An early January report claimed Apple was struggling to get users to upgrade to iOS 26. The story, sourced from StatCounter’s web‑traffic data, quickly spread across Apple‑centric outlets. However, a detailed review by Jeff Johnson of Lapcat Software uncovered a flaw: Safari’s user agent strings on iOS 26 were frozen, reporting the previous OS version.

Because StatCounter relies on these strings, it mistakenly counted older iOS versions as iOS 26, inflating the adoption figure. The error also appeared in data from Pixel Envy and MacRumors, which used the same detection method. Apple’s own adoption numbers, released only on its developer site, show a more typical rollout pace.

This episode underscores the risk of relying on third‑party analytics for Apple metrics. As Apple typically publishes official figures in January, the company will likely clarify the true adoption rate soon. Until then, journalists and readers should verify raw data before drawing conclusions in the near future.