get.
What Could Change the iOS 26 Adoption Race in Coming Months
Three levers might unlock upgrades:
- Clearer customization controls on Liquid Glass, pleasing users who crave more contrast
- Performance and battery optimizations for older devices
- Additional point releases that iron out early regressions and signal the all-clear to prospective upgraders and IT departments
Hardware can also catalyze adoption. When new iPhone devices or accessories come packaged with a headline feature that requires the newest OS, those holdouts frequently follow. If Apple couples a future update with more robust privacy or security features — or an in-demand feature kept behind bars until iOS 26 — adoption could spike fast.
For the time being, it’s a distinctly deliberate iPhone market. iOS 26 requires that users adopt a new visual language, and some are holding out for refinements, or a stronger reason to change, before they take the plunge.
