iPhone 5 or earlier Are you ever tempted to pop your SIM into a 4S and go back to a simpler time?

[braddick]

With the advancement of iOS and now with the introduction of iOS14, are you ever tempted to get off of the Apple escalator and go back to a time where your iPhone didn't quite control as much as it does and can now? I am staring at my iPhone 4S (still on 6.1.3) and I swear, I feel like using it and forsaking the latest/greatest in hardware and software.

 

[Julienne]

Mine is on iOS 9.3.1 I want to roll back to iOS 6.1.3 . Is it possible.?

 

[The Man]

Can you re-install iOS 6 on an iPhone 4? Mine is on iOS 7. It's an extra phone, not my main.

 

[maerz001]

No there is no roll back. Never was

 

[Nordichund]

I must admit I miss the time when GSM cell phones became so small you lost them in your pocket Time however does not stand still and some of us have to go with the flow. At least Apple tries to make it easier, more secure with what seems like endless possibilities.

 

[Julienne]

Still Love my 4S. It’s laggy on iOS 9 i want to go back on iOS 6

 

[LeafsFanNL]

I still have a barely used 4. Its on iOS 7 (I think). It runs it pretty good. I like to take it out now and again, but there is no way I'd use it in place of my iPhone 11

 

[5097842]

I still miss playing Flappy Bird! it's in my account, but will not download because it's 32 bit.

 

[now i see it]

I've got an iPhone 4S that works fine and several newer models. The 4S was my first iPhone. My thoughts on the 4S is as follows: It sucks

 

[headlessmike]

My father has an iPhone 4 that is still running iOS 4.3.X with no extra apps installed. It's fun to play with, but pretty bare bones by today's standards.

What always surprises me is how slow it feels: opening any app takes forever even compared to an old iPhone 6s running iOS 13.

Other than that I still use an iPhone 4s running iOS 9 when I go running.

 

[eyoungren]

With the advancement of iOS and now with the introduction of iOS14, are you ever tempted to get off of the Apple escalator and go back to a time where your iPhone didn't quite control as much as it does and can now? I am staring at my iPhone 4S (still on 6.1.3) and I swear, I feel like using it and forsaking the latest/greatest in hardware and software.

No, I am not tempted. But maybe that is because in my menagerie of phones I have a 3GS, a 4, a 4s, a 5, a 6s and a 6s+. The 6s+ has an active line though and until two days ago it was on 9.0.2.

I don't need to put my SIM in any of these phones in order to pick one up and use it for a little bit. Then the fact that you can't do anything kicks in and you remember why you are using a more modern phone.

 

[ian87w]

I still have my old Moto X, and whenever I turn it on, it reminds me how slow things were back then. I definitely don't want to go back. The size was nice, but that's about it. Everything else is better today on a modern phone.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

I get the urge to go back to the smaller and lighter and more indestructible times of my 5S.

 

[eyoungren]

I still have my old Moto X, and whenever I turn it on, it reminds me how slow things were back then. I definitely don't want to go back. The size was nice, but that's about it. Everything else is better today on a modern phone.

Between May 2009 and September 2012 I used an HTC Touch Pro running Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro. I sent that phone off to someone years ago to replace a phone that had died, but just a few months ago I picked a new one up for less than $20.

Got that phone restored to a September 2012 backup which was fun for a short while.

 

[EM2013]

No. I used an iPhone 6 for a couple months back in 2018 & that was slow enough.

Would never use a 6 or something older ever again.

 

[rui no onna]

With the advancement of iOS and now with the introduction of iOS14, are you ever tempted to get off of the Apple escalator and go back to a time where your iPhone didn't quite control as much as it does and can now? I am staring at my iPhone 4S (still on 6.1.3) and I swear, I feel like using it and forsaking the latest/greatest in hardware and software.

Nope. Besides, would need a nano to uSIM adapter for that or a physical SIM if one's already switched to eSIM. I also hate the 30-pin charging cable.

I still have 2x iPod touch 4th gen (iOS 4), 1x iPhone 2G (iOS 3?), 1x iPhone 4 (iOS 5) and 1x iPhone 4S (iOS 6). Also have a 5 and 5s but those have bloated batteries.

For my usage, the iPhone 4 wasn't really simpler. It was just slower. With that said, I wish there was an easier way to selectively disable Siri for apps than going into app settings one by one.

 

[freeagent]

No. Mainly because my kids are old enough to use my computers. I’m getting old and a 4S screen is too small. At least I can use my phone for most things I use my pc for.

 

[EugW]

I have an iPhone 5. I don't use it with a SIM. It was supposed to be used as an iPod, but I don't use it for that either.

No there is no roll back. Never was

Well, usually when a new update comes out, rollback is possible for several days.

And specifically for the iPad 2, rollback to iOS 6.1.3 was possible for quite some time. Dunno about the iPhones.

 

[ericwn]

Not interested in going back.

 

[rui no onna]

No there is no roll back. Never was

Iirc, this used to be possible pre-iOS 5 with older iTunes as long as you save a copy of the signature using umbrella or rain or something to that effect.

 

[parker5011]

I use my 4s with my free FreeUp sim. I use it for date nights so I’m not scrolling on my phone and only the babysitter can reach me.

 

[freeagent]

A roll back is/was possible if you saved your ssh blobs from way back.

 

[eyoungren]

A roll back is/was possible if you saved your ssh blobs from way back.

And to roll back with blobs you first need to be jailbroken.

I've found that most people who have no idea what blobs are don't have them, because knowing what they are means you know what they are used for. So, rollback is generally not possible for them even if jailbroken.

 

[freeagent]

And to roll back with blobs you first need to be jailbroken.

I've found that most people who have no idea what blobs are don't have them, because knowing what they are means you know what they are used for. So, rollback is generally not possible for them even if jailbroken.

Yeah it’s been awhile. I wasn’t smart enough to figure out how to do it, and they were lost forever after the update.

 

[eyoungren]

Yeah it’s been awhile. I wasn’t smart enough to figure out how to do it, and they were lost forever after the update.

There was a disruption around the launch of iOS 6. Cydia had an issue where automatic saving of blobs didn't capture the entire thing, so rolling back was not possible. Then APTicket came along with iOS 7 and it got a lot more complicated.