Why You Might Want to Downgrade iOS
You might want to downgrade from one version of the iOS to an older one for a few reasons, including:
Bugs: The new version might have bugs that make your iOS device hard to use. You might want to downgrade to the previous, less-buggy version and wait for the bugs to be fixed before upgrading again. Unwelcome Changes: New versions of iOS sometimes introduce significant changes to the user interface or features. Downgrading is appealing if you dislike these changes or interfere with how you want to use your device. Too Slow: If you’ve got an old phone, installing the latest iOS update can make your phone painfully slow. In that case, the newest version isn’t worth it, and you’ll want to go back.
What Gets in the Way of Downgrading iOS
Downgrading iOS has its appeal, but it’s not always straightforward to do. In most cases, the best you can do is downgrade to the version you just upgraded from, but even then, you’re only able to do this for a short period.
If you want to downgrade, you should do it right away, or you’ll miss your chance.
The reason for this has to do with how Apple secures its operating systems. When you upgrade or downgrade iOS, your device contacts Apple’s servers to ensure you’re installing an official update, which entails confirming the iOS version is digitally “signed” by Apple. If it’s not signed, you won’t be able to install that version of the OS.
The problem with downgrading is that Apple stops signing older iOS versions pretty soon after a new version is released.
Before You Downgrade Your iOS
Before you start downgrading your device, it’s crucial to understand what you’re doing. A downgrade means wiping all of the data from your device and re-installing an old OS.
The best-case scenario is you backed up your iPhone before installing the latest iOS version. If you did, you could simply restore that backup onto your device.
If you didn’t, you’d need to downgrade your device, then separately sync all of your data. That’s tedious, but it’s your only option in this case.
How to Downgrade iOS Without Losing Data
If you’re ready to downgrade to an older version of the iOS that Apple is still signing, you want to be sure you don’t lose any in the process. Here’s what you need to do:
Download the old iOS version. To install an older version of the iOS, you need to download it to your computer. Get the version you want, for your iPhone model, at this website. Make sure there’s a green checkmark next to the version you’re downloading, or it won’t work. Don’t get blocked by Activation Lock; turn off Find My iPhone first. Go to Settings > [your name] > Find My > Find My iPhone, then tap the Find My iPhone slider to off/white. Put your device into Recovery Mode. Doing this will allow you to install a different version of the OS onto your iPhone. Once in Recovery Mode, connect your iPhone to the computer you usually sync it to and open iTunes. In iTunes, select the iPhone icon in the top left corner. To install the old version of the iOS, you need to follow special steps. First, hold down Option (on a Mac) or Shift (on a PC) and then select Restore iPhone. In the window that pops up, navigate through your hard drive and select the older version of the iOS you downloaded in step 1. Select Restore in iTunes, then follow any on-screen prompts in iTunes or on the iPhone. After your iPhone has restarted a few times and completed the downgrade to the earlier version, you can restore backed-up data to it.
