Early iOS 9 Adoption Rate in Line With iOS 8 Adoption - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Early iOS 9 Adoption Rate in Line With iOS 8 Adoption

by

iOS users are installing Apple's latest operating system at roughly the same pace iOS 8 was installed last year, according to multiple analytics companies that are tracking iOS 9 adoption rates. iOS 9 has now been available for download for just over 24 hours.

Mixpanel's live iOS 9 tracking site suggests iOS 9 is now installed on approximately 12.60 percent of devices, which is in line with iOS 8 adoption rates in 2014.

mixpanelios9adoption

"iOS 9 has received 12% adoption in the last 24 hours and is being adopted similar to iOS 8 last year. This kind of adoption took Android's latest operating system, Lollipop, in comparison 5 months to achieve. One huge advantage Apple got right this year over last year was that the update is much smaller than last year (3.5x smaller) < Apple has empathy for its users who have nearly maxed out the space on their phones. However, one issue for it being substantially slow compared to iOS 7 is that servers are having trouble keeping up right now as people update."

Because each analytics site tracks a different selection of iOS users based on app installs, iOS 9 installation numbers vary quite a bit across platforms. All of the sites tracking iOS 9 adoption agree that it is on pace with adoption numbers seen after iOS 8 was released last year, however. Tapjoy is seeing adoption rates spanning from 4 percent to 7 percent, based on device, while Fiksu is seeing 6 percent of its users running iOS 9.

tapjoyios9adoption
According to GoSquared, iOS 9 users now represent 12 percent of total iOS traffic, a number that's on par with both Mixpanel's count and an 11.84 percent measurement from analytics company Paddle.

Two years ago, iOS 7 saw much quicker adoption rates than we're seeing with iOS 9, but that is not surprising as iOS 7 marked the last major design update to the operating system. iOS 8 and iOS 9 brought many new features, but few visual changes.

What is surprising is that iOS 9 adoption is not outpacing iOS 8 adoption because iOS 9 has a much smaller installation size. While iOS 8 required 4.58 GB to install, iOS 9 only requires 1.3 GB, making it much more accessible to users who have little space open on their devices.

Related Forum: iOS 9

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
Read Full Article • 151 comments
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
Read Full Article • 111 comments
Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....
Read Full Article • 102 comments

Top Rated Comments

M
MattMJB0188
144 months ago
I am still honored to be running iOS 6.1.4 on my iPhone 5; enjoying fluidity, smoothness, and a classic look.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Saucesome2000 Avatar
Saucesome2000
144 months ago
Most people I know are waiting until the weekend because they are phones they use for work. I expect this number to grow a lot by Monday. I updated the moment it was released and it's been running great so far.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HiRez Avatar
HiRez
144 months ago
Easily explained because of people's horrific upgrade experiences with iOS8. That screw-up is going to take a long time to forget.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
1
1961 Scout
144 months ago
Dropped 9 on my old ipod 5. I am getting way more battery life now. Once the word gets out on the battery life it's going to take off...
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
J
jdillings
144 months ago
Hm... so you're tell us that Apple should cut off products early and not offer software upgrades. Ok. Advice taken. One iOS upgrade is fine, I mean, anything more then that is just going to cause problems. Everyone should be updating every other year, anyway. It is DECREED by or dear leader Tim Cook.
Or get an Android phone so you can be certain that you'll be stuck with whatever version of the OS it originally came with.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
W
Wise87
144 months ago
This is the first time I've actually passed on updating my iOS on all my devices. I learned my lesson last time. I won't touch iOS 9 until I get my iPhone 6s. I plan to leave all my other devices on 8.4.1until 9.1 comes out or I hear improvements.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments