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Apple Stops Signing iOS 15.6 Following iOS 15.6.1 Release, Downgrading No Longer Possible

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Following the launch of iOS 15.6.1 last Wednesday, Apple has stopped signing iOS 15.6, the previously available version that came out in mid-July. Since iOS 15.6 is no longer being signed, it is not possible to downgrade to that version of iOS after installing iOS 15.6.1.

iOS-15.6.1-feature-4.jpg

Apple routinely stops signing older versions of software updates after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date, so it is not unusual that iOS 15.6 is no longer being signed.

iOS 15.6 was minor in scale, introducing an option to restart, pause, rewind, and fast-forward a live sports game that's in progress, plus it addressed an issue that could cause the Settings app to continue to display that device storage is full even when it's not.

Released on August 17, iOS 15.6.1 had no new feature additions, but it does include a critical security fix that addresses kernel and Webkit vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary code execution.

Article Link: Apple Stops Signing iOS 15.6 Following iOS 15.6.1 Release, Downgrading No Longer Possible
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2022/08/25/apple-stops-signing-ios-15-6/
iDarth_Betar said:
I’ll miss the amazing battery life I got with 15.6. Really noticeable difference between it and the 16 beta.

15.6 was a good build for me.
Click to expand...
Betas are never calibrated to be good on battery life until the very end..?

But yeah 16 is a huge change anyway. How could we expect all the new features on year old hardware with NO loss in battery life?

I’m struggling not to use more question marks here.
 
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MrMacintoshIII said:
Betas are never calibrated to be good on battery life until the very end..?

But yeah 16 is a huge change anyway. How could we expect all the new features on year old hardware with NO loss in battery life?

I’m struggling not to use more question marks here.
Click to expand...
Oh yea, the switch is never easy, and it’ll get polished out for sure. I’m used to betas and not getting the performance I’m used to right off the bat.

Actually where I’m noticing the most drain is standby throughout the night. I’m dropping 5-6% in 7 hours, but usually it only budges 1%.

Not too worried about it. 😃
 
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It’s about time we switch out our batteries anyway. My launch 13 mini is at 91% health. Not bad, but not great either, and it’s only about to get worse.

I now require two MagSafe battery packs throughout my day, as I found one to be barely insufficient for especially long and phone-heavy days, which was unacceptable.

Strongly considering a 14 Pro just for the battery life, but the mini size is to die for.
 
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macachia said:
I must have missed your point. Downgrading doesn’t feel a right to repair
Click to expand...
Yep you missed it.

It's based on Apple Batterygate...

Batterygate - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

...to allow customers go back to previous versions and set their smartphones back to a working state.

Page 4 number 10 of:


Highlights that goods with digital elements require specific attention; stresses in
particular that software updates have to be made available for a minimum period of time
in line with the Digital Content Directive; demands that consumers should be fully
informed on update availability at the time of purchase; adds that functionality updates
should be reversible and not lead to diminished performance of the device; notes that
practices, which unduly constrain the right to repair or lead to obsolescence could be
considered as unfair commercial practices and therefore be added to the Annex I of the
Unfair Commercial Practices Directive;
 
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Wildkraut said:
Once the EU Right To Repair to become officially active by law, it will force Apple to stop doing this and we will be able to freely downgrade.
Click to expand...
I presume you can read.
"Released on August 17, iOS 15.6.1 had no new feature additions, but it does include a critical security fix that addresses kernel and Webkit vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary code execution."
Only an idiot would want to downgrade.
Oh.......wait.......
 
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MrMacintoshIII said:
It’s about time we switch out our batteries anyway. My launch 13 mini is at 91% health. Not bad, but not great either, and it’s only about to get worse.

I now require two MagSafe battery packs throughout my day, as I found one to be barely insufficient for especially long and phone-heavy days, which was unacceptable.

Strongly considering a 14 Pro just for the battery life, but the mini size is to die for.
Click to expand...
My partner is the same. Got the 13 Mini for the size, but looks like she’ll go for the 14 Pro to get reasonable battery life. She also relies on a battery pack to get through a single day of use. The 13 Pro Max on the other hand is a battery beast - I can comfortably get 2 days of moderate use.
 
I might be in the minority here, but this upgrade - complete 5.6GB dirty OTA - really degraded my iPhone 11 Pro. To a point that I made the leap to iOS 16, and am happy again (minus some overheating on wireless charging overnight).
The issues on 15.6.1 that didn't occur on 15.6 were radio (cellular and WiFi, and some Bluetooth - all objective connectivity), UI speed/performance (subjective), and no new features.

What was worse cellular speed tests fell all the way down to 0.6Mbps (in areas I normally get 20+ Mbps), and I couldn't even FaceTime someone over LTE/4G (connection was so unstable).
 
MrMacintoshIII said:
It’s about time we switch out our batteries anyway. My launch 13 mini is at 91% health. Not bad, but not great either, and it’s only about to get worse.

I now require two MagSafe battery packs throughout my day, as I found one to be barely insufficient for especially long and phone-heavy days, which was unacceptable.

Strongly considering a 14 Pro just for the battery life, but the mini size is to die for.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure switching out batteries is a good answer - once you pop open the case, the waterproofing degrades significantly.

For comparison, my iPhone 11 Pro Max is still at 87% after ~3 years. My wife's 13 Pro (not Max) is at 90% after a year (launch). Daughter 12 is 89%, and son 12 mini is 92% (both after 20 months).

NOTE - these are "as reported by phone". Using Coconut Battery, the battery life remaining of design capacity is much higher - my daughter's 12 shows up to 96% of new/design capacity...
 
cmcbhi said:
I presume you can read.
"Released on August 17, iOS 15.6.1 had no new feature additions, but it does include a critical security fix that addresses kernel and Webkit vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary code execution."
Only an idiot would want to downgrade.
Oh.......wait.......
Click to expand...
If we take 15.6.1 as an example, it doesn't matter because it inherits the features that came with prior iOS releases, and in the future we will be able to downgrade.

So a device that came with e.g. 15.0 will be able to downgrade till 15.0 per law.
Like it or not, your personal opinion does not override the upcoming EU Right to Repair law that will become active 2023.

Let's see if Apple has "courage" and risk being fined as much as 10% of their annual worldwide turnover.
I hope so, I would LMAO.
 
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Wildkraut said:
If we take 15.6.1 as an example, it doesn't matter because it inherits the features that came with prior iOS releases, and in the future we will be able to downgrade.

So a device that came with e.g. 15.0 will be able to downgrade till 15.0 per law.
Like it or not, your personal opinion does not override the upcoming EU Right to Repair law that will become active 2023.

Let's see if Apple has "courage" and risk being fined as much as 10% of their annual worldwide turnover.
I hope so, I would LMAO.
Click to expand...

Let’s make it a proper EU law then. If you downgrade and your phone is breached you are required to notify every entity that has any of their personal data on your device (photo, contact, text communications, email) and you will pay fines GDPR style while any notified member can ask for compensation for damages. GDPR has done this to the rest of world how about they hold their own people accountable who think they know cybersecurity.
 
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I don’t know but my iPhone 12 on this latest version feels extremely sloppy, mostly when I’m typing It feels slow as an iPhone 3 on iOS 4 i hate it
 
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Be allowed to downgrade for performance gains at the cost of security. If you are forced to be up to date, that means purchasing supported devices, however, what will happen to a security risk but still functional device, is it just going to be electronic waste [if the owner does not have any means to bring it to a recycling facility] ?
 
Wildkraut said:
Yep you missed it.

It's based on Apple Batterygate...
Click to expand...

Here we go with Batterygate again. The "throttling" has been described as planned obsolescence. In fact, the throttling occurred only when a high load was put on weak batteries. Apple thought that this was a better user experience than a crash, and they had a point. The problem was that, from a communication/PR standpoint, their handling was worse than terrible.
 
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MrMacintoshIII said:
It’s about time we switch out our batteries anyway. My launch 13 mini is at 91% health. Not bad, but not great either, and it’s only about to get worse.

I now require two MagSafe battery packs throughout my day, as I found one to be barely insufficient for especially long and phone-heavy days, which was unacceptable.

Strongly considering a 14 Pro just for the battery life, but the mini size is to die for.
Click to expand...
That mini size has a battery that is dying on it… 😉
 
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