Thanks, for the info.
I was out for some years with updates and now directly back in the beta game. 😉
I always hated this signing stop for any version generally. Shortly after I had my first iPhone (5), iOS 7 came and I just didn't like it and wanted to go back, but there was no chance.
You should always be able going back to the version the device was released with, like on Mac. No average user would be able to do this anyway.
But maybe it saved me a lot of time... On Mac I went so many times back from 10.10 and 10.11 to anything between 10.10 and 10.7, that I permanently did clean installs because I couldn't decide what is the best. I think my first Mac came with 10.8.x, but originally 10.7.x when it was released and it was easy to get by Internet Recovery.
I can see why many do want to be able to roll back and user older versions, but I think its important to try and look at it from many perspectives and also try and understand why Apple do this.
* Support -to continue to support versions that then know have security issues and bugs just doesn't make sense, especially if they know that the later version is an improved version of the OS.
* Security - to have users install older versions that has security flaws doesn't make sense either.
* Cloud services - bugs and security flaws aren't only related to devices can also cause issues with their cloud services.
* Compability - App manufacturer generally focus on making their apps work on the latest OS or latest patch of the OS. And sometimes app-makers rely on fixes that are being rolled out in updates.
I do get that some want to use older versions on Mac and PC's, and there might be the odd case that you want to do it on your phone (death rally died when 32bit support ended). But in general there's no need to go back when it comes to mobile OS.
When it comes to battery most test shows there's very little difference. And generally if there are any major bugs you can roll back to one version earlier or Apple will patch it quickly with a new release.
Not saying I'm always a fan of the whole evergreen concept with updates all the time and new features (aside from security updates) but its needed today. And the average user generally has no point of using older versions on a mobile device like an iPhone.
Edit: While writing this it made me think of other "online" devices and if they allow for rollback of software and signing. EV's is a good example where I never really hear of people wanting to move back to old software.
