iOS 7 Usage: 34% of US iPhones?
No, iOS 7 is not being used by 34% of the United States. That figure likely refers to the percentage of active iPhones (or iOS devices) in the U.S. running iOS 7 shortly after its release in 2013, not the entire U.S. population. By early 2014, Apple reported that iOS 7 was on about 80% of devices, and the 34% figure was an early adoption estimate from a third-party analytics firm within the first week of release.
What the 34% Number Actually Means
When iOS 7 launched on September 18, 2013, it was a major visual overhaul. Within the first 24 hours, Apple claimed that over 200 million devices had updated. Third-party analytics companies, like Mixpanel, tracked web traffic from iOS devices and reported that about 34% of iOS devices in the U.S. were running iOS 7 within the first week. That number was often misquoted as “34% of the United States,” which is incorrect—it’s a share of iOS devices, not people, and it’s not a national census.
How Adoption Was Measured
Analytics firms measure OS adoption by tracking visits to websites or app usage. They look at the User-Agent string sent by a device’s browser, which identifies the operating system and version. From that, they calculate the percentage of visits from iOS 7 out of all iOS visits. This method has biases: it only counts devices that are actively used to browse or use apps, and it may overrepresent newer devices that are more likely to be used for web traffic. It doesn’t include devices that are offline or not used for browsing.
Why the Confusion Happens
The confusion arises because the number is often reported without context. “34% of U.S. iOS devices” sounds similar to “34% of the U.S. population,” but they are very different. The U.S. population is about 320 million, while the number of active iPhones in the U.S. in 2013 was roughly 60-70 million. So 34% of iOS devices would be about 20-23 million devices, not 108 million people. Also, the number changes rapidly: within a month, iOS 7 adoption passed 70%.
iOS 7 Adoption Timeline
Here’s a rough timeline of iOS 7 adoption based on Apple’s official numbers (from the App Store dashboard) and third-party trackers:
- Day 1 (Sept 18, 2013): Apple announced 200 million devices updated in 24 hours.
- Week 1: Third-party trackers showed about 34% of U.S. iOS devices on iOS 7.
- Month 1: Adoption passed 70% globally.
- January 2014: Apple reported iOS 7 on 80% of devices.
- March 2014: Over 85% of devices were on iOS 7.
These numbers are for iOS devices as a whole, not just iPhones, and not the U.S. population.
Why Adoption Was So Fast
iOS updates have historically seen fast adoption compared to Android, for several reasons:
- Direct delivery: Apple pushes updates over the air directly to compatible devices, without carrier or manufacturer delays.
- Compatibility: iOS 7 supported all devices that ran iOS 6, including the iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later, and iPod touch 5th gen.
- User base: iPhone users tend to update quickly, especially for major redesigns.
- App compatibility: New app versions often require the latest OS, nudging users to update.
What About Today?
As of 2025, iOS 7 is essentially extinct. Apple stopped signing iOS 7 updates years ago, and most apps require much newer versions. The current iOS (as of 2024) is iOS 17 and iOS 18, and Apple’s adoption stats show that the vast majority of devices are on the latest or previous major version. iOS 7 is only found on old, unsupported devices that haven’t been updated, and those are rare.
How to Check Your iOS Version
If you’re curious about your device’s iOS version, go to Settings > General > About and look at the “Software Version” field. If you’re on an old device that can’t update past iOS 7, you’ll see something like “7.1.2.” That’s the last version of iOS 7 ever released.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is iOS 7 still safe to use?
No. iOS 7 has numerous unpatched security vulnerabilities. Apple no longer provides security updates for it, so using it on a device connected to the internet is risky. You should update to a newer iOS if your device supports it, or consider replacing the device if it doesn’t.
Can I still download apps on iOS 7?
Most current apps require a much newer iOS version. The App Store on iOS 7 can still download older versions of apps that are compatible, but many apps have been removed or no longer support iOS 7. You’ll likely see “Requires iOS 15.0 or later” for most apps.
How many people are still using iOS 7?
Apple doesn’t publish exact numbers, but it’s a tiny fraction. Most analytics firms show iOS 7 at less than 0.1% of iOS devices. It’s mostly limited to old devices like the iPhone 4 (which can’t go past iOS 7.1.2) that are still in use as basic phones or media players.
Why did iOS 7 look so different?
iOS 7 was designed by Jony Ive after the departure of Scott Forstall. It replaced skeuomorphic designs (like leather textures and realistic icons) with a flat, colorful, and translucent design. It introduced features like Control Center, AirDrop, and a new notification system.
Is the 34% number still relevant?
Only as a historical data point. It was a snapshot from the first week of iOS 7’s release, and it’s often misquoted. For current decisions, it’s irrelevant.
What was the last version of iOS 7?
The final version was iOS 7.1.2, released on June 30, 2014. It fixed a few bugs and security issues, but it was the last update for iOS 7.
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