How to roll back iOS: methods to roll back to the previous version (from 10 to 9) and to an older firmware version for various iPhone and iPad models

The new iOS came out less than a day ago, and in our Telegram chat there are already a huge number of complaints about the system’s operation, battery life, and others iOS 15 problems. This is the fate of those who installed the update - unfortunately, this was to be expected. The developers have yet to release app updates, so perhaps there is a reason to return to iOS 14.8 until a stable one is released iOS 15 update.

We tell you how to roll back from iOS 15 to iOS 14

Despite the fact that problems with updating do not happen often, it is important to save the data so that later you can restore all the files back when you roll back to a previous version of iOS.

When is it necessary to rollback iOS?

The reasons for installing an older version of the operating system may be the following circumstances:

With new firmware versions, the design changes, and not all users may like the new design.
The most common reason is the appearance of freezes and glitches. Such problems happen for two reasons: either a new version of the firmware has become available to users in a too crude form, with errors in the code and shortcomings, or the device that was updated has become outdated for the loads created by the new version of IOS.

Please note that it is not possible to roll back any device to any version; you can view detailed information about which device to which firmware version can be rolled back to on the following website - https://appstudio.org/shsh. All data is located in table format.

Instructions for rolling back iOS 9.3.5 for 32-bit devices (+ Jailbreak instructions)

Attention! This instruction is relevant only for users of Apple devices with processors: A5, A6 with iOS 9.3.5 firmware.

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Hello, I’ll start with a preface, iOS 9.3.5 became the final system for the range of Apple devices based on A5 processors, namely:

iPad 2.
iPad 3 (iPad with Retina display).
iPad mini (1st generation).
iPhone 4s.
iPod touch 5.

And it became perhaps the most disgusting system from Yabloko, after iOS 4.3, of course.

The devices worked extremely disgustingly, the system became unbearably slow, and this affected not only devices on the above-mentioned crystals, but this also affected users of the iPhone 5S, 6, and it’s simply impossible to say anything about the weak hardware of these two devices.

I personally use the first Minik and iPod touch 5, and I can say with full confidence that Apple literally killed this generation of devices with every OS update, and as a result, the final version (9.3.5) worked on them not only poorly , but it’s disgusting and this concerned not only the smoothness of the interface, but also the work of the programs, of which I’ll single out the graphic editor Procreate - in which, when creating illustrations in retina resolution (2048x1536), the application crashed and in some cases did not save the project, in the end I had to do everything again and postpone the project deadline. In all other programs, the common symptoms are the following: freezes, convulsive scrolling and delays when typing text. In versions of iOS 8, such hell was not observed.

Then I purchased another model of an Apple tablet, but I continued to use my mini as a portable device for surfing the Internet and watching movies - in principle it worked and okay. But despite everything, throughout the year, I continued to look for ways to rollback and jailbreak my mini-device, but everything was in vain, there were no utilities for this OS. And then the other day I saw on Reddit the release of an exploit that allows you to do Jeil on old devices. The first thought was that this is another fake that can’t do anything. Then I went to several domestic sites about Apple and saw articles dedicated to this “event” - my happiness knew no bounds. I immediately ran to install an exploit on the device and look for ways to roll back the firmware, but again bad luck, I didn’t find any utilities that do this and remembered about my iPod, which I updated from iOS 6.1.3 and instead of version 9.3.5 I received 8.4.1, which is very usable on older devices. You will find out what I decided to do next and how I installed the jailbreak in the instructions below.

List of devices supporting this exploit :

iPhone 4s.
iPhone 5.
iPhone 5c.
iPad 2.
iPad 3.
iPad 4.
iPad mini 1.

How to Jailbreak:

Download ipa.
Download Cydia Impactor.
Connect your device to your computer.
Launch Cydia Impactor and drag the downloaded ipa file into the program window.
Enter your Apple ID information in the pop-up window.
Go to Settings -> General -> Device Management on your iPhone or iPad, select the Phoenix certificate and double-click Trust.
Return to your home screen and launch the Phoenix app. When prompted to receive push notifications, click OK. Uncheck Phoenix at the bottom and click on the circle.
Lock your iPhone or iPad screen and wait a few seconds. You will receive a notification when the hack is complete.
Unlock your device and launch the Phoenix app again. You see an animation indicating that Cydia is getting ready to install. Wait for the reboot, after which the Cydia store will be installed.

Note:

The jailbreak is half untethered, so after rebooting the device, you will have to install it again (without a computer), this is done simply, you need to follow steps 7-9 based on the instructions described above

Rollback to iOS 8.4.1:

Open the Cydia store and enter “Filza File Manager” in the search for tweaks.
Open the downloaded file manager.
We follow the path /System/Library/CoreServices.
Find the file SystemVersion.plist.
Change Version (9.3.5) and Build (13G36) to Version (6.1.3) and Build (10B329).
Save and reboot the device (at the same time hold down the on/off button along with the Home key and hold until the loading screen with an apple appears).
Next, the recovery process will begin, which does not entail anything.
Go to the settings and look at the version number. If the values in the system version and build number items match those that we changed to, then congratulations - everything worked out for you.
Go to the “Software Update” section and download the iOS 8.4.1 available to you.
After updating to iOS 8.4.1, delete all content from the device (“General” -> “Reset” -> “Erase all content and settings”) and set up your iPhone or iPad as new

Sources:

Official website of the jailbreak utility.

If you have questions about rollback and jailbreak, write them in the comments, I will try to answer each one if possible.

How to roll back an application to an older version on an iPhone or iPad

In order to roll back an iOS application, you first need to obtain the IPA file of its previous version, which was previously downloaded using an Apple ID. Once this file has been accessed, you can begin the process of rolling back the application.

If your iOS device has previously been synced using iTunes, a previous version of the app may be present on the user's computer. When iTunes syncs, a copy of your installed iOS apps is saved in \Users\<Username>\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\Mobile Apps on Mac, and C:\Users\<Username>\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media on Windows.

By default, data is stored as .IPA files. If your iOS device was synced after updating a specific app, the IPA file on your computer may have been updated as well. In this case, you can find the old IPA in the Trash (Mac) or Trash (Windows).

Note! IPA files collected from external sources (such as the Internet) may not work on an iOS device because they may not be associated with the current Apple ID.

Thus, updating the operating system can be done manually or through the use of third-party software. If the user decides to abandon the updated firmware version, then you can return to it a little later.

Rollback from 13 to 12 iOS

You can always get an updated version back. There is a special function for this in all Apple devices. In general, updating the system on Apple devices is always easier than returning to previous versions. Therefore, it is recommended not to neglect updates and ignore old software. We need to look at the development process soberly.

Most IT specialists recommend waiting a little time and only then installing new items. This is explained by the fact that at the release stage, updates are tested only in laboratory conditions and may behave differently in practice. The older software is already debugged and works correctly. Therefore, it is advised to wait a month or two and only then try new software that will stand the test of time.

How to roll back an iOS update on an iPhone or iPad

How to roll back an Android update to a previous version

How to roll back a device to a previous version of iOS? Conventionally, there are two rollback methods:

with data storage;
with a complete reset of user settings and files.

It should be immediately noted that rolling back to the previous version 12 by itself, without third-party resources or using iTunes, is impossible. There are methods that pose risks to the user, and there are completely safe ones. Below are explanations of why it is advisable to use one or another option.

iPad and iOS 12

Rollback to a previous version while saving data

Installing and uninstalling Whatsapp for iPad and iPhone

By default, any rollback to a previous version implies a complete reset of user settings. Once any other version of iOS is installed, the user will only be provided with factory settings. Therefore, the only way to protect yourself is to make a backup.

Next, you should proceed with the rollback using IPSW. All that is required from the user is to download the file of the required version (image file) and save it on any computer where iTunes is installed.

To roll back the firmware of an iPhone (iPad or iPod Touch), you must follow these steps:

Make a backup of your iPhone.
Disable Find My iPhone if you have enabled it. To do this, go to Settings > click Cloud > uncheck “Find My iPhone”. When the pop-up window appears, enter your Apple ID and its password.
After that, connect your iPhone to your computer with iTunes using a USB cable.
Launch Finder or iTunes on your computer and make sure you have the latest version. After this, you can start rolling back the OS to the previous version.

Using Finder

If you use the Finder, the iPhone will appear under the “Locations” section > click on the iPhone > select “General” > go to “Restore iPhone”, which will appear in the settings menu. Once “Restore iPhone” is selected, a pop-up window will appear where you need to select the downloaded file from the OS and click “Open”.

Finder will display a message with the approximate content “All information from the iPhone will be deleted.” You must agree and click the “Restore” button, the backup and all information will be transferred after the necessary OS is installed and configured.

Saving data on iOS 13

Using iTunes

If you're using iTunes, you'll need to click the iPhone icon (or the device name under Devices) to open "Summary." If you're using an iMac, you'll need to click Restore iPhone while holding down the Option key.

If you are using Win PC, you need to click “Restore iPhone” while holding down the Shift key. Then in the pop-up window you need to find and select the downloaded IPSW, then click the “Open” button. When the message “iTunes will erase and restore your iPhone” appears, you need to select the “Restore” option to continue the OS rollback process.

Important! When the restoration is complete, the iPhone will reboot, after which you need to check that the system is working correctly.

To restore data, you will need:

Open and tap Settings on your iPhone, then find General and select Reset, then tap Erase All Content and Settings.
All applications and data will be displayed on the iPhone screen. You need to follow the onscreen instructions and then click "Recover from iCloud Backup"
You'll need an iPhone ID here because you'll have to enter your Apple ID and select a backup. After this, recovery begins. If the system asks you to sign in to your Apple ID again, you must sign in to restore apps and purchases from iCloud.

As mentioned earlier, the saving and restoring process may take some time, so you need to be patient and have a good Wi-Fi connection.

Create a backup

The procedure of rolling back to a previous version of iOS leads to one undesirable consequence - complete deletion of data on the device. Essentially, the system is reset to its default state (from the factory). To save data on your device, you need to create a backup copy. To do this, we can use the iCloud cloud service or transfer them to a computer via iTunes. The chosen method does not really matter, we use the one we like best.