Searches for iOS downgrade methods spiked 572% after the update launched.
Apple dropped iOS 26 on September 15, but it looks like not everyone is thrilled with the upgrade. In fact, data shows a massive spike in people scrambling to find ways to go back to iOS 18.Searches for downgrades skyrocket after iOS 26 launch
Fresh numbers reveal just how many iPhone users wish they hadn’t updated. Right after iOS 26 launched, searches for “how to downgrade iOS 26 to 18” skyrocketed 572% week-over-week, while general downgrade-related queries climbed 335%.
Numbers show a spike in searches for downgrade methods. | Image credit – MightyCall
Now, of course, it makes sense that searches like “how to downgrade iOS 26 to 18” would jump after the update – before iOS 26 launched, no one needed to look for it. That explains part of the spike, since going from almost zero searches to thousands instantly makes the percentage jump look drastic. Still, the numbers are really high, and other stats show similar surges.
Google Trends (a tool that analyzes the popularity of top search queries in Google Search) backs up the picture: right after the update dropped, there was a massive spike in queries about downgrading. However, there is a problem.
