Suppose you are facing any issues with the current version of iOS or want to uninstall iOS Beta or iOS Dev on your device. It may be necessary to revert to the previous iOS version because of the stability issue, but Apple doesn’t make it easy to do so.
Many users upgrade their OS to use the new features and performance, but sometimes the update doesn’t meet acceptance. There are a lot of bugs in the beta version, and performance needs to be improved. You also need to take caution, and Apple only allows you to downgrade your iOS version for some days; Apple usually stops signing the older iOS version within a few days of a new iOS release.
If you are facing any issues like apps not compatible or working with your device, poor battery life, device crashes, or features not functioning as they are supposed to, you can downgrade your iOS version since it worked fine with your device before upgrading to the latest version.
You can uninstall the latest iOS version on your device. When another update arrives with the patch, you can upgrade your device later. This is likely to be better than the existing upgrade. In this article, we will share the most common ways to downgrade your iOS version.
Noteworthy
Reinstalling the iOS update will restore your iPhone to factory settings and load the downloaded software onto your iPhone. Also, restore the previous backup, and here are a few things you need to know before downgrading your iOS version.
- Back up your data.
- You might lose some functionality.
- While downloading the iOS firmware, make sure Apple signs it.
Before your performance downgrade, ensure you have taken a backup of your iPhone so you won’t lose any data. However, users must take a complete backup of their devices before upgrading.
Back up the iPhone to a Mac or PC.
- Connect your mobile device to your Mac or PC.
- Launch Finder, and then under General, you have the option to back up all data on your iPhone to this Mac.
- Click on it, and then back up now.
- While doing a backup, it asks you to choose to encrypt this local backup during this process for security purposes.
Delete the iOS beta profile.
Downgrading is quick and easy if you are running the latest beta on your device. All you need to do is remove the iOS beta and then download the latest public release of iOS.
- Open Device Settings, then select the General tab.
- Over there, you have Profile and Device Management.
- Tap on the iOS Beta Software Profile, and then tap Remove Profile.
- Restart your device.
After restarting, check for the software update, and from there, you will have the software update to update your device to the latest publicly available stable firmware.
Downgrade your iOS using the Finder.
This is the most common way to perform a downgrade on iOS. You need to temporarily disable Find My iPhone by going to Device Settings > Apple ID, selecting Find My, and then disabling Find My iPhone from Find My iPhone.
- Connect your iPhone to your Mac and launch Mac.
- Boot your device into Recovery Mode, and then in the Finder, you will have a prompt for “Restore your device.”
- Click on Restore, and then install the public release of iOS.
- Keep patience during the process; it takes some time to complete the restoration process.
Downgrade your iOS using iTunes.
With this feature, you can downgrade to any version. But this process will wipe your device’s data.
- Visit the IPSW website, and from there, download the compatible iOS version.
- Now launch iTunes and connect your device to your Mac.
- After that, under General, you will have the option to restore your iPhone. Click on Restore while pressing and holding down the option key. For Windows users, press and hold the shift button.
- Browse the firmware downloaded from the IPSW website, and click agree to accept Apple’s terms and conditions.
- After selecting, your device will start flashing and downgrading the chosen firmware.
- That’s it!
Download the iOS firmware.
- Open the IPSW website, and then choose the model number of the device.
- From there, choose the version you want to download; always download the signed IPSWs, which appear with a green checkmark. If it doesn’t have a checkmark, you will need to jailbreak your iOS device.
- Click on the Download button; that’s it!
A guide to booting your device into recovery mode
- IPhone with Face ID: Press and quickly release the volume button. Press and quickly release the volume-down button. Hold the top button until your device restarts. Keep holding the top button until your device boots into recovery mode.
- IPhone 8 or later: Press and quickly release the volume button. Press and quickly release the volume down button. Press and hold the side button until your computer boots into recovery mode.
- IPhone 7: Press the volume and power buttons until your device boots into the recovery mode screen.
- IPhone 6s or later: Press and hold the home button and power button until your device boots into recovery mode.
Restore the backup.
After finishing the downgrade of your iOS, you can restore the backup.
- Open the Finder, and then connect your iPhone.
- Choose the backup file; if the file doesn’t appear, change the file with the following guide:
- Open the backup file as a text file, and then change the product from “16.0” to “15.0.” Note: Change the version according to the iOS version.
- Choose the backup and click Restore.
These are the most effective ways to downgrade iOS. However, there are more methods to perform a downgrade with third-party software. You can decide which action you would like to perform on your device based on your preferences.