Apple Accidentally Allowed Downgrades All the Way Back to iOS 6 Early Today

[TeeHawkZ32]

Apple should ALWAYS allow downgrades. It's not their right to tell me what software I can and can't install on a device that I bought and paid for.

Except for when you agreed to the terms and conditions that explain that. Too many people are under the misinformed impression that when you pay for a device, its 100% yours. Sure- the devices is, but the operating system isn't.

As is any software system- there are binding terms and conditions for usage. If you don't like them, android has a perfectly fragmented operating system you could try out (but then again, you might wanna watch out for more of those pesky Terms and Conditions!)

And for the record- Apple does allow downgrades to previous versions (IE 11.2 back to 11.1.2).
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iOS 11 has completely ruined my iPhone 6 and it is driving me insane. I tried copying and pasting links from the address bar in Safari to Notes last night, and each time I'd switch to Notes, it would freeze for like 20+ seconds, and crashed on two occasions. Same for many other apps.

It simply wasn't like this on iOS 10.

If iOS 11 was the root cause of this issue- EVERYONE would be having these problems.

Correlation is not causation. The issue may have occurred after our update, but more than likely, its the installation of your update that caused the problems. Reinstalling is your best bet for a fix- but if you want to do it right, you need to avoid restoring a backup to your device (Otherwise you're just bringing the same corrupted files back to your device again).

 

[iOSUser7]

Wrong. Last year I was using ios 5 every day. Wasn't impressive but it did the job.

Are you using your phone for anything other than texting and calling ? Because if you didn’t then yes sure even an iPhone 2G can do the job.

 

[tito2020]

confusion in the Apple camp n.b they Deliberately turn it on

Iphone x would of been a power house if they had ios6

 

[44267547]

You cannot compare hardware running iOS 6 to iOS 11, it does not exist .

I'm going to be honest, you truthfully have no idea what you're talking about. Nor is it even necessarily related to anything I said before about the differences for two different pieces of hardware . This part of the Post is not even worth discussing further, as you're not making literal sense.

Fail to see what an iPhone 4S or iPod have to do with iOS 11. Don't worry

Creating a strawman argument doesn't allow you to interject something that doesn't make any sense at all in relation to my prior post, which you inherently misconstrued intentionally for the sake of your own argument, which is not working. However, seemingly, others agree with me based off my own logic.

Thanks for the discussion.

 

[bernuli]

Oh man. Sorry I missed that window. iOS source code is getting so long that Apple is not able to keep it straight.

I'd like to see a light version of iOS and macOS. SO much crap I just don't need. iCloud Handoff Siri etc are awesome technologies but I do not use them yet I have to lug hem around constantly.

Animations are cool when you first get a device but as the OS versions roll on, animations only contribute to sluggish computing.

If Apple started producing hardware I was excited about I would happily upgrade.

They keep taking options away from new hardware. How about removing some source code instead!!!

 

[roland.g]

Even if I could do this to take a newer device back to be able to jailbreak it, the cons far outweigh the pros. You have to go back to iOS 8 or 9 to truly get a full repertoire of JB tweaks that would make it worthwhile but in the process you lose advances in the iOS UI and other features in iOS 10 and iOS 11 that don’t make the retreat worth it.

Giving up too much to get too little.

 

[MH01]

I'm going to be honest, you truthfully have no idea what you're talking about. Nor is it even necessarily related to anything I said before about the differences for two different pieces of hardware . This part of the Post is not even worth discussing further, as you're not making literal sense.



Creating a strawman argument doesn't allow you to interject something that doesn't make any sense at all in relation to my prior post, which you inherently misconstrued intentionally for the sake of your own argument, which is not working. However, seemingly, others agree with me based off my own logic.

Thanks for the discussion.

Such waffle.

You are right, thanks for your usual lecture, yawn. Same old.... so predictable. Have a good weekend and enjoy iOS 11.... such a fine ...fine release that is!

 

[fairuz]

Wish I would've known. iOS 6 on iPhone 5 <3

Best. Combo. Everrrr. Back when I actually enjoyed using my phone.
I wish I took the chance to downgrade. But maybe I'd go back if enough things were unsupported. I really wish the current iOS were like iOS 6 again (not in terms of graphics but UX and stability).
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If I didn't have iOS 11 myself, I would think its a terrible OS but I haven't had many issues with it at all except for some minor bugs with the Control Center.

It has absolutely ruined my phone. Major bugs with simple things like trying to shuffle my music.

 

[KingSH007]

6.1.3 is still signed for 4S and iPad 2. It looks like it will stay signed. Of course, those two devices already have OTA blobs, so you can always downgrade, but it's easier if Apple signs it (you just need iTunes).

 

[aaronhead14]

Except for when you agreed to the terms and conditions that explain that. Too many people are under the misinformed impression that when you pay for a device, its 100% yours. Sure- the devices is, but the operating system isn't.

As is any software system- there are binding terms and conditions for usage. If you don't like them, android has a perfectly fragmented operating system you could try out (but then again, you might wanna watch out for more of those pesky Terms and Conditions!)

Where in the terms and conditions does it say that I can't install the software that I want on my own device? Show me. (I'm serious, I want to know).

 

[Q-Dog]

I would love to go back to ios 8 on my ipad air

 

[urtules]

iOS 11 has completely ruined my iPhone 6 and it is driving me insane. I tried copying and pasting links from the address bar in Safari to Notes last night, and each time I'd switch to Notes, it would freeze for like 20+ seconds, and crashed on two occasions. Same for many other apps.

It simply wasn't like this on iOS 10.

Maybe try to use action extension? It’s awesome.

And to repeat other guy, you have some problem, I run iOS 11 and I don’t have this. I know it’s not good but erase and restore should help. And don’t listen to this guy, restore from backup, try clean install only if restoring didn’t help.

 

[sracer]

Where in the terms and conditions does it say that I can't install the software that I want on my own device? Show me. (I'm serious, I want to know).

Here's the relevant section of the license agreement for iOS:

"1. General.
(a) The software (including Boot ROM code, embedded software and third party software),
documentation, interfaces, content, fonts and any data that came with your iOS Device (“Original iOS
Software”), as may be updated or replaced by feature enhancements, software updates or system
restore software provided by Apple (“iOS Software Updates”), whether in read only memory, on any
other media or in any other form (the Original iOS Software and iOS Software Updates are collectively
referred to as the “iOS Software”) are licensed, not sold, to you by Apple Inc. (“Apple”) for use only
under the terms of this License. Apple and its licensors retain ownership of the iOS Software itself and
reserve all rights not expressly granted to you. You agree that the terms of this License will apply to any
Apple-branded app that may be built-in on your iOS Device, unless such app is accompanied by a
separate license, in which case you agree that the terms of that license will govern your use of that app."

In a nutshell, Apple states that they reserve the right to make available what they want to. They can release an update and they can remove it (from their servers).

 

[DocMultimedia]

I'm betting they will let people downgrade in the future because of the "my iPhone is running slower" battery issue.

Maybe.

 

[urtules]

Oh man. Sorry I missed that window. iOS source code is getting so long that Apple is not able to keep it straight.

I'd like to see a light version of iOS and macOS. SO much crap I just don't need. iCloud Handoff Siri etc are awesome technologies but I do not use them yet I have to lug hem around constantly.

Animations are cool when you first get a device but as the OS versions roll on, animations only contribute to sluggish computing.

If Apple started producing hardware I was excited about I would happily upgrade.

They keep taking options away from new hardware. How about removing some source code instead!!!

You can disable all 3 of them - iCloud, Siri and Handoff.

 

[sracer]

I'm betting they will let people downgrade in the future because of the "my iPhone is running slower" battery issue.

Maybe.

Allowing customers to choose to downgrade current/past devices (not just future) would go a long way toward keeping me as a customer.

 

[bernuli]

You can disable all 3 of them - iCloud, Siri and Handoff.

Yeah I disabled all of it but there are at least 3 iCloud processes and a bunch of Handoff daemons that still run in the background. Performance impact might be minimal but it is unnecessary complication that I do not need.

I would pay for a lite version.

 

[mcalict]

Who sits around and "finds" this stuff??? Don't they anything better to do than "let's see if I can downgrade iOS three or four versions back for the heck of it tonight"???

I would like to know how people discover these opportunities. For those who were aware, how'd you know (other than Reddit)?

 

[C DM]

Who sits around and "finds" this stuff??? Don't they anything better to do than "let's see if I can downgrade iOS three or four versions back for the heck of it tonight"???

I would like to know how people discover these opportunities. For those who were aware, how'd you know (other than Reddit)?

There are some web sites that (automatically) monitor releases and update as they find any changes. People either keep an eye on them or perhaps have some update notifications configured to let them know when there are any changes.

 

[sracer]

There are some web sites that (automatically) monitor releases and update as they find any changes. People either keep an eye on them or perhaps have some update notifications configured to let them know when there are any changes.

...or someone gets tipped off by someone on the inside.

 

[Act3]

I'm betting they will let people downgrade in the future because of the "my iPhone is running slower" battery issue.

Maybe.

maybe that signing glitch earlier was an unofficial trial

 

[highground]

Apple should ALWAYS allow downgrades. It's not their right to tell me what software I can and can't install on a device that I bought and paid for.

Except when the software in question belongs to them.

 

[TeeHawkZ32]

Maybe try to use action extension? It’s awesome.

And to repeat other guy, you have some problem, I run iOS 11 and I don’t have this. I know it’s not good but erase and restore should help. And don’t listen to this guy, restore from backup, try clean install only if restoring didn’t help.

iOS 11 has completely ruined my iPhone 6 and it is driving me insane. I tried copying and pasting links from the address bar in Safari to Notes last night, and each time I'd switch to Notes, it would freeze for like 20+ seconds, and crashed on two occasions. Same for many other apps.

It simply wasn't like this on iOS 10.

I mean, my credentials are four years of working for Apple, specifically in the iOS group- so restore from a backup if you want, but prepare yourself to be frustrated lol

 

[Cole Slaw]

If only I'd known I would have put my iPhone 7 Plus back on iOS 10.

 

[TeeHawkZ32]

Where in the terms and conditions does it say that I can't install the software that I want on my own device? Show me. (I'm serious, I want to know).

It doesn't say that you can't install the software that you want- IE jailbreaking. Here's the first paragraph of the T+C for iOS 11.2:

1. General.
(a) The software, documentation, interfaces, content, fonts and any data that came with your iOS Device, as may be updated or replaced by feature enhancements, software updates or system restore software provided by Apple, whether in read only memory, on any other media or in any other form are licensed, not sold, to you by Apple Inc. for use only under the terms of this License. Apple and its licensors retain ownership of the iOS Software itself and reserve all rights not expressly granted to you. You agree that the terms of this License will apply to any Apple-branded app that may be built-in on your iOS Device, unless such app is accompanied by a separate license, in which case you agree that the terms of that license will govern your use of that app.

(b) Apple, at its discretion, may make available future iOS Software Updates. The iOS Software Updates, if any, may not necessarily include all existing software features or new features that Apple releases for newer or other models of iOS Devices. The terms of this License will govern any iOS Software Updates provided by Apple, unless such iOS Software Update is accompanied by a separate license, in which case you agree that the terms of that license will govern.


The phrases in bold really just kinda highlight miscellaneous things we've touched on- but the red parts are more important to pay attention to. 'Not expressly granted to you' basically indicates that, because Apple doesn't expressly offer you the option to downgrade your software to unsigned versions, the decision to NOT allow that, is reserved and rightful. The second red part is a little more self explanatory- Apple reserves the right to add/remove features from existing software as they see fit. The end user can supply feedback on those changes- but by agreeing to these terms and conditions, you agree that Apple may remove or add features that you may/may not like.

The reason this isn't stated blatantly, is mostly because nobody has the time to sit down and literally list everything that Apple isn't going to allow you to do with your software. If you took something like this to court though, they'd probably point you to that. Hope this clears things up, though.


--Signed

The Guy Who Reads the Terms and Conditions