Industry observers cite new iOS 14 features as the reason why the recent upgrade is more popular among users compared to the iOS 13 update.
Apple released the new iOS 14 only last Wednesday, Sept. 16, and the data already shows that user adoption of the update far more exceeds that of the iOS 13 in the same period last year. Many attribute the popularity of the update to the heaps of new features it brought, including the picture in picture support, home screen widgets, and many more.
The latest data shows that user adoption of the iOS 14 update is nearing an impressive 30% in only five days compared to the 20% that iOS 13 hit last year after seven days. Among the notable iOS 14 features that prompted many users to update is the advent of home screen widgets, which allowed wide latitude in terms of customization. More than just providing users with aesthetic appeal, customizing screen widgets also provide users with ease of access to apps they truly need and put the apps they seldom use in the Apps Library.
Another iOS 14 crowd-drawer is the picture in picture support, which allows users to perform tasks like watch videos and take FaceTime calls at the same time, all the while doing other tasks on their device. The streamlining of call and Siri screens is among the new feature that is popular among iPhone users. Incoming calls no longer occupy the entire screen but instead takes on the form of a small bar at the top which the user can easily minimize and ignore or answer.
The same thing is true when the user summons Siri in iOS 14. Where before Siri takes up the entire screen, the digital personal assistant now takes on the form of a small pulsating orb at the bottom, allowing you to access many other applications on the home screen. This feature also attracted tons of users to upgrade to iOS 14.
The Translate app is also one of the notable features that iOS 14 brought. While past versions of Siri can help translate some languages, it proved no match for Google Translate or other third-party apps with dedicated translation functions. With the Translate app, it is now possible for users to speak in their own language and have it translated almost instantaneously. This app is very handy in real-time conversations involving foreign languages.
In the data shown by Mixpanel through MacRumors, user adoption of the iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 is almost 27% in only five days after its launch. In 2019, iOS 13 reached 20% user adoption only after seven days, with iOS 12 much slower compared to the two later updates. With more of the mainstream discovering the appeal of iOS 14 features, it is not surprising if more users start upgrading in the coming days.
