iPhone users increasingly skipping major iOS upgrades
Source: AppleInsider News
Apple's iOS 26 adoption lags iOS 18 and every major release since 2015. The installed base is becoming more selective about upgrading—likely because AI features, the core pitch of recent releases, aren't compelling enough to offset the friction and battery costs of installation. This matters for Apple's services revenue and ecosystem stickiness, which depend on active engagement. Users comfortable staying on older iOS versions spend less time in the App Store and iCloud ecosystems and, more critically, aren't locked into the upgrade cycle that historically drove hardware refresh cycles.