I updated my iPhone and how to return to the previous version. Reverting an Apple device to an older version of iOS

  • Slow operation of the old device on new versions of the system
  • bugs, freezes, freezes, problems with autonomy and the desire to return a stable version of the firmware (hello iOS 11)
  • dissatisfaction with the new design and poor implementation of the stated functions

Unfortunately, the rollback any iPhone before any iOS version is not possible. The fact is that in 2009, Apple introduced restrictions on the ability to roll back certain devices to a specific firmware version. Therefore, before starting the procedure, check whether your smartphone can return to the desired version of iOS.

Disabling the Find My iPhone option

This option is designed to help you locate your device if it is lost or stolen. It blocks any manipulations with the firmware, so you need to disable it before resetting the device. Otherwise, all rollback attempts will result in an error message.

Turn off Touch ID and passcode

  1. Open Settings
  2. Go to "Touch ID and Passcode"
  3. If necessary, enter a passcode
  4. Select "Turn off passcode"
  5. Then confirm the action in the pop-up message

Ways to downgrade iPhone firmware

Method 1: Downgrade iOS using iTunes

  1. Disable iPhone
  2. When the smartphone screen goes dark, connect the device to the computer
  3. Press and hold the Home button until the display shows schematic icons of iTunes and Lightning wires (iPhone 7/7 Plus owners must press the Volume Down key)
  1. Afterwards you can launch iTunes; the program automatically recognizes the smartphone in the desired mode
  2. A warning pop-up window will appear on your computer screen - click “Cancel” on it
  3. Then, while holding Shift(Windows) or Alt(Mac), initiate recovery. To do this, click the appropriate button
  4. In the dialog box that opens, select the pre-downloaded firmware file with the extension .ipsw
  5. Wait until the firmware is installed on the device. Never disconnect your smartphone from your computer.
  6. After turning on your iPhone, perform the initial setup and, if necessary, restore it from a backup

Attention! If you want to return not to the previous, but to one of the earlier versions of the firmware, we recommend doing a sequential rollback. That is, roll back to the previous version, then to the previous one, etc. Otherwise, the device may display an error and will not boot. Instead, the Lightning lanyard and the iTunes icon will appear on the screen again.

Method 2. Rollback in DFU Mode

DFU Mode- alternative installation mode for stable versions of the system. Used in cases where the previous method does not work for some reason. Be prepared for the fact that during the flashing process the device will not show any signs of life and will not respond to button presses.

  1. Connect iPhone to Windows PC/Mac
  2. Turn off the device
  3. Launch iTunes on PC/Mac
  4. Press and hold the Home and Power/Power buttons for 10 seconds
  5. Remove your finger from the Power/On button without releasing the Home button
  6. Wait until the device is recognized by iTunes in the desired mode (DFU Mode)
  1. Select your device
  2. Click “Restore iPhone” while holding alt for macOS and shift for Windows
  3. In the window that appears, specify the path to the firmware file previously downloaded to your hard drive and click the “Open” button
  4. Wait until the operation is completed, after which you can turn on the device

Method 3. Rollback iPhone while saving user data

This option is considered less reliable than the two described above, since the required firmware version is not installed from scratch. However, it allows you to save music, photos, contacts and other important information on your device (can be useful if you don't have time to restore this data from a backup).

To do this, in iTunes → Device recovery menu, instead of the “Restore iPhone...” button, click “Update”.

Wait for the process to complete. The device will update to the specified firmware version automatically and then turn on.

How to downgrade from iOS 11 to iOS 10? The only correct way.

iOS 11 is certainly an interesting update, but many found it crude, and some of the system’s functions are not the most convenient. Fortunately, downgrading from iOS 11 to the stable and fast iOS 10 is very easy. This instruction tells you how to do it.

Attention! On October 5, Apple signed iOS 10.3.3. It is no longer possible to roll back to the firmware from iOS 11.

Important!You can only rollback from iOS 11 to iOS 10 without losing data if you have a backup copy of your iPhone or iPad saved in iTunes or iCloud, made specifically on iOS 10. In the event that a new backup created under iOS 11 replaces the old one, restoring to this backup from iOS 10 will be impossible.

Important! Before you can downgrade from iOS 11 to iOS 10, you must remove password protection from your iPhone or iPad. You can remove the password in the menu " Settings» → « Touch ID and passcode».

Step 1: Turn off your iPhone or iPad.

Step 2. Press the " Home» (Volume Down button on iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus).

Step 3: Hold down the " Home", connect your mobile device to your computer using a USB cable. Hold the button for a few seconds until the iTunes icon appears on the screen.

Step 4: Launch iTunes. The utility recognizes your iPhone or iPad in recovery mode. In the warning window that opens, click " Cancel».

Step 5. Download the iOS 10.3.3 firmware version for your device from the following links:

Step 6. With the key held down Shift(Alt on Mac) click on the “ button Update“.

And select the previously downloaded firmware file.

Step 7. Confirm the start of recovery on iOS 10.3.3 and wait until the procedure is completed. Important! Do not disconnect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from your computer while the firmware installation is in progress.

Ready! You have downgraded from iOS 11 to iOS 10.3.3. After the device turns on, you need to perform its initial setup and restore it from a backup copy.

There are a lot of new things in iOS 11, for example, such functions as many other things, but just because everything has changed, it does not mean that they are better, as a result of this, you can roll back ios. So if you decide it's not for you, you'll be glad to know that you can still go back to iOS 10.3.2. But this window of opportunity for downgrade won't last forever.

When iOS 11 officially launches in September 2017, Apple will no longer sign older versions of the firmware. That is, you will not be able to rollback if you have not saved your SHSHS2 drops. Also in the new version of iOS a lot has appeared.

However, until that day comes, it's actually quite easy to revert to iOS 10.3.2. All you need is a Mac or Windows PC, and the process only takes a few minutes. Better yet, you should be able to save all your apps and data, so let's go ahead and get started, shall we? Download for iOS for free.
"Update" for iOS 10.3.2

This guide will outline two iOS rollback methods that aim to restore the IPSW firmware file using iTunes. For most people, the steps outlined in Method 1 should be all you need.

However, there is a small chance that data from iOS 11 may cause errors or crashes after you upgrade to iOS 10.3.2. Again, this is rare, but if it happens, you can use the steps outlined in method 2, to erase corrupted data and then restore an old iCloud backup of your data.

First of all, you need to download the iOS 10.3.2 IPSW file for your specific device. This is the firmware file that you will install using iTunes to roll back your operating system, and luckily we have a reliable source where you can get this file. So, go to the following link from your computer, then select your device and model.

Then select iOS 10.3.2 when prompted, then click the Download button. The file is quite large so it may take a while to download, but be sure to mark the location of the file once it's finished.


iOS Rollback:Step 2 Install old firmware from iTunes

Next, connect your device to your computer using a Lightning cable, then open iTunes if it doesn't open automatically. From there, click the phone icon near the top left corner of the window to go to the device menu.


From here, make sure the " Summary" is selected on the left side of the window. After this, if you are using a Mac, press and hold the button Option on keyboard. Otherwise, if you are using Windows, press and hold the button Shift. While holding down the keyboard button, click Check for Updates.


The File Browser menu will then appear - use this to locate and select the IPSW file you downloaded in Step 1. Once you have done this, click Open.


After a few seconds, you will see a pop-up informing you that iTunes will now install iOS 10.3.2 on your device. Click "Update" here, then sit back and wait because the process of installing the old firmware will take up to 30 minutes. Along the way, you may be asked to enter your PIN on your device, so be sure to do so if asked.

Once iTunes finishes installing the old firmware, your device will automatically reboot. When this happens, disconnect your phone from your computer, then follow the prompts on your phone to reenter your password and complete setup.

iOS Rollback: Step 3 Delete your beta profile (beta users only)

You'll now be back to iOS 10.3.2, but if you first used the beta to install iOS 11, you'll soon be prompted to reinstall iOS 11.

To avoid this, go to the menu " Are common" in Settings, then scroll down and tap Profile. From there, select your beta profile, then click "Delete Profile" at the bottom of the screen. After this, you won't be prompted to install iOS 11 again until the official launch in September.

At this point, you are all set and ready to go. The vast majority of users won't have to worry about the second method below, but if you encounter any errors or glitches, just go back and go through the next section.

Method 2 Restore from iCloud backup (only if you have errors)

This next method is only for people who are experiencing errors after upgrading to iOS 10.3.2. This is rare, but it can happen when there is leftover data from iOS 11 that is not fully compatible with iOS 10.3.2.

If so, the easiest workaround is to restore from the IPSW file again. But this time, don't save the existing data and instead restore it from an old iCloud backup. Alternatively, you can perform a factory reset to clear the corrupted data, but the method in the following steps is slightly faster.

iOS Rollback:Step 1 Find your iOS 10.3.2 backup

First of all, keep in mind that downgrading your firmware using this method will delete existing apps and their data. This means that you will need to save important things. However, iOS 11 backups cannot be restored to iOS 10.3.2, which poses a problem.

You will only be able to recover all your data if you have an archival backup of iOS 10.3.2 (or older). Which was done before downgrading using Method 1. You should have made this iTunes backup when you first installed iOS 11. You can try to perform a backup after using Method 1, but some of the problems may persist.

ICloud should have automatically backed up the last time I ran 10.3.2, so most people will be fine. But to check, connect your device to your computer, then click the phone icon in iTunes to view your backups.

The information provided here does not include iOS version numbers. Therefore, you will need to check the dates of the backups to ensure they were created the last time you ran iOS 10.3.2 (or older). If they were, you would be able to get your data back. Otherwise you will need to start over.

iOS Rollback:Step 2 Disable Find My iPhone

Then you need to disable Find My iPhone. To do this, go to Settings, then tap your name at the top of the list and select iCloud. From here, select Find My iPhone, then turn off the toggle switch on the next screen.

iOS Rollback:Step 3 Downgrade the firmware again

Then reload the IPSW file for your device, if you've lost it since using method 1, then the rest of the process will be pretty easy. This is basically the same as the first one, but with one minor exception, so you can use the above screenshots for visual reference. To get started, connect your iOS device to your computer, then follow these steps:

  1. Open iTunes.
  2. Enter the "Device" menu.
  3. Select the Summary tab.
  4. Hold down the key Option(Mac) or key Shift left(Windows).
  5. Click "Restore iPhone" (or "iPad" or "iPod").
  6. Open the IPSW file.
  7. Confirm your choice by clicking the "Restore" button.

Just like Method 1, iTunes will take care of the rest and your device will restart once it's finished.

iOS Rollback:Step 4 Recover Data from iCloud

Once the process is complete, perform the initial setup on your iPhone. Then choose Set Up as New if you want a fresh start, or Restore from iCloud Backup. If you want to get all your apps and data back. If you're going with the latter, simply sign in to your Apple ID and then select the latest iOS 10.3.2 backup and your apps and data will be restored. You can also choose "Restore from iTunes Backup" if you backed up iOS 10.3.2 before installing iOS 11.

Without corrupted iOS 11 data, you will no longer have problems with iOS 10.3.2. But if you have any problems with any of the above methods, please let us know in the comments section below and we will try to guide you in the right direction. Also, if you want, you can remove Autoplay for videos in the iOS 11 App Store.

Despite the fact that operating system updates for iPad 1,2,3 or another model in 90% of cases are associated with a transition to a new version, some users want to roll back. In other words, downgrade the firmware. The reason may be dissatisfaction with the operation of the system or the complete inoperability of the tablet.

The possibility of a rollback really exists. We will explain in detail how to perform this operation on any iPad model (2,3.4, iPad mini) in this article.

Since 2009, the Apple company began to carefully monitor which iOS variations can be returned to a specific device. Therefore, before starting the firmware, you now need to check whether a rollback from your gadget is possible in principle. And if so, which versions?

For this purpose, it is recommended to use various services, of which there are many on the Internet (like Appstudio.org). There the user will be able to see a list of available versions to which they can switch. After selecting a specific type of firmware, you will need to download it to your PC/laptop.

The download process consists of selecting the type of device, its generation and firmware version. Then the download process will begin automatically. Then you will need to select a location on your PC to save the file so that you can use it for rollback in the future.

Making a backup

In the situation with Apple, very few non-standard situations happen, but creating a backup would not be a bad idea. Remember this rule: first create a copy, and then install the firmware, but not vice versa.

This operation is performed via iTunes or the cloud. It would also be a good idea to have a copy of photographs, videos and audio clips for future uploading to your tablet. Files of this type will not be 100% included in the backup.

It should be noted here that when saving a copy in iTunes, it will only be available for the ninth operating system. Therefore, if the user does not have a copy for the eighth variation of iOS, if the rollback is successful, he will have to configure the phone as a new one. If an operation in progress is interrupted for some reason (for example, due to an error), you can always return to nine.

In a cloud situation, all backup data will be restored regardless of the installed iOS version. Therefore, we put the “cloud” as a priority. And if this step is not available, you will have to save it in iTunes.

Disable the device search function

If this option is active on your device, you should disable it before the rollback procedure. Otherwise, the utility will generate an error. And this will happen at the very start of the procedure.

You can deactivate the function in one of 3 ways:

  • Through the device settings in the “cloud” menu.
  • In the iOS program of the same name (you can download it completely free).
  • On a PC/laptop with any operating system.

But it is important that the tablet from which the work will be done is connected to the network.


Rollback method to the previous operating system

There are 2 ways to perform this procedure:

  • using RecoveryMode4
  • using DFU.

The first mode is emergency. It is intended to restore the normal functioning of the gadget after it has stopped working as usual.

DFU is essentially the same thing. The only difference is that the operation is performed bypassing the operating system and is done directly through the firmware. This method is recommended if it is impossible to use the first method.

iPad 2 firmware rollback: Recovery Mode

First, initiate a shutdown of the tablet and wait for the display to fade. Connect your device to your PC/laptop. The device recognizes the gadget in the mode we need. Then follow this algorithm:

  • Launch iTunes and wait for the program to find your iPad. There are 2 possible scenarios for the development of events here. The first is a pop-up window offering to restore the gadget. If this is exactly what you need, then you just need to click on the consent button. Secondly, if the utility does not respond in any way, then you need to click on the tablet icon and find the recovery option. Then you will need to select it while holding down Shift or Alt (depending on the PC operating system).
  • The file manager will pop up, where you will need to select a specific firmware variation. You will need to find the pre-downloaded file.
  • Select the firmware and click on the opening element.
    • Selecting the .ipsw file.
    • Waiting for the process to complete. The program will do everything itself, fully automatically.
    • Disconnecting iPad from PC/Laptop.
    • Turn off the tablet by pressing Power.
    • Turn on the device with a quick click on the same button.

When performing the procedure via iTunes:

That's all - the tablet is ready for further work, we have successfully rolled back the firmware.

Reflash iPad using DFU Mode

Before the operation, the tablet version two or three (or any other) must be switched to the named mode. To do this, you need to connect the device to the PC and turn off the mobile gadget. Then press the Home and Power buttons at the same time for 8-12 seconds. After this period, you should continue to hold the first button and release the second. And so on until the program recognizes the tablet in DFU mode.

  • Select your gadget in iTunes.
  • We are looking for a recovery point.
  • Select it by holding the Shift or Alt element (depending on the operating system).
  • In the pop-up window, indicate the firmware (or rather, the path to it) and click on the open element.
  • We are waiting for the completion of the operation, which the program will perform automatically.
  • We turn on the tablet and use it for its intended purpose.

This method should be chosen by those whose firmware update via Recovery Mode did not work for some reason.

This concludes our manual. As you can see, there is nothing complicated in the rollback procedure. And there is no need to go to a repair shop and spend money. You can do everything yourself, because now you know how to install older firmware on an iPad. Even a beginner can handle it.

Greetings! Apple releases software updates for its devices with enviable regularity and constantly encourages users to install new firmware versions. Sometimes this call is even too intrusive - just look at the notorious “red one” on the settings icon! And although, the temptation to update and see what's new for the iPhone or iPad is very great.

And here you can make a big mistake. So, let’s imagine that you installed the new version of iOS, looked at it, touched it... but you didn’t like it! Is it possible to roll back and return the old firmware? Now let's try to figure it all out. Let's get started!

And the most important thing is where you need to start...

In most cases, rollback is not possible. At your own discretion, you cannot change or “jump” from one version of iOS to another.

For example, if you have an iPhone or iPad with iOS 10, then there is no way you can install iOS 9 or 8. Absolutely not.

Why? The thing is that Apple has a system of so-called “firmware signing”. And, usually, the company signs (that is, allows you to install) only the most current version of iOS. Likewise, precisely because of the absence of this signature, it is impossible to upgrade the firmware “just a little.”

For example, you have iOS 8 installed and you want iOS 9, and not the currently current tenth version. Is it possible to do this? No. Updating is only possible for the latest software.

As you can see, Apple is true to itself and limits the user’s work with the software as much as possible. Do you want to update? Install only the latest firmware. Do you want to downgrade your iOS version? You can’t do this - everything is for your safety!

Is it really not possible? In fact, there are small exceptions, and although they are practically irrelevant for the mass user, it is useful to know about them. So, in what cases can you install a previous version of iOS on an iPhone or iPad:


So, “ordinary” people (including my humble person) need to remember this:

For any device “older” than the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, there is not even a theoretical possibility to roll back the firmware at any time.

It's a sad fact, but nothing can be done - these are Apple's rules.

However, if you look from the other side, everything is not so bad. After all, new software versions mean improved security, stability, bug fixes and many, many other goodies. Although... for writing articles and instructions, sometimes I miss the ability to use the previous version of the software on my iPhone.

P.S. Did the article help and make it a little clearer? Click on the social network buttons! :) Did the author write some nonsense? Like it, let him be ashamed! :(