iOS 9 Installed On 77% Of Compatible Devices; Adoption Stalls

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Apple’s mobile operating system iOS 9 is five months old now. The Cupertino company has revealed on its developer site that the OS was installed on 77% of compatible devices as of February 22. It is the same number reported on February 8, suggesting adoption has nearly stalled. However, the iOS 9 is doing much better than iOS 8, which took until March 18th to reach the same 77% adoption last year.

iOS 8 still runs 17% of active devices

From January 11, the iOS 9 adoption has increased by only 2% from 75% of active device installations. Apple calculates the adoption rate based devices that checkin to its App Store. Statistics show that the iOS 8 still runs 17% of active devices, while the remaining 6% are running the earlier versions. Apple’s new software adoption figures are much better than that of Android. Only about 1.2% of Android devices are running the latest Marshmallow version. About 37% of Android users are still on 4.4 KitKat.

iOS 9 Adoption

According to Phone Arena, Apple only shows figures for iOS 9. It does not reveal how many users are on iOS 9.1, 9.2 or 9.2.1. That means it is difficult to estimate how many iOS users have the latest security patches. Earlier this week, Apple released iOS 9.3 public beta 4 to testers and developers. This update would bring a Night Shift mode, Verizon Wi-Fi calling, TouchID Notes, and the ability to pair with more than one Apple Watch.

iOS 9 adoption expected to grow in coming months

Even though adoption rate has stalled at this point, it is expected to grow in coming weeks. Apple is set to launch a new 4-inch iPhone 5se and iPad Air 3 on March 15. Both devices will go on sale on March 18. The new launches would further fuel adoption. Last year, the iOS 8 adoption stood at 72% in early February, but jumped to an impressive 81% in April following the launch of Apple Watch.

The iPhone 5se is aimed at customers in emerging markets like India. Analysts at RBC Capital Markets estimate that Apple would produce a total of 20 million units of its new 4-inch device in 2016.

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