How to Downgrade iPhone Firmware

Do you want to downgrade your iPhone or iPad to an earlier iOS version? There are several reasons why you might want to do this, but the main one is that the current iOS version is causing problems. When Apple releases a new firmware version, you get a short time in which to try it and downgrade if you need it.

Because after a set period of time, usually a week, Apple will stop signing the old firmware so you won’t be able to downgrade back to it; you’ll be stuck on the new one, problems and all!

Let’s dig in

Before Downgrading:

Before you downgrade your iOS version, you need to do three things. These will ensure that your data is safe and that you can downgrade successfully:

• Make sure iTunes is up to date. Open iTunes and click on Help>Check for Updates. Follow the onscreen instructions to update.
• Make sure your data is backed up. You can use iTunes and/or iCloud for this; if you don’t and something goes wrong, you will lose everything.
• Disable Find My iPhone/iPad, your passcode and, if enabled, Touch ID. You can enable them all again after the downgrade.

Ready to get started?

How to Downgrade iPhone iOS Version using iTunes:

1. Download the IPSW for the iOS version you are downgrading to. It must correspond to your specific device and model
2. Plug your iPhone or iPad into your computer
3. Launch iTunes and click the device summary for the connected device (only if you have more than one registered device)
4. Now put your iPhone or iPad into DFU mode. To do this, press and hold the Power and Home buttons until the Apple Logo appears on your screen. Let go of the Power button; hold the Home button down until a Connect to iTunes message appears on the screen. iTunes will also show a Device in Recovery message 
5. Now press the SHIFT (Windows) or ALT (Mac) key while clicking on Restore in iTunes.
6. Find your IPSW file and click on it
7. Follow all the on-screen instructions and click Install
8. Wait; iTunes will downgrade your device to your requested iOS version.
9. When your device reboots to the Hello screen, the downgrade is finished.

It’s really quite simple.

How to Downgrade Using TinyUmbrella App:

Make sure you follow these steps exactly as they are written:

1. Create a folder called Pwnage on your computer
2. Download TinyUmbrella for Mac or Windows and save it to the Pwnage folder
3. Download the IPSW file for the iOS version you want to downgrade to and save it to the Pwnage folder
4. Open TinyUmbrella and connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer and wait until it is detected
5. You will see a list of all the SHSH blobs available for the chosen firmware. If you don’t see any, click on Save SHSH
6. Next, click on Start TSS Server. If it doesn’t start, do not go any further.
7. If the server does start, open iTunes
8. Put your iPhone or iPad into DFU mode. Hold down the Power and Home buttons on your device for 10 seconds. Let go of the power button and continue holding the home button for 10 more seconds
9. If you have two or more devices registered in iTunes, click on the summary for the one you are downgrading
10. Press the SHIFT (Windows) or ALT (Mac) key and click Restore in iTunes at the same time
11. Find the Pwnage folder and click the IPSW file
12. Click on Open and leave iTunes to downgrade your device
13. Your iPhone or iPad will reboot to the new version

It looks simple

And it is

Let’s move on

Fix TinyUmbrella Downgrade Errors :

TinyUmbrella is a reliable app, but there are a couple of errors that you might be unlucky enough to come across – Error 1 or getting stuck in recovery mode:

1. First, download Fix Recovery onto your computer and extract the files
2. Download zlib.dll and save it onto your Pwnage folder
3. Extract the contents and then follow the steps above to put your device into DFU
4. Find the file named fixrecovery43.exe and open it
5. Let it do its work; once finished your iOS device reboots and you can use it once more

It’s that easy.

A word of caution:

You cannot downgrade to an iOS version that Apple no longer signs. If you try, you will get an iTunes Error 3194 or one that reads, “Device Isn’t Eligible For Requested Build”.

Ready to give it a go?

Remember, you don’t have long to downgrade once a new firmware is released so do it quickly. Let us know if you run into any trouble and follow us on Facebook for more tips.