Just last Thursday, Apple publicly released iOS 16.0.2 with a set of bug fixes for the company’s latest mobile operating system, iOS 16. Just a few of the tools included in the update were a fix for weird camera vibration when using third-party apps and a resolution for excessive buffer permission requests. exchanges that users receive when pasting text copied from one application to another, among other things.
As expected, Apple has responded to the release of the newer update by stopping signing iOS 16.0 and iOS 16.0.1, the latter of which is a firmware that Apple dropped a few days after the initial release of iOS 16.0 for some iPhone 14 Pro and 14 bugs related with Pro Max. The lack of a signature on this firmware means that users cannot easily update or migrate to iOS 16.0 or 16.0.1 through traditional means.
However, non-traditional ways to upgrade and downgrade to iOS 16.0 or 16.0.1 should still work, including using the DelayOTA method (to upgrade) and the FutureRestore method (to downgrade). These options tend to be more complicated than just opening iTunes or Finder and pressing Shift or Command while clicking the Update button to install the desired firmware version, so they are not used as often.
It’s only natural for Apple to close the signature window for older firmware; the company regularly follows this practice to push users to update the firmware of their iPhones and iPads, disallowing any other option. By doing this, Apple ensures that users are protected by the latest security patches, using the latest bug fixes, and enjoying the most up-to-date features. The level of adoption also pleases Apple shareholders.
One of the reasons someone might not want to update their iPhone or iPad’s firmware is jailbreaking, which usually involves exploiting security holes in the operating system to install third-party mods and software known as jailbreak tweaks. They can change the behavior of the device beyond the default settings in a way that most users generally find it enjoyable.
Of course, jailbreaking isn’t the only reason someone might want to upgrade to an older firmware, as newer software can be buggy.
We saw the aforementioned issue first hand with iOS 16 where it was causing excessive paste prompts to appear when copying and pasting from one app to another. We also saw this in iOS 14.7, breaking the ability to unlock the Apple Watch using the iPhone host’s Touch ID authentication, and again in iOS and iPadOS 13.2, when the operating system aggressively controlled background apps, sometimes interfering with the Now Playing app.
While iDB supports the idea of giving users the ability to downgrade their iPhone or iPad to any version, Apple clearly doesn’t care if some of its users want the ability. Instead, they have a one-way policy when it comes to installing firmware updates, and other than a limited signature window, there’s usually no official way to go back.
As always, you can use the IPSW.me website to keep track of which firmware versions are being signed for your iPhone or iPad. You can also visit our Downloads section if you need to download a specific firmware file for your device.