I was debating going back on my 14 Pro, but it looks like Apple made up my mind for me. I restored my iPad back to 18 this morning. Good call.
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Apple Stops Signing iOS 18.6.2, iOS 26 Downgrades Now Impossible
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For iPhone XS and iPhone XR models only. Because they are capped at iOS 18
Or probs if you decide to not update at all
Ah, balls. Left it too long. I'm fine with iOS, but I was seriously considering downgrading my iPad. The new multitasking is total garbo compared to Split View and Slide Over if you're not using a mouse/trackpad. And it seems it's not possible to hide the message list in Mail and view e-mails fullscreen in portrait view. What the hell's that about? That's half of what I want to do with my iPad.
They probably do that in order to prevent too much downgrades. They leave you with OTA updates if you don’t want to immediately jump to the new OS, but if you do, after a week you’re stuck there!
It seems like they did it intentionally. Last year they released IPSWs for 17.7 RC (which turned into the 17.7 final release) for every device and continued signing it until 17.7 was outdated. This year they didn't provide IPSWs except for XR and XS.
Would it kill Apple to leave the last of the previous OS version active and available as a rollback for the life of the current version release? Its not like the older release isn't getting security updates. This just smacks of a company not confident enough in their new product and fearful a large number of customers will after a time reject it if they have an option to go back.
sensational good let people stay on the latest and greatest iOS ever release
Dammit! Stuck with this glitchy mess called iOS 26. Messages is a mess and GamePigeon in Messages plays like I'm playing it on an iPhone X -- Glitchy and slow. I play it all the time and it was perfect before I upgraded to Liquid Ass.
Thank god I downgraded my 14 PM this evening. Enjoying smooth scrolling on 18.6 again 😅. My iPad Pro M1 is stuck on 26 tho… 😒
Even more so after the clear and loud backlash and criticism of their “liquid glass” (yeah Windows Aero but worse, I don’t buy Apple marketing BS) design. They clearly see how many people are not a fan of that hence refuse to release ipsw file for iOS 18.7 for people to downgrade to. Apple has been anti-consumer from day 1 and this trend is getting worse by the day. I swear if they have the will they could’ve stopped signing last major version of iOS as soon as new major version is released to the public, all the while demanding users to upgrade on an hourly basis until users cave. After all Apple is not providing software to enterprise and business users, so why they need to care?
Latest yes. Greatest? Highly debatable.
My iPad Pro M1 can’t take much of that. It’s been 5 years old and Apple will crush its already meager performance very soon.
And it's not like the average user even knows how to downgrade.
I've never understood this obsession to prevent downgrades, especially if a new version has flaws, sometimes very serious ones that aren't fixed right away.
This, especially this year when they've made such a vast change to the OS.
I'd be furious had I upgraded before I learned about the new look and had no way to go back.
Looks like Apple has improved a few things in 26.1 so I'm semi-confident they'll fix some of the more glaring issues soon, but no one should ever be "stuck" on the new release this early on unless they bought a new device.
Yes, it is sad. I would have my 13 Mini in iOS 16 o 17.. something like that.
Thanks that I didn't even think in install this thing in my Mini.. just a week and that's all for a big realease.. insane
Oh man, I just finished "downgrading" all of my devices. Apple needs to reverse course OS26 is awful across the board. They need to offer a classic mode or something. It's truly mind-boggling how they can put something so awful on their beautiful hardware. Besides being an accessibility nightmare it's just so buggy, tacky, and cheap looking. If folks want to bedazzle their UI with rhinestones, that's fine with me, but give me a way to opt out. Sequoia never looked so good.
What you're highlighting is "how the sausage is made" on the gaslighting that always comes along each Fall about how "popular the latest iOS is!"
Yeah -- Sure Apple... When you do everything you can to get people to upgrade and then give people zero recourse if they don't like it.
I really wish they would keep the final or latest release of the last 2-3 major versions available to reinstall. But… here we are.
Wow, they were quick blocking downgrades this year! Really a shame.
I feel Apple does this so they can boast in their presentations that X% of users are on the latest iOS and they "love it"
I feel Apple does this so they can boast in their presentations that X% of users are on the latest iOS and they "love it"
Yep I think the Article is missing iOS18.7 ...
I absolute despise the numbers or percentages they come out with.
At Apple: Yes they’re high, because you give no other options to anyone who upgrades, and even sometimes by mistake.