Skip to main content

Did you know? On its first day, iOS 8 accounted for 20 percent of all Internet video traffic

apple ios 8 update hogs internet traffic iphone6 pf spgry 5 up ios8 print 1500x1000
Even though iPhone and iPad users seem to be taking to iOS 8 slower than they did to iOS 7, Apple’s new mobile OS upgrade has still dominated Internet traffic. According to Qwilt, an analytics firm, iOS 8 ranked number 2 in U.S. media rankings on the day of its release.

According to the company’s data, iOS 8 accounted for 20 percent of all online video traffic in the U.S. on September 17, after it was officially released. Apple’s latest software hogged even more Web traffic than video services such as Amazon, Twitch, and YouTube. Only Netflix topped the iOS update in terms of traffic. The report also found that the iOS update generated 50 percent higher network traffic than normal around 4 p.m. PST in the United States.

Recommended Videos

In France, iOS 8 ranked as the number 1 source of traffic, with 24 percent. YouTube came in a close second. Meanwhile, in Taiwan, the software update came in third place, after YouTube and DailyMotion.

Of course, the large amount of traffic could have been caused by the sheer size of the iOS 8 update. At 1.3GB, iOS 8 is the biggest iOS update ever in Apple’s history. In comparison to iOS 7, which was a whopping 750MB, iOS 8 is huge. Many users also reported that up to 5GB of storage was required to install the over the air (OTA) update, which could account for the high numbers. Conversely, the size of the OTA update may have deterred a good number of potential iOS 8 users from downloading the new software.

Regardless, if history is any indication, iOS 8 adoption will likely be swift and is sure to be even more rapid once the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus go on sale on Friday September 19.

Malarie Gokey
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Mobile Editor, Malarie runs the Mobile and Wearables sections, which cover smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and…
iOS 16: Everything you need to know about 2022’s big iPhone update
Man holds an iPhone 13 Pro with the iOS 16 logo on screen.

Apple announced iOS 16 at WWDC on June 6, 2022. There, the company shared all the main crowd-pleasing features alongside its iPadOS 16 and MacOS Ventura previews. As of September 12, iOS 16 is now available as a free update for anyone with an iPhone 8 or newer. It will also ship the iPhone 14 with iOS 16 pre-installed for anyone who buys this year's newest iPhone.

Here's a quick look at everything coming from iOS 16.
iPhones that will get iOS 16
Apple is known for supporting its iPhones for extended periods compared to Android rivals. The Pixel 3 and 3a, for example, won't be getting Android 13 this fall, while the similarly aged iPhone X and XS can download iOS 16 without a problem.

Read more
Watch all of Apple’s Far Out event videos: iPhone 14, Apple Watch 8, and AirPods Pro 2
Apple iPhone 14 Pro.

Following Apple’s Far Out event earlier in the day, the tech giant has been dropping a bunch of related videos on its YouTube channel.

The videos offer a fast way of learning about new features coming with the latest iPhone 14 phone, Apple Watch, and AirPods Pro devices.

Read more
Apple’s best iOS 16 feature is something you can’t see
An iPhone 13 Pro running iOS 16 sits on top of an iPad with red lighting shining.

With iOS 16, Apple is once again showing off one of its more useful features. No, it's not iMessage, though that's part of it. It's not the new Apple Pay Later, whatever you may think of it — though that again is part of it. It's not even the new lock screen that's sure to draw attention.

It's all of these and none of these at the same time. Apple's strongest feature is its ubiquity. It's the ability to roll out new features that rely on large groups of people to use them and actually have people use them. It's not a feature you can will into existence, and it's something that Apple's iOS 16 features once again highlight.

Read more