iOS 11 Now Installed on 76% of iOS Devices, While Android 8 is Installed on 4.6% of Android Devices

[kdarling]

I'm starting to think that having old versions of an OS running is not a bad thing.

Especially when that OS is iOS. I had to buy new iPad minis after mistakenly "upgrading" my original ones.

Too many OEMs selling new devices on old versions. .

Or perhaps more older Android devices are still hitting the Google Play Store. Remember where these OS stats come from for both iOS and Android: it's from users hitting the respective app stores. NOT from actual total device percentage in the field.

These charts might indicate that older iOS version users often simply cannot run the latest code and have given up. OTOH, Android gives developers code wedges so that even newer apps can run on older OS versions.

--

Plus just saying that an Apple device is on a certain iOS version, is virtually meaningless when it comes to features. Many times, older Apple devices are not given the latest OS features. Instead, they mostly just get a later OS version that slows them down.

Moreover, with Android's more dispersed OS, users do NOT have to update their OS just to get better Maps, Mail, Video, etc, like iOS users must.

These are simply two totally different OS upgrade models. Comparing them directly is wrong.

 

[Val-kyrie]

I am proudly part of the 4.6% who has iOS devices on iOS 10--FOUR in fact--because reasons. Only my daughter's school-issued iPad Air is on iOS 11, and that only because the school requires the devices stay current, but it has been very buggy.

Woohoo I'm the 4.6%!

I'm starting to think that having old versions of an OS running is not a bad thing. Going to iOS 11, I see a huge decline in performance on my iPhone 6. I assume that it's pretty difficult to create an OS meant for new hardware but still able to support old hardware efficiently. JMO If i could go back to iOS 10 I would.

iOS 11 is the buggiest iOS I’ve installed ever I think. Even 11.3 is poor on my X and iPad Pro.

Glad to be in the minority on my 6S. Sticking with 10 for the long haul...iOS 11 won't do it any favors. Could do without the giant f*cking prompts to update constantly. Apple - stop trying to upsell me and just let me live!

Nifty. As someone who have never owned an android device and harbors no ill-will toward that OS, I wonder if any of the lack of updating is by user choice. I know Mac users who wont updated past OS 10.X because of reasons. Usually it's people on Snow Leopard.

My OG iPad still has iOS 5 since it couldn't be upgraded and I kind of love a lot about that OS compared to the flat design.

 

[tooloud10]

I really don’t understand what all these bugs in iOS11 are that people keep referring to. It’s few and far between I run into anything and mostly it’s an AirPods issue trying to connect to Watch or Phone. Beyond that, I struggle to think of anything.

I don't get it, either. We have 10 iOS devices in the house ranging from an iPad Air to an iPhone X and they all work just fine on iOS 11.3.

 

[827538]

I'm starting to think that having old versions of an OS running is not a bad thing. Going to iOS 11, I see a huge decline in performance on my iPhone 6. I assume that it's pretty difficult to create an OS meant for new hardware but still able to support old hardware efficiently. JMO If i could go back to iOS 10 I would.

iOS 11 crippled my iPhone 6S, I had to replace the battery to end the throttling. Fortunately though after I did this iOS 11 has been nothing but great with 11.3. Apple should not be throttling devices, it's unacceptable, if my car engine was limited after a service I would be absolutely livid.

 

[Solomani]

The Android stats made me hungry. The pie chart made that worse.

Just go on a diet. Switch to iPhone.

 

[44267547]

I wonder what these numbers would look like if Apple let you downgrade to an older iOS.

I wonder how many users would be at risk being iOS updates include security fixes/patches to protect against malicious activity like Spectre and Meltdown. Seems like your thought seems not including the above considerations.

 

[xgman]

4.6 is probably generous. Google doesn't get it and likely never will. That said, there is some merit on some of the above comments to not jumping on some of these new IOS updates which don't seem all that vetted.

 

[BuffaloTF]

The Android stats made me hungry. The pie chart made that worse.

Just have a slice of Gingerbread or Ice Cream Sandwich and you won't ruin your appetite for dinner.

 

[redheeler]

More like there is no reason to justify supporting iOS 10. You can do everything in iOS 11.

Even run 32-bit legacy apps?

It also doesn't support the narrative that iOS platform has the most people on the latest version.

Supporting one or two older versions and allowing downgrades likely wouldn't have much of an effect on the adoption of the latest version. Yes, you'll get a small percentage of users who downgrade, but also a small percentage who upgrade when they otherwise wouldn't, as they know they can go back if necessary.

 

[jonnyb098]

Seriously in today's landscape of privacy and security issues, why the hell would anyone want to use an Android device??

 

[Scotty2Hotty]

Apple force me to update my iPhone 5s to IOS 11, which is the main reason I'm selling the phone now. IOS 11 is just fine, but it's slow as molasses on an iPhone 5s. IOS 10 was just swift, clean, & neat. This is an Apple policy that bugs me to no end. It needs to change, this refusing to sign old IOS installs. It's MY ***** phone!

+1 My daily driver is a 6s Plus with iOS 10.2

 

[HiFlyer]

Installed latest OS version is just one indicator or dominance.

The other I remember from a week back was about 80% of teenagers in the US have an iPhone, which is a huge set of consumers who are likely to remain in Apple's ecosystem for decades.

 

[vladi]

Too many OEMs selling new devices on old versions. Google needs to step in at some point and mandate that you cant be making and selling new devices with old versions of Android. Make a grace period of a few months but after that, it needs to be on the new version, if they don't want to update it then it needs to be taken off the market. Hopefully Treble helps with this since its the post to make Android easier to port from device to device.

Reason why Android phones can be so cheap is lack of software R&D and support.

True sometimes even premium manufacturers will use sleazy tactics to pitch you a new product because it has new OS while the previous device will never see the update (Chinese TCL reigns supreme here with its premium badges like BlackBerry and Alcatel). Some manufacturers take forever to give you new version of Android (Samsung) while others are first in the line for delivery (Sony).

But I have yet to see Android phone with a skin (Samsung, Huawei, etc) that didn't lag after general OS update. True most of that was attributed when upgrading from 5.0 to 6.0 cause that was the big leap. Even some 7.0 upgrades intentionally crippled your phone's performance in order to sell you a new phone. Google got smarter in this area and started calling full OS upgrades on small incremental enhancements, something like Android 8.0 should really be 7.1 and so on.

With iPhone story is no different. The best you will see your device perform is with out of the box software. Everything after that is taking a crap.

 

[blacktape242]

I wonder how much the PB program has helped this?

 

[BuffaloTF]

The one thing that the percentages don't show is the actual user numbers.

Windows 10 adoption might seem "low" at only 43%. but those 43% I believe are well over 2+ billion users. There are more users on Win10 than on All of MacOS (Actually I believe there are more people technically on XP than all of MacOS)

Actually, consider the history there too. It was offered as a free upgrade from 8... and now 8 sits below XP for users. I'd say that's massively successful.

 

[skinned66]

It's real simple- no carrier involved in iOS updates, or no deal with carriers to hold up updates on factory unlocked phones (Samsung)...

Google decided to forge a chain of custodians for software updates with OEMs and carriers rather than enforcing baselines or providing reference designs, and we all know the old adage about a chain and its links.

The results are always the same - and here they are again for all to see.

 

[JohnnyApple$eed]

che

checked your battery status? maybe they're throttling your device and u just need a new battery?

I replaced it, brand new from Apple. What I did find is that closing apps do not prevent them from running in the background. I turned off the feature entirely and my battery lasts a little longer, but the performance is still super sluggish when compared to how it used to operate. Mail, opeingapps, switching apps, etc. Just boggy.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

I can assure you that I will not update to iOS 12 or the next MacOS operating system until well after this point in next year's cycle. I've had it with Apple's poor software quality control and I do not trust them anymore.

 

[Infinite Vortex]

I can assure you that I will not update to iOS 12 or the next MacOS operating system until well after this point in next year's cycle. I've had it with Apple's poor software quality control and I do not trust them anymore.

And that's the thing… trust. If I trusted Apple to be 100% confident in what their new OS brought and how they brought it then I wouldn't think twice about upgrading… like I used to with OS X (pre-OS X 10.7). The fact that I can't choose what iOS version I can use, unlike macOS - for the time being, is a clear sign of that. Apple clearly doesn't care for the choice that matters… mine!

 

[kanki1985]

I am 76% sure that 76% of the 76% who installed iOS11 are already 76% insane given the bugs and performance issues on older devices!!
I would love to be 4.6% sure that 4.6% of the 4.6% who installed android 8 are already 4.6% insane!!

 

[mi7chy]

Seriously in today's landscape of privacy and security issues, why the hell would anyone want to use an Android device??

Counter argument is iOS is the only mobile OS to have leaked people's private nude pictures all over the internet while protecting terrorists and pedophiles.

 

[techwhiz]

Wow, just look at that Android fragmentation. That's why I'll never switch to Android.

Fragmentation?
It only matters if you buy a carrier locked device.
Stick to an unlocked device with a manufacturer that actively updates.

Now if you want to argue build quality, etc.
That's different.

 

[now i see it]

I'm one of the 5% living the good life

 

[laz232]

4% of the devices having the newest OS on Android is the PERFECT stat for one of the biggest problems with Android. It's not bashing...it's true.

Have a low/mid range Nokia 5 that I recently used for 2 months whilst my iPhone was being repaired and used it for 1 month even after I got my iPhone back. Though I have to admit that Nokia is doing well with regular (monthly) updates incorporating the necessary security patches.

The Nokia received Android 8.1 in March and the Android 8 beta in December. These original article stats are hard to put into context without looking at install base - or how long people keep the phones etc... Probably huge amounts of IoT devices in this metric as well?

 

[Krayzkat]

Comparing against fragmented Android devices is silly. Lets concentrate less on what Android devices are doing and more on making the latest iOS updates so amazing that every Apple uses wants to upgrade to it.