Apple Sending Emails Encouraging Customers to Upgrade to iOS 8

Apple is encouraging customers that have opted to stick with older versions of iOS to upgrade to its latest mobile operating system, iOS 8, released to the public in September.

The company has been sending out emails to iOS users who have yet to install iOS 8, letting them know that their "iOS 8 update is waiting." The email offers information on what's included with iOS 8, detailing features like QuickType, the new Health app, Family Sharing, iCloud Drive, and Continuity.

It also gives specific installation instructions, letting users know that they can upgrade wirelessly using the Software Update tool or through iTunes if their devices are low on space. Apple's iTunes installation tip could spur quite a few users to upgrade, as a lack of free space on low capacity devices appears to be one of the major factors preventing users from updating.

appleios8upgradeemail
iOS 8 adoption has been somewhat slower than iOS 7 adoption, and just three weeks after it was released, iOS 8 installation numbers had stagnated. While we originally chalked this up to a number of significant bugs in the operating system, our readers quickly pointed out that an over-the-air update requiring 5GB of free space was a major hurdle to overcome. Many users seem to be unaware that installing via iTunes is an option, as evidenced in one comment on our forums:

I have friends who are still on iOS 7 because they don't have enough free space available to upgrade. When I tell them they can upgrade by connecting their phones to their computers, and thus, doing it through iTunes, they look at me like I'm crazy, or like it's 2008 or something.

Over the course of the last week, iOS 8 adoption numbers have picked up somewhat, after Apple introduced new features like Apple Pay with the recent iOS 8.1 update. As of October 27, Apple's official installation numbers suggested the OS was on 52 percent of devices, up from 48 percent on October 13, and data from MixPanel suggests that number has risen even higher in November, hitting 59 percent.

(Thanks, Jaime!)

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
airtag 4 pack blue

AirTag 2 Launching This Year With These 3 New Features

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory. A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June. The original AirTag was announced...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...
apple power beats pro 2

Powerbeats Pro 2 Coming Soon: Apple to Announce Them 'Imminently'

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:25 am PST by
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is...

Top Rated Comments

timshundo Avatar
133 months ago
16GB Isn't enough for even the most casual of users anymore. Most of my friends are down to 100's of MB of free space, far from the 5GB required to update.

And iCloud Photo Share Library Storage Cloud Beta Share Backup 5GB Optimized is so convoluted that casual users don't even bother trying to figure out how that crap works and would rather just manually manage their photo libraries every time they get a low disk space error.

I think Apple put this on themselves and they're just gonna have to get used to not being able to brag about the amount of users on their latest OS.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
usersince86 Avatar
133 months ago
iOS 8 may still be buggy, and it may slow down my iPhone 5.

That's all.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sonicrobby Avatar
133 months ago
My iPhone 5 is staying on iOS6, and my 5S on iOS7! I will never let you reach 100% adoption rate, apple! >:0
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Teste Avatar
133 months ago
So, they need more beta testers for iOS 8 :rolleyes:
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Born Again Avatar
133 months ago
Ios 8 is lipstick on a pig.

:apple:
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
eternalife Avatar
133 months ago
Worst enemy

Apple is their own worst enemy on this one. I have 3 'older' devices that have 16GB and can't update without cleaning off a lot of stuff. With the size of these recent updates 16GB should have never been an option with new devices. Apple, I'm a big fan but you are getting what you deserve with this one.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)