Apple has passed the 1 billion mark in active iPhone users for the first time

Apple doesn’t include phone chargers in the box of the new iPhones because they think it’s bad for the environment. Sure, Apple, that’s what’s bad for the environment, definitely not the fact that customers around the world are using over 1 billion iPhones.

Yup, iPhone usage is at an all-time high. In an interview with Reuters, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company saw an overall increase of active devices around the world, reaching 1.65 billion compared to 1.5 billion this time last year:

The company now has an active installed base of 1.65 billion devices, compared with 1.5 billion devices a year ago. Cook also said Apple now has an installed base of more than 1 billion iPhones, an increase over the 900 million the company most recently disclosed in 2019.

That’s a big jump from last year, and apparently, China is to thank for that. 

“Cook said that Apple gained iPhone sales in China both from customers switching from rival Android devices as well as existing customers upgrading devices, but said “upgraders in particular set an all-time record in China”.”

Apple doesn’t disclose how many iPhones it sells every quarter, so the “active install base” metric is the best way to gauge how many people use subscription services that require iPhones.

So yea, Apple is concerned about the damage a piece of plastic weighing less than one pound affects the environment rather than the billion-plus iPhones being used across the planet.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• The average price of an iPhone in the U.S. is now up to $873
• Apple just pushed out a major security update for the iPhone, download it now
• Which smartphone has the best camera – the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra or the iPhone 12 Pro Max?
• If you have a medical implant, keep the iPhone 12 and MagSafe devices away from it

Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com or find him on Mastodon or Post.