iOS 8 Now Installed on 68 Percent of Active iOS Devices

ios_8_adoption_5jan14Since launching in September alongside the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, iOS 8 has seen its adoption rate grow to 68 percent of compatible iOS devices, according to new numbers posted on the Apple Developer Support page.

With Apple updating data publicly every few weeks, this latest data point represents a four percentage point bump in adoption since the last update on December 23. The significant increase highlights Apple's strong performance in device activation numbers over the holidays to add to the company's iOS 8 user base.

Over the longer term, installation numbers are up 5 percentage points over the past month and up 12 percentage points in the past two months. iOS 7 usage has seen an understandable decline as its successor has gained ground, with the older operating system dropping from 33 percent in December to 29 percent in January. Earlier iOS versions represent just 4 percent of the current App Store user base.

Apple initially faced multiple issues following iOS 8's launch, including what has progressed to a lawsuit over storage space needed to install the OS on smaller GB devices, but the adoption rate has steadily increased as users have decided to upgrade and purchases of devices with iOS 8 preinstalled have increased.

Apple has brought a number of bug fixes and addressed some more significant flaws with recent updates such as iOS 8.1, iOS 8.1.1, and iOS 8.1.2. The company is also continuing to work on iOS 8.2, seeding a third beta to developers in mid-December. In addition to bug fixes and other improvements, iOS 8.2 will include support for integrating with the upcoming Apple Watch.

Related Forum: iOS 8

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Spotlight

Apple Expected to Unveil Five All-New Products This Year

Wednesday January 21, 2026 10:54 am PST by
In addition to updating many of its existing products, Apple is expected to unveil five all-new products this year, including a smart home hub, a Face ID doorbell, a MacBook with an A18 Pro chip, a foldable iPhone, and augmented reality glasses. Below, we have recapped rumored features for each product. Smart Home Hub Apple home hub (concept) Apple's long-rumored smart home hub should...
airtag prime day 2

Apple Developing AirTag-Sized AI Pin With Dual Cameras

Wednesday January 21, 2026 12:31 pm PST by
Apple is working on a small, wearable AI pin equipped with multiple cameras, a speaker, and microphones, reports The Information. If it actually launches, the AI pin will likely run the new Siri chatbot that Apple plans to unveil in iOS 27. The pin is said to be similar in size to an AirTag, with a thin, flat, circular disc shape. It has an aluminum and glass shell, and two cameras at the...
M5 MacBook Pro

MacBook Pro to Receive Up to Six New Features by Next Year

Thursday January 22, 2026 9:31 am PST by
Apple is expected to release MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips soon, but you might want to pass on them, as bigger changes are around the corner. It has been reported that the MacBook Pro will be receiving a major redesign in late 2026 or in 2027. Six new features have been rumored so far, including an OLED display, touch capabilities, a Dynamic Island, M6 Pro and M6 Max chips...
airpods pro 3 purple

New, Higher End AirPods Pro Coming This Year

Tuesday January 20, 2026 9:05 am PST by
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest. Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...
iPhone 18 Pro Dynamic Island Ice Universe

iPhone 18 Pro: Leaker Reveals Alleged Size of Smaller Dynamic Island

Thursday January 22, 2026 9:27 pm PST by
For now, rumors have settled on the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max featuring a smaller Dynamic Island, and now a leaker has revealed its alleged size. iPhone 18 Pro with a smaller Dynamic Island (mockup via Ice Universe) The account "Ice Universe" today claimed the Dynamic Island cutout on the iPhone 18 Pro models will be approximately 35% narrower than it is on the iPhone 17 Pro models. ...

Top Rated Comments

MH01 Avatar
144 months ago
Naturally the number will go up as new devices come with iOS 8 pre-installed. Be interesting what the number would be if people got the choice to downgrade to 7.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MattMJB0188 Avatar
144 months ago
I take great pleasure still being on iOS 7.1.2. I will never put the garbage that is iOS 8 on my iPhone 5S.

Still rockin iOS 6 on my iPad 3, too. Will never upgrade that either.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jsameds Avatar
144 months ago
Same happens every year. People championing the fact they are on iOS x-1.

Apparently being one behind is cool.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Yvan256 Avatar
144 months ago
Same here…. not sure why anyone would stay on iOS7 at this point??? We have iOS8 on an iPhone 5, 6 and iPad II with no issues on any of them.

I get the impression there's a very vocal minority that wants to just trash on anything Apple without any merit behind their rants.
They may be a very vocal minority, but they are not Android users bashing Apple products. They are Apple users preferring an older Apple product to a newer Apple product.

The same principle goes for OS X and Apple hardware. Changing things that used to work with new features that only do half the things the old one could do is not a good thing for the users.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HenryDJP Avatar
144 months ago
I take great pleasure still being on iOS 7.1.2. I will never put the garbage that is iOS 8 on my iPhone 5S.

Still rockin iOS 6 on my iPad 3, too. Will never upgrade that either.
Many people feel iOS7 was pure garbage.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MattMJB0188 Avatar
144 months ago
Why? running iOS 8 without any issues on a 5s.

What are you worried about.

Maybe so. However, 7.1.2 is still more optimized and fluid. I have played with an iPhone 5S running 8.1.1.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)