Downgrading an iPhone 4S

[darrylcn]

Hello, I'm hopefully on the verge of picking up an iPhone 4S for the purposes of downgrading to iOS 6. My iPhone 5 is on 7.1.2 and my 3GS is on 5.1.1 so I'd like a smooth 6.x experience. 3GS runs 5.1.1 ok but not great and I can't downgrade my 5.

This is my first venture into this stuff so I've been researching. I think my options for the 4S are the newest downgrade guides on YouTube (JB, Open SSL etc) or CoolBooter. I think for the "real" (non CoolBooter) downgrade the device must have been on 5.x at one point? If so, I'm wondering what I can do to increase my odds of getting a former iOS 5.x phone. I'm leaning toward a 32gb version if I can find one because that will have been before it was the budget device post 5/5S release and switched to 8/16gb versions. Is that a good plan or should 16gb phones have a good shot at being former iOS 5 devices? Maybe former OS doesn't matter but I think it does. Thanks for any corrections/help. I've had my 3GS from 4.1 to 6.1.6 and back to 5.1.1 in the last year so I'm fairly capable at this stuff I just want to ensure I'm eligible before I buy a 4S.

 

[BR485]

Why do you want to run an obsolete OS on a nearly obsolete device?

 

[darrylcn]

Nostalgia. Downgrade worked first try and it's SMOOTH! Not going to use it as main phone often (only advantages are one handed use and pocketabilty) but it was fun to try out and see iOS 6 in person running smoothly again. Also nice to have some freedom (one way upgrading aside) with an iOS device.

 

[eyoungren]

I have an 8GB 4S I got my son for his birthday last year. Came with iOS 6, but he wanted it updated. Later on he got my wife's old iPhone 5 so I got his 4S and downgraded it to 6.1.3.

It was nice, but for everything I wanted to put back on it (I have all my tweaks and JB apps from iOS 6 as well as my last iOS 6 iTunes backup backed up) things went wierd. Probably because it only had 8GB of storage and my original device was an iPhone 5 with 64GB.

So, back it went to 9.3.5. It's a third phone so doesn't really see a lot of use.

 

[darrylcn]

Same here. It's even my third phone, behind the 5 and 6S+ but ahead of the 3GS.

 

[braddick]

I was fortunate to purchase a mint iPhone 4S running 6.1.3 off of eBay a few days ago (BIN at $25. plus $2.61 shipping).
Even though I own an 8+ I will at times pop my SIM out and run the 4S (with SIM adapter). I too enjoy the iOS6 experience.