13 ms·

iOS Version Stats

132 points by WoodenChair 9y ago

VeejayRampay 9y ago
Funny how you always hear about Android fragmentation (hard to avoid with so many vendors), but iOS is not exactly much better in the end for a company that controls everything from the hardware to the OS.
- samcheng 9y ago
  Looking at the numbers, iOS is significantly better in reducing version fragmentation. Like you said, it's much easier to do this when you don't have dozens of OEMs in the way.
  - xbmcuser 9y ago
    Till iOS 11 you needed to update OS to update system apps it was not so in Android so despite all the talks of fragmentation most people are still able to update a lot of the stuff in Android without and actual an OS update.
    - gabrielcsapo 9y ago
      Isn't the value add the user gets from updating their OS the benefit of security updates and features?
    - daenney 9y ago
      You're conveniently forgetting all kinds of hardware driver issues and bugs and fixes in newer kernels that Android users will never get. Even if AOSP and Google update, the vast majority of devices don't run AOSP nor are Nexus/Pixel devices. And not all (security) issues can be fixed without an OS update either. Not having to update your OS is not necessarily a virtue. Considering Apple provides updates for a good 5 years, I'd hardly consider it a problem to have to update every now and then.
      - dep_b 9y ago
        > ou're conveniently forgetting all kinds of hardware driver issues and bugs and fixes in newer kernels that Android users will never get. This. THIS. I cannot believe the amount of people that completely and willingly needs to ignore the fact that the kernel will not receive CRITICAL updates. It's a pretty dirty game Google is playing by giving "security updates" all of the time while devices often can easily be rooted.
      - hesarenu 9y ago
        I hear this security issue all the time. But what kind of issues do the actual end users face because of it? Is it something not noticeable to the end-user? I have many relatives using old versions of android even i gave a 2.3version android to a cousin. But have not heard any security related issues. Comparing it against windows, virus related problems were many. I have known people in India who normally don't buy software buy anti-virus software.
        MBCook 9y ago
        How about the recent Bluetooth vulnerability BlueBorne that allows remote takeover of devices without any user interaction? That’s a kernel level issue. A Play Store package update won’t fix it.
        hesarenu 9y ago
        One of the relatives did get a message from Playstore to disable the bluetooth service.
        MBCook 9y ago
        So they can be vulnerable or slightly cripple their device until the patch (which I’d be willing to bet a huge number of devices never get) comes. That’s not exactly a great spot for a user to be in.
        hesarenu 9y ago
- mrmondo 9y ago
  I’m sorry I don’t see any comparison at all, iOS is a /lot/ less fragmented and iOS devices present on networks have a far high percentage of up to date OS versions installed. Just two months ago I sampled data of a 100~ staff user wireless network and a heavily used guest network, while more than 95% of iOS devices were running the latest version of iOS 10 (the 5% was all bar one a selection of test devices kept back for legacy mobile web browser testing) where less than 25% of android devices on either network were running either the current or latest stable legacy android versions over the same 30 day period.
- simonh 9y ago
  How is 83% of devices, and a staggering 92% of phones on the very latest OS version 'not exactly much better'?
samcheng 9y ago
93% of iPhones are on the latest major OS version. Compare this with the mess that is Android versioning. There is a sizable cohort all the way back to 4.4, which significantly complicates app development and testing. https://fossbytes.com/most-popular-android-versions-always-updated/ https://fossbytes.com/most-popular-android-versions-always-u...
- mrmondo 9y ago
  When you’re managing a decent sized wireless network all the out of date Android devices are a right pain in the ass, so often I find devices that aren’t just out of date (usually Samsung’s) but also devices trying to connect to dodgy BitTorrent and P2P networks - furthermore when I speak to the user(s) involved 99% of the time they genuinely didn’t know their device is running dodgy software such as malware with P2P connections OR that it’s a potential security issue that they haven’t or often can update their OS. Most of the time the devices look quite modern too, it’s not like its people running really old devices.
  - dx034 9y ago
    Why P2P? Are they used as seedboxes? Isn't storage usually quite limited on older androids? Using them for P2P sounds unsual. Or is it just used to spread malware?
    - cybrjoe 9y ago
      Isn't Popcorn Time using Bittorrent? I'm guessing it's apps not participating nicely in P2P networks.
  - problems 9y ago
    I highly doubt anyone torrenting on their phone doesn't know what they're doing. It's not exactly a common malware C&C method, most likely users pirating stuff and playing dumb. Keep in mind, Android also has apps like Popcorn Time available fairly readily.
- on_and_off 9y ago
peterburkimsher 9y ago
Of iPhone 4S users, 85% have upgraded to the latest version available for the platform, iOS 9. There are 9% still using iOS 6. That's the largest percentage of users running a version that is not the latest. I'm one of them. My reason for not updating is because I use iTunes 10.6.3, which has USB sync for contacts & calendars, and even PowerPC. I was using iOS 5.1.1 for a long time, until a broken Cydia package forced me to restore, and then I had to downgrade using OdysseusOTA. Software rot is a daily problem. LINE is discontinuing support this week. It's like the software is forcing me to upgrade my hardware. The day will come when my phone will break. Unless Apple dramatically changes course and brings back their ecosystem, that will probably be the day when I leave iOS altogether.
- abritinthebay 9y ago
  From what you describe they probably won’t miss you. I don’t say that to be mean but you’re literally promoting what would be a regressive agenda as far as they (or hell, even Google) are concerned. What are you going to change to? Android has software rot too, are you just going to rock an old 8210 for the rest of your days?
- pjmlp 9y ago
  > It's like the software is forcing me to upgrade my hardware. As former gamer, and someone that did Symbian/J2ME in the past, that was always like that for me
- charlesdm 9y ago
  I have an (old?) iPad 2 still running iOS6. I don't use it a lot anymore, because updating generally slows down the device and it already is pretty slow. However, Safari can't even load newspaper sites anymore, because Webkit is out of date so much. Hurray! Time to buy a new one I guess?
  - dep_b 9y ago
    They're cheap nowadays and still have great mileage
  - 9y ago
falsedan 9y ago
Anyone else think that population count graphs would be more illuminating than percentage?
bigiain 9y ago
I was amused to notice last week that Android 8 - which has been "available" (for not very large values of "available") since Aug 21, is showing less than 0.1% market share (on the Android dev dashboard), while iOS 11 which doesn't come out for another few days was already showing 0.2% of all iOS devices already...
- ibotty 9y ago
  Part of it is that android is used way more often, on very old hardware that is long discarded by apple users. Part of not (only) catering to the wealthy.
  - xkpd3 9y ago
    Average device age is more than 3 years. Average!
  - kalleboo 9y ago
    In my experience iPhone hardware doesn't get discarded but handed down to grandparents, children etc and continues to live a long life. Do you have a source for your device age numbers or are you just making up stereotypes?
    - merpnderp 9y ago
      My experience too. I gave my 5s to a friend when I got my 6s, and she was overwhelmed and said it was the nicest phone she'd ever owned. That was 2 years ago and she has no intention of replacing it anytime soon as it still runs fine and will get iOS 11. My iPad 2 is still going strong. I don't have a single iOS device that wasn't used 4+ years by someone close to me, and I started with the 4s.
    - rimliu 9y ago
      Yep. Every single iPhone I got continued its life in the possession of someone else.
    - Theodores 9y ago
      Meanwhile my Nexus 7 is in a drawer with a cracked screen alongside the remains of the Nexus 4 that stopped retaining the SIM. Then there is a defunct Moto G that I washed. Either Android gizmo toys are poor quality or a common use case for Android could be to use it until the gadget is dead. Perhaps Apple owners buy more shiny and have more perfectly usable gadgets to give away. Perhaps Apple users are more fashion conscious, wealthier and keener than Android users to have the latest features. The used car market can be similar.
nagVenkat 9y ago
Just a hypothetical. Can Google say to all the phone manufacturers that you can only use play store services if you are not going to make any customizations and hence ensuring that the updates are not in the phone manufacturer's hands?
- kristofferR 9y ago
  You're sort of describing Project Treble, which was just introduced in Android Oreo: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/09/android-8-0-oreo-thoroughly-reviewed/2/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/09/android-8-0-oreo-tho...
  - pjmlp 9y ago
    Not really, because OEMs are still free to do their own customizations and they are the ones responsible for pushing updates. http://androidbackstage.blogspot.de/2017/08/episode-75-project-treble-for-hal-of-it.html http://androidbackstage.blogspot.de/2017/08/episode-75-proje... Guess how many will push updates, even with Treble enabled devices?
    - problems 9y ago
      Hopefully somewhat more? It's likely a logical first step in a larger push to resolve the update issue on Android devices.
      - dwighttk 9y ago
        right, but how many logical first steps down this road has Google taken in the past...? This seems like the fourth or fifth.
        problems 9y ago
        Approximately zero - I mean, about the only things they've done is updating of play service stuff and some interesting malware detection techniques. They've (sadly) done almost nothing towards the goal of truly improving the update situation until now.
muxxa 9y ago
StatCounter have started to track iOS versions since June: https://gs.statcounter.com/os-version-market-share/ios/mobile-tablet/worldwide https://gs.statcounter.com/os-version-market-share/ios/mobil...
Bromskloss 9y ago
I hold off upgrading for fear of missing a jailbreak again.
- MBCook 9y ago
  Is there much benefit in jailbreaking these days besides the ability to run pirated apps? I know people used to do it to get better notification mechanisms or things like control center but those are now built into the OS so the need isn’t as big.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - BoorishBears 9y ago
    I don't have a jailbreak but I wish I did for stuff like unlocked CarPlay mirroring (would let me use Waze), ability to hide apps I don't ever use, etc. I wish there was something like WebOS's Preware for non-jailbroken phones
- Analemma_ 9y ago
  Don’t bother, there will never again be a public jailbreak. iOS exploits are just far too valuable: no one is going to publicly expose a jailbreak (which Apple would patch immediately anyway) when they could get hundreds of thousands of dollars by reporting it to Apple (or a million dollars from Zerodium). iOS jailbreaking is gone and not coming back.
  - Bromskloss 9y ago
    What has changed?
maxpert 9y ago
That's what makes me happy for iOS. As a developer I don't have to think more than 1 major version back and I am covered! Android is so much fragmented, teams have debates over supporting 4.4+ or 5+.
beached_whale 9y ago
There were a lot of ipad 2's sold that cannot upgrade beyond 9.x. It's a shame there is no way to get an upgraded web browsing component onto them to make them safer.

132 points by WoodenChair 9y ago

Funny how you always hear about Android fragmentation (hard to avoid with so many vendors), but iOS is not exactly much better in the end for a company that controls everything from the hardware to the OS.

samcheng 9y ago
Looking at the numbers, iOS is significantly better in reducing version fragmentation. Like you said, it's much easier to do this when you don't have dozens of OEMs in the way.
- xbmcuser 9y ago
  Till iOS 11 you needed to update OS to update system apps it was not so in Android so despite all the talks of fragmentation most people are still able to update a lot of the stuff in Android without and actual an OS update.
  - gabrielcsapo 9y ago
    Isn't the value add the user gets from updating their OS the benefit of security updates and features?
  - daenney 9y ago
    You're conveniently forgetting all kinds of hardware driver issues and bugs and fixes in newer kernels that Android users will never get. Even if AOSP and Google update, the vast majority of devices don't run AOSP nor are Nexus/Pixel devices. And not all (security) issues can be fixed without an OS update either. Not having to update your OS is not necessarily a virtue. Considering Apple provides updates for a good 5 years, I'd hardly consider it a problem to have to update every now and then.
    - dep_b 9y ago
      > ou're conveniently forgetting all kinds of hardware driver issues and bugs and fixes in newer kernels that Android users will never get. This. THIS. I cannot believe the amount of people that completely and willingly needs to ignore the fact that the kernel will not receive CRITICAL updates. It's a pretty dirty game Google is playing by giving "security updates" all of the time while devices often can easily be rooted.
    - hesarenu 9y ago
      I hear this security issue all the time. But what kind of issues do the actual end users face because of it? Is it something not noticeable to the end-user? I have many relatives using old versions of android even i gave a 2.3version android to a cousin. But have not heard any security related issues. Comparing it against windows, virus related problems were many. I have known people in India who normally don't buy software buy anti-virus software.
      - MBCook 9y ago
        How about the recent Bluetooth vulnerability BlueBorne that allows remote takeover of devices without any user interaction? That’s a kernel level issue. A Play Store package update won’t fix it.
        hesarenu 9y ago
        One of the relatives did get a message from Playstore to disable the bluetooth service.
        MBCook 9y ago
        So they can be vulnerable or slightly cripple their device until the patch (which I’d be willing to bet a huge number of devices never get) comes. That’s not exactly a great spot for a user to be in.
        hesarenu 9y ago
mrmondo 9y ago
I’m sorry I don’t see any comparison at all, iOS is a /lot/ less fragmented and iOS devices present on networks have a far high percentage of up to date OS versions installed. Just two months ago I sampled data of a 100~ staff user wireless network and a heavily used guest network, while more than 95% of iOS devices were running the latest version of iOS 10 (the 5% was all bar one a selection of test devices kept back for legacy mobile web browser testing) where less than 25% of android devices on either network were running either the current or latest stable legacy android versions over the same 30 day period.
simonh 9y ago
How is 83% of devices, and a staggering 92% of phones on the very latest OS version 'not exactly much better'?

samcheng 9y ago

93% of iPhones are on the latest major OS version. Compare this with the mess that is Android versioning. There is a sizable cohort all the way back to 4.4, which significantly complicates app development and testing. https://fossbytes.com/most-popular-android-versions-always-updated/ https://fossbytes.com/most-popular-android-versions-always-u...

mrmondo 9y ago
When you’re managing a decent sized wireless network all the out of date Android devices are a right pain in the ass, so often I find devices that aren’t just out of date (usually Samsung’s) but also devices trying to connect to dodgy BitTorrent and P2P networks - furthermore when I speak to the user(s) involved 99% of the time they genuinely didn’t know their device is running dodgy software such as malware with P2P connections OR that it’s a potential security issue that they haven’t or often can update their OS. Most of the time the devices look quite modern too, it’s not like its people running really old devices.
- dx034 9y ago
  Why P2P? Are they used as seedboxes? Isn't storage usually quite limited on older androids? Using them for P2P sounds unsual. Or is it just used to spread malware?
  - cybrjoe 9y ago
    Isn't Popcorn Time using Bittorrent? I'm guessing it's apps not participating nicely in P2P networks.
- problems 9y ago
  I highly doubt anyone torrenting on their phone doesn't know what they're doing. It's not exactly a common malware C&C method, most likely users pirating stuff and playing dumb. Keep in mind, Android also has apps like Popcorn Time available fairly readily.
on_and_off 9y ago

peterburkimsher 9y ago

Of iPhone 4S users, 85% have upgraded to the latest version available for the platform, iOS 9. There are 9% still using iOS 6. That's the largest percentage of users running a version that is not the latest. I'm one of them. My reason for not updating is because I use iTunes 10.6.3, which has USB sync for contacts & calendars, and even PowerPC. I was using iOS 5.1.1 for a long time, until a broken Cydia package forced me to restore, and then I had to downgrade using OdysseusOTA. Software rot is a daily problem. LINE is discontinuing support this week. It's like the software is forcing me to upgrade my hardware. The day will come when my phone will break. Unless Apple dramatically changes course and brings back their ecosystem, that will probably be the day when I leave iOS altogether.

abritinthebay 9y ago
From what you describe they probably won’t miss you. I don’t say that to be mean but you’re literally promoting what would be a regressive agenda as far as they (or hell, even Google) are concerned. What are you going to change to? Android has software rot too, are you just going to rock an old 8210 for the rest of your days?
pjmlp 9y ago
> It's like the software is forcing me to upgrade my hardware. As former gamer, and someone that did Symbian/J2ME in the past, that was always like that for me
charlesdm 9y ago
I have an (old?) iPad 2 still running iOS6. I don't use it a lot anymore, because updating generally slows down the device and it already is pretty slow. However, Safari can't even load newspaper sites anymore, because Webkit is out of date so much. Hurray! Time to buy a new one I guess?
- dep_b 9y ago
  They're cheap nowadays and still have great mileage
- 9y ago

falsedan 9y ago

Anyone else think that population count graphs would be more illuminating than percentage?

bigiain 9y ago

I was amused to notice last week that Android 8 - which has been "available" (for not very large values of "available") since Aug 21, is showing less than 0.1% market share (on the Android dev dashboard), while iOS 11 which doesn't come out for another few days was already showing 0.2% of all iOS devices already...

ibotty 9y ago
Part of it is that android is used way more often, on very old hardware that is long discarded by apple users. Part of not (only) catering to the wealthy.
- xkpd3 9y ago
  Average device age is more than 3 years. Average!
- kalleboo 9y ago
  In my experience iPhone hardware doesn't get discarded but handed down to grandparents, children etc and continues to live a long life. Do you have a source for your device age numbers or are you just making up stereotypes?
  - merpnderp 9y ago
    My experience too. I gave my 5s to a friend when I got my 6s, and she was overwhelmed and said it was the nicest phone she'd ever owned. That was 2 years ago and she has no intention of replacing it anytime soon as it still runs fine and will get iOS 11. My iPad 2 is still going strong. I don't have a single iOS device that wasn't used 4+ years by someone close to me, and I started with the 4s.
  - rimliu 9y ago
    Yep. Every single iPhone I got continued its life in the possession of someone else.
  - Theodores 9y ago
    Meanwhile my Nexus 7 is in a drawer with a cracked screen alongside the remains of the Nexus 4 that stopped retaining the SIM. Then there is a defunct Moto G that I washed. Either Android gizmo toys are poor quality or a common use case for Android could be to use it until the gadget is dead. Perhaps Apple owners buy more shiny and have more perfectly usable gadgets to give away. Perhaps Apple users are more fashion conscious, wealthier and keener than Android users to have the latest features. The used car market can be similar.

nagVenkat 9y ago

Just a hypothetical. Can Google say to all the phone manufacturers that you can only use play store services if you are not going to make any customizations and hence ensuring that the updates are not in the phone manufacturer's hands?

kristofferR 9y ago
You're sort of describing Project Treble, which was just introduced in Android Oreo: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/09/android-8-0-oreo-thoroughly-reviewed/2/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/09/android-8-0-oreo-tho...
- pjmlp 9y ago
  Not really, because OEMs are still free to do their own customizations and they are the ones responsible for pushing updates. http://androidbackstage.blogspot.de/2017/08/episode-75-project-treble-for-hal-of-it.html http://androidbackstage.blogspot.de/2017/08/episode-75-proje... Guess how many will push updates, even with Treble enabled devices?
  - problems 9y ago
    Hopefully somewhat more? It's likely a logical first step in a larger push to resolve the update issue on Android devices.
    - dwighttk 9y ago
      right, but how many logical first steps down this road has Google taken in the past...? This seems like the fourth or fifth.
      - problems 9y ago
        Approximately zero - I mean, about the only things they've done is updating of play service stuff and some interesting malware detection techniques. They've (sadly) done almost nothing towards the goal of truly improving the update situation until now.

muxxa 9y ago

StatCounter have started to track iOS versions since June: https://gs.statcounter.com/os-version-market-share/ios/mobile-tablet/worldwide https://gs.statcounter.com/os-version-market-share/ios/mobil...

Bromskloss 9y ago

I hold off upgrading for fear of missing a jailbreak again.

MBCook 9y ago
Is there much benefit in jailbreaking these days besides the ability to run pirated apps? I know people used to do it to get better notification mechanisms or things like control center but those are now built into the OS so the need isn’t as big.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- BoorishBears 9y ago
  I don't have a jailbreak but I wish I did for stuff like unlocked CarPlay mirroring (would let me use Waze), ability to hide apps I don't ever use, etc. I wish there was something like WebOS's Preware for non-jailbroken phones
Analemma_ 9y ago
Don’t bother, there will never again be a public jailbreak. iOS exploits are just far too valuable: no one is going to publicly expose a jailbreak (which Apple would patch immediately anyway) when they could get hundreds of thousands of dollars by reporting it to Apple (or a million dollars from Zerodium). iOS jailbreaking is gone and not coming back.
- Bromskloss 9y ago
  What has changed?

maxpert 9y ago

That's what makes me happy for iOS. As a developer I don't have to think more than 1 major version back and I am covered! Android is so much fragmented, teams have debates over supporting 4.4+ or 5+.

beached_whale 9y ago

There were a lot of ipad 2's sold that cannot upgrade beyond 9.x. It's a shame there is no way to get an upgraded web browsing component onto them to make them safer.