Roll back iPhone to previous version. How to “downgrade” to an earlier version of iOS
If you upgraded to iOS 10 but then changed your mind, there is an option to roll back to iOS 9.3.2. There are two main ways to do this. One of them requires a backup copy, and the second, fortunately, does not. Apple signs iOS 9.3.2 for now and no other previous versions. Therefore, iOS 9.3.2 is the oldest version that you can restore to your device.
Method 1: No backup
You will lose all your text messages, but all other settings and applications will remain after the rollback.
- Download the appropriate IPSW file for your iPhone or iPad.
- Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes installed on your computer. If not, download and install it.
- Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer and then click on the device icon that appears.
- In the Summary section, click the Check for Updates button while holding down the Shift key (Windows) or Option key (Mac).
- Now find and select the IPSW file you downloaded earlier.
- Your device will be updated to iOS 9.3.2.
Next time you're tempted to download the beta, either make a full backup first or resist the urge.
Method 2: Using a previously made backup
Apple doesn't approve of downgrading to previous versions of iOS, and for good reason. However, such a possibility exists. Currently, Apple's servers are still signing iOS 9.3.2. You cannot roll back beyond this version. Therefore, the problem may occur if your backup was made for an earlier iOS firmware. So, let's be clear: to roll back, you can only use the backup that was created when your device was running iOS 9.3.2.
The key is that you should always have a full, up-to-date backup. The best way to create a password-protected copy is through iTunes. You can also do this through iCloud to get another opportunity to restore your contacts, images and other things.
Step 1: Prepare IPSW
To reinstall iOS 9.3.2, you will need the appropriate ipsw file for your iPhone or iPad model. Outdated versions will not work because... they are not “signed”, i.e. not approved by Apple servers.
For Mac users who have the ipsw file stored on their hard drive, you need to go to the following path: youruserfolder/Library/iTunes/, and then find it in the iPhone Software Updates or iPad Software Updates folder.
If you don't have the latest version of the file, whether you're a PC or Mac user, you can easily find it by searching for "ipsw download". Next, you need to select and download the file corresponding to your device. A search will bring up a variety of sites, including https://ipsw.me/, which will tell you which versions are currently up to date.
Step 2. Rollback procedure
Keep in mind that if you are reading this article after the final version of iOS 10 has officially released, you have very little time to rollback. Based on the experience of recent years, you only have a week after the original release date (not after the date you upgraded), after which downgrade will be impossible, except for jailbroken smartphones.
So let's get started. Disable the Find My iPhone/iPad feature on your device if it was enabled. You'll find it by going to Settings > iCloud. Then connect your iPhone or iPad to your PC or Mac. Launch iTunes. Click on the device icon in the iTunes interface and select Summary. Now, hold down the Alt/Option key on a Mac or Shift on a PC and click on the Restore iPhone button. Next, find and open the IPSW file, after which the computer will reinstall iOS 9.3.2 on your iPad or iPhone. Or should...
Go to Recovery mode
If iTunes reports that your device is already running the latest version of iOS, you may need to use Recovery mode. Turn off the device's power completely, connect one end of the sync cable to your computer, and then hold down the Home button on your iPhone/iPad while connecting the other end of the cable to it. When the Connect to iTunes screen appears, release the Home button.
iTunes will tell you that your device is now in Recovery mode. Next, hold down the Option key (Shift for PCs), click on Restore, find the iOS 9.3.2.ipsw file and install it on your device.
Restoring from a backup
If the above procedure is successful, you will get an almost clean iPhone with nothing on it. Now it's time to apply the backup you created earlier. In iTunes, click the Restore iPhone button and select the appropriate backup. The process may take about an hour, but your smartphone will return exactly to the state it was in when the copy was created.
If you don't have any copies, you'll have to sync your music, videos, and other content from iTunes or iCloud. You can then go to the App Store with your Apple ID and download everything you've previously purchased.
Almost every person today is familiar with updating software on mobile devices. This operation usually does not involve anything difficult. Owners of Apple phones were offered a new iOS 10 version. However, users were not very impressed with this software. That's why many people are thinking about how to roll back iOS 10 to 9. What should every owner of an Apple phone or tablet know about this operation? What scenarios are possible?
Myth or reality?
First, we need to understand whether it is possible to roll back iOS 10 to version 9 of the software. Indeed, often after updating this or that content on a mobile phone, it is impossible to return to older versions.
Fortunately, rolling back iOS on iPhone/iPad is possible. This is an operation available to everyone. It is recognized as official and does not require any special knowledge or skills. However, there is some information you should be aware of before you roll back.
Before reset
How to roll back iOS 10 to 9? Before bringing your idea to life, you need to remember the following:
- Backups from the tenth version of the operating system are not suitable for iOS 9.
- There are several types of rollback - a “clean” version and one with data preservation. The second method is not recommended. It causes problems when using the Music app.
- Before carrying out the operation, you must make sure that synchronization is enabled in iCloud. In the corresponding settings item in the "Settings" -iCloud menu, you must enable the corresponding switch. The "Media Library" slider also needs to be activated.
- Disable Find My iPhone. If you neglect this step, rollback will be impossible.
Perhaps this is enough. You might be thinking about how to roll back iOS 10 to 9.
Full rollback
Let's start with the most preferred approach. We are talking about a “pure” rollback. This method is used most often in practice. It allows you to avoid system failures and problems.
How to rollback iOS10 to 9? To do this, you must follow certain instructions. It looks something like this:
- Launch iTunes on your PC.
- Connect iPhone to computer. To do this you need to use a USB cable.
- Launch iTunes. In the "Browse" menu, select the "Make a backup" option. Wait for the operation to complete.
- Go to the website ipsw.me. Select your phone model and firmware here.
- Wait until the appropriate software downloads. After completing the operation, go to iTunes and in the “Browse” tab, click on Option (in Windows this is the Shift button).
- Click on "Restore iPhone".
- Select the previously downloaded iOS in the window that appears.
- Complete the update by clicking on "Restore".
That's all. Now you can wait for the device to reboot. During OS initialization, you cannot disconnect the device from the PC. Finally, you need to select “New iPhone” and log in using AppleID.
Saving settings
From now on, it is clear how to roll back iOS 10 to 9. The instructions presented to your attention earlier imply a complete reset of settings and data. You can save them if you wish. What will it take?
How to roll back iOS 10 to 9 while maintaining information on the device? We will have to adhere to the previously proposed algorithm, but with some changes. When selecting the firmware, you will need to press "Shift" and then select "Update". The rest of the algorithm will be exactly the same. When updating, you must unlock the gadget to successfully complete the operation.
So, now it’s clear how you can roll back the operating system of Apple phones and tablets from version 10 to version 9. No more options for the development of events are provided. You can't rollback without iTunes.
Which method should I use? As already mentioned, it is recommended to pay attention to the “clean” rollback. This is the only way to confidently talk about normal work with iOS in the future.
Application updates do not always bring something new and useful; some errors are often eliminated, but others immediately appear. It’s worse when, after an update, advertisements appear or useful functions disappear, and there are a lot of such cases.
In this article we will tell you how to roll back the version of an application on iOS using Charles and iTunes. But before you start, please note:
- the instructions only work on version Charles 4, tested on Charles 4.0.2 (the program is paid, but has an unlimited trial period, the trial version stops working every half hour);
- The maximum version of iTunes for macOS is 12.3.3, for Windows - 12.2.2, on the following versions this method no longer works: either the iTunes program does not start, or there is no Download button (12.4-12.4.3), or an error appears
"iTunes cannot verify the authenticity of the server. Invalid server certificate" (12.5-12.6.3).
Unfortunately, this method will no longer work on macOS High Sierra and higher. When running previous versions of iTunes, you will receive an error because the minimum version for High Sierra is 12.7 (without the App Store).
Attention! Starting with iTunes version 12.7, the program no longer has the App Store, so to install the downloaded application on your device, use the latest working version - 12.6.3.
How to roll back an application version on iPhone and iPad
Step 1 Download Charles 4 for your operating system (macOS or Windows) and install it. If the method does not work on a newer version, then download Charles 4.0.2 from here
Step 2 Launch the Charles program. On macOS computers, when you first launch the program, click the Grand Privileges button
Step 4 Go to the Charles program and in the Structure panel (on the left) find the line containing “buy.itunes.apple.com”. Right-click on it and select Enable SSL Proxying
Step 5 Go back to iTunes, stop downloading the application and remove it from the download list (click on the downloads icon in the upper right corner, select the application you are downloading and press the Delete key 2 times). If the download has already completed, then go to the “My Programs” section and delete the downloaded application
Step 6 Search iTunes again and download the app again. If iTunes warns you that it can't verify the server's authenticity, click Continue. The application will start downloading, stop it and uninstall it
Step 7 Go to Charles and find a new line containing “buy.itunes.apple.com”. Expand it and select "buyProduct"
Step 8 In the right panel of the program, select the Contents tab (instead of Contents, in some OS there may be Response) and specify the display type “XML Text”. Among the lines of code, find:
In line
Select the version you want to install and copy its number
Step 9 Return to the left panel of Structure and on the “buyProduct” line, right-click and select Breakpoints
Step 10 In iTunes, find and download the application again
Step 11 Once you click Load, a new window will appear in the Charles program. Go to it, select the Edit Request and “XML Text” tabs
Step 12 Find the stitch
Step 13 iTunes should start downloading the selected version. Once the download is complete, the downloaded application will appear in the “My Programs” section. Check the program version, right-click the context menu and select Details or press Cmd+I (macOS) / Ctrl+I (Windows). If you are not satisfied with the version, copy another version ID and repeat Steps 10 - 13
Step 14 Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer and install the app on your device
After completing all operations, do not forget to return everything to default in Charles, go to the program again, select the “buyProduct” line, right-click on it and click Disable SSL Proxying, and also uncheck Breakpoints or simply uninstall the program.
The instructions are not easy and require effort, but it is worth it if you want to return the old version of the application.
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You have installed iOS 11 Public Beta, but the new version of the system has too many bugs and is not entirely suitable for daily use. See how to downgrade ios 11 to 10 3 on your smartphone or tablet.
Reverting the system from iOS 11 to 10 - downgrading iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
A few days ago, we offered an article that Apple had released a beta version of the iOS 11 update. It also reported that the system was in the testing stage and could experience various problems, including increased battery consumption and bugs in applications. Installing iOS 11 Public Beta is very simple and can be done in a few clicks, but uninstalling it and rolling back the system to the previous one is more difficult.
More difficult does not mean impossible. Downgrading from iOS 11 beta may seem a little more complicated than installing the system. How to roll back a smartphone or tablet from iOS 11 to 10? To do this, you should download the version of iOS 10 for your device as a *.IPSW file, and then download it from your computer to your iPhone via a USB cable using iTunes. How to do it?
Important regarding data, photos, music, videos, SMS, MMS and other data!
Rolling back from iOS 11, like any other system, leads to the loss of all data and restoration of factory settings. But, if before installing the “eleventh” you created a backup copy of all data, you can now use this archive from iOS 10 and restore your data.
But if you didn't create a backup before installing iOS 11, you'll probably lose all your data. You can create it on iOS 11, but it will be impossible to use it after rolling back to the previous one, because you can restore iOS 10 only from those copies that were made only in this version of the operating system.
Step 1: Download iOS 10 for your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch
Launch iTunes and check that you have the new version of the program installed. To roll back the eleventh beta version, you first need to download the version of iOS 10 in a file with the *.IPSW extension. How to do it?
Download *.IPSW - https://ipsw.me/device-finder
The easiest way is to use the following page, on which, after entering your smartphone or tablet model, a compatible version of the system will appear for download.
Go to the above page and the device identification screen will appear. Select iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, then enter your model.
You can see the model number on the back of your phone or tablet. It is located at the bottom of the panel and begins with the letter A. Enter your model on the website and click “Find my Device”. The application will detect the phone model and display the available versions.
Below on the screen two buttons will appear - one to download the latest stable iOS, the second to select any version. In our case, we need to download the latest stable version of iOS 10, since we need to roll back the system, to do this, click on “Download Latest Release”. The iOS 10 file will be downloaded to your computer.
Step 2: Boot iPhone into Recovery Mode
To roll back the version you need to boot your iPhone in Recovery mode. It is a special mode that will allow you to download new firmware from a *.ipsw file. Look at the instructions for logging into Recovery using the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus as an example, which is identical for other devices.
Connect your iPhone 7 or 7 Plus to your computer using a USB cable, and then turn it off with the power button. Wait 10-15 seconds, then turn it on using the Power + Volume Down buttons. Hold the buttons until the iTunes logo appears on the screen. After he appears, release them.
For other devices, use the combination Home + Volume Down to enter Recovery.
Step 3: Install iOS 10 from an iPSW file
When the iPhone is connected in Recovery mode using a USB cable to the computer and iTunes, now it’s time to install the operating system. iTunes should display a notification that the device is connected in Recovery mode. Click on OK.
Summary information about the device appears. Find the “Restore iPhone/iPad/iPod” button in the list, but don’t click on it yet. Before you do this, you need to press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard. Now hold Shift and click “Restore iPhone/iPad/iPod”.
The *.ipsw file selection screen will now appear. Select the downloaded image from iOS 10. Confirm the installation with the “Open” button. Now you should be patient and wait because the process of installing iOS 10 and restoring your phone to factory settings may take some time.
Step 4: Recovering data after a system rollback
If you have saved a backup in iTunes that was made on iOS 10 before installing the eleventh beta, you can now use it to restore your data. Just click on the “Restore from backup…” link and specify the corresponding archive. Your data will be restored. That's all, nothing complicated. This way you can roll back the system to the previous version.
Have you read ““? Still couldn’t resist and installed it, and now you don’t know how to roll back from iOS 11 to iOS 10? As long as Apple signs the iOS 10 firmware, you can easily switch back to iOS 10. This process will not take you much time. Full rollback instructions are below the cut.
How to return iOS 10 from iOS 11?
Let's start in order... What you need to do to avoid losing all your data on your phone or tablet...
If you made a backup to iTunes or iCloud on iOS 10 before installing iOS 11, then after a rollback you can restore this data. If you make a “backup” on iOS 11, it will no longer be possible to restore new data on the firmware version of iOS 10. Therefore, it is important to understand that you can only restore information from a backup made on iOS 10, or you will have to restore your mobile device as new.
How to downgrade from iOS 11 to iOS 10?
- First, you need to check which version of iTunes you have installed. Must be the latest one.
- Now you need to download the latest build of iOS 10 firmware, which Apple is still signing. At the moment it is . Download it specifically for your device model.
- Now take your iPhone or iPad, go to the Settings application and disable the “Find iPhone” function there, as well as password protection and Touch ID.
- Let's move on... Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer using a cable and launch iTunes. Click on the icon with the image of your device.
- Enable DFU mode on the device. Press and hold the power button for 3 seconds and, without releasing it, press the HOME button for 10 seconds. Then we continue to hold the HOME button, but at the same time release the power button. Hold the HOME button for another 30 seconds. iTunes will detect your device in recovery mode.
- Now in iTunes, press and hold the (Alt) Option key on a Mac or the SHIFT key on Windows and select the Restore option. All that remains is to specify the previously saved IPSW file for iOS 10.3.3 firmware and wait for the process to complete.
We remind you once again that a rollback from iOS 11 to iOS 10 can only be done if Apple signs the iOS 10 build.
