Apple Stops Signing iOS 16 and iOS 16.0.1, Downgrading From iOS 16.0.2 No Longer Possible

[MacRumors]

Following the launch of iOS 16.0.2 last Thursday, Apple has stopped signing iOS 16 and iOS 16.0.1, the two previously available versions that came out in mid-September. Since the two versions are no longer being signed, it is not possible to downgrade to those versions of iOS after installing iOS 16.0.2.

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 16 and iOS 16.0.1 are no longer being signed.

Apple released iOS 16 to the general public on September 12 following several months of beta testing. Key new features include a highly customizable Lock Screen, the ability to temporarily edit or unsend iMessages, improvements to Focus modes, and more. The free software update is compatible with the iPhone 8 and newer.

Apple then released iOS 16.0.1 as a day-one update for the iPhone 14 models to fix bugs including an issue with activation and migration during setup, a problem that could cause photos to appear soft when zooming in in landscape orientation on iPhone 14 Pro Max, and a bug that could cause enterprise single sign-on apps to fail to authenticate.

Although it's no longer possible to downgrade to the earlier versions of iOS outlined above, users can still revert to iOS 15 by connecting to a Mac or PC, thanks to a security fix that Apple issued alongside iOS 16 in the form of iOS 15.7.

Article Link: Apple Stops Signing iOS 16 and iOS 16.0.1, Downgrading From iOS 16.0.2 No Longer Possible

 

[sorgo †]

Good riddance

 

[I7guy]

That was fast. Although not sure why anybody would want to downgrade to those versions anyway.

 

[JosephAW]

Well Apple is restraining themselves by continuing to sign iOS 15.7

 

[harleymhs]

How do you downgrade to IOS 15 if its not signed anymore via Mac or PC ?

 

[Fat_Guy]

Personally I’ve always wanted to go back to 16.0 and wreck my 14PM cameras on third part apps. How dare they deny me this “right”? Then I take the phone in and demand a new one…



How dare they deny me this right! 🤣

 

[Wildkraut]

The day will soon come that Apple is forced to stop these customer unfriendly signing practices, it's part of EU's RightToRepair bill.

 

[Pezimak]

The day will soon come that Apple is forced to stop these customer unfriendly signing practices, it's part of EU's RightToRepair bill.

Both good and bad though that will be.

 

[MacD]

Why is this news?

 

[MajorFubar]

Why is this news?

I was thinking it was just me wondering that...

 

[cyanite]

The day will soon come that Apple is forced to stop these customer unfriendly signing practices, it's part of EU's RightToRepair bill.

In many cases iOS release address important security bugs. You could argue that it's customer unfriendly to supply known security bugged firmware.

 

[true god]

Part of their planned ab-essence strategy.

 

[randomando]

The day will soon come that Apple is forced to stop these customer unfriendly signing practices, it's part of EU's RightToRepair bill.

Unfriendly in what way. Sounds like they are doing the customers a favor by blocking the download / usage of iOS distributions that are prone to undesirable bugs or have security issues.

Also that bill doesn’t sound like it applies to software and even in a hardware context it is very limited to a few products.

Also I highly doubt that a software update will be the sole cause your device needs “repair”. If anything, downgrading has a higher chance of bricking a device, since often the system upgrades certain files and databases that would need to be reconstructed on older versions since the format / scheme changes.

The fact is that Apple is rarely going to test downgrades and can’t provide a guarantee on them, especially major jumps.

 

[zorinlynx]

Well Apple is restraining themselves by continuing to sign iOS 15.7

They always sign the previous major release for a while after the new one comes out. They want to give people time to roll back if they encounter serious issues on the new release.

They will probably stop signing iOS 15 shortly after they stop offering regular security updates for it.

 

[winxmac]

iOS 16.0 - September 12 2022
iOS 16.0.1 - September 15 2022 [iPhone 14 series only]
iOS 16.0.2 - September 22 2022

I'm not sure how long the old versions remain signed for the new/initial release of a major version but as what I have noticed [iOS 15 and earlier], Apple stops signing the previous versions about a week after the release date of the newest update...

Now I think I'm regretting a bit not buying an iPhone 8/8 Plus and keep it on iOS 16.0 for as long as I can... I am still used to the home button so iPhone X and newer is not in my radar [and also because of budget constraints]...

 

[russell_314]

Well Apple is restraining themselves by continuing to sign iOS 15.7

Well, I suspect that’s for two reasons.

Many people are still using iOS 15.7 because they’re waiting for iOS 16 to get patched. I think if you can use it, it’s a good option because iOS 16 is not stable yet. I advise my friends not to upgrade if stability is their main priority.

I’m not 100% sure but I suspect there’s some older iPhones that don’t support iOS 16 so they would be running on iOS 15.7.

There was no reason to be running an outdated version of iOS 15 or 16. There are major security patches in those point updates. Not having those updates is just asking for a very bad experience especially with the amount of data people keep on their phones now.

 

[spartan1967]

How do you downgrade to IOS 15 if its not signed anymore via Mac or PC ?

I could only find one site with a signed 15.7 file after the Apple Store decided upgrading my kid's XR to iOS 16 would fix her LTE problem (which it did not). Not as easy as this article makes it sound.

 

[Akrapovic]

The day will soon come that Apple is forced to stop these customer unfriendly signing practices, it's part of EU's RightToRepair bill.

Refusing to sign OS versions which are now insecure because they've had security patches is consumer friendly.

Apple do currently sign previous iOS versions which are secure.

 

[winxmac]

I could only find one site with a signed 15.7 file after the Apple Store decided upgrading my kid's XR to iOS 16 would fix her LTE problem (which it did not). Not as easy as this article makes it sound.

IPSW.me does not list iOS 15.7 for iPhone 8 and newer while theiphonewiki.com has direct links for iOS 15.7 for those devices...

For anyone still wanting to go back, as of checking just a few minutes ago, iOS 15.6 RC (19G69) is still showing as signed on idevicecentral.com and as a sort of proof/backing it up, I upgraded my iPad 9 Wi-Fi from iPadOS 15.5 RC to iPad OS 15.6 RC using iTunes and the IPSW file...

 

[Wildkraut]

Unfriendly in what way. Sounds like they are doing the customers a favor by blocking the download / usage of iOS distributions that are prone to undesirable bugs or have security issues.

Also that bill doesn’t sound like it applies to software and even in a hardware context it is very limited to a few products.

Also I highly doubt that a software update will be the sole cause your device needs “repair”. If anything, downgrading has a higher chance of bricking a device, since often the system upgrades certain files and databases that would need to be reconstructed on older versions since the format / scheme changes.

The fact is that Apple is rarely going to test downgrades and can’t provide a guarantee on them, especially major jumps.

This new law is based on Apples #batterygate fiasco, and it's good that it is coming.

Well, if downgrade is a problem, Apple will have to make sure it isn't a problem anymore, and add a few more automated testing patterns to their CI/CD, simply as that.

Anyway, upgrade nor downgrades never was a problem. As a dev i upgrade and downgrade all the time between major versions. They even motivate "normal users" to test major versions upgrade with their public betas and downgrade on problems.

 

[iPhoneFan5349]

How do you downgrade to IOS 15 if its not signed anymore via Mac or PC ?

Last I remember 10 years ago you had to keep the blobs or something like that

 

[winxmac]

When you bring your smartphone to a service center, one of the things they always say is for you to back up your files and the phone will be reset/updated to the latest release so if you have a version preference this is going to be a problem on iOS but for android, I think you can still downgrade anytime you want... Although I think some manufacturers are now following Apple in limiting software downgrades...

As I have said before, downgrading to a certain iOS version allows to you regain performance at the cost of security and bug fixes... Just look at iPhone 4S running iOS 9... I believe the last version for it should have been iOS 8.4.1 and left iOS 9 to iPhone 5 and newer...

 

[JosephAW]

The more I think about it the more I think that Apple needs to move the customization screen back to the settings menu because those with disabilities will be accidentally pressing on the customization instead of trying to unlock their device, I just found out I can't do live wallpaper anymore on the lock screen.

 

[Shirasaki]

How do you downgrade to IOS 15 if its not signed anymore via Mac or PC ?

Unless your are jailbroken and saved necessary files before upgrade, you can’t.

 

[russell_314]

When you bring your smartphone to a service center, one of the things they always say is for you to back up your files and the phone will be reset/updated to the latest release so if you have a version preference this is going to be a problem on iOS but for android, I think you can still downgrade anytime you want... Although I think some manufacturers are now following Apple in limiting software downgrades...

As I have said before, downgrading to a certain iOS version allows to you regain performance at the cost of security and bug fixes... Just look at iPhone 4S running iOS 9... I believe the last version for it should have been iOS 8.4.1 and left iOS 9 to iPhone 5 and newer...

Yeah, I’ve heard there’s a few cases where people said Apple allowed iOS upgrades on older phones longer than they should have.

I guess if it’s a phone for your kid and it’s not connected to your Apple account, it really doesn’t matter but if it’s your actual phone that you’re using every day with your private information like addresses, phone numbers, credit cards, passwords, then you should never not have the latest security updates.