Officially, it is not possible to downgrade iOS devices as most older iOS versions are not being signed by Apple. That said, there is a walkaround and here, we will be talking about the Downgrade and dual-boot status of almost all iOS devices.
I understand you’re interested in downgrading and dual-booting iOS devices. However, it’s important to acknowledge that this process can be risky and complex. It’s crucial to understand the potential consequences before proceeding:
- Security vulnerabilities: Downgrading to unsupported versions exposes your device to known security exploits that newer versions have patched.
- Data loss: There’s a chance of data loss during the process, especially if something goes wrong.
- Device instability: Downgrading and dual-booting can lead to unexpected behaviour and instability on your device.
Therefore, it’s strongly recommended to avoid attempting these procedures unless you are an advanced user who fully understands the risks involved.
Downgrade and dual-boot status of almost all iOS devices
iOS 17 devices (A12 devices and newer, older A10 iPads)
- Devices that fall under here have the latest version 17.x.
- Delay OTA Guide (updating only): https://ios.cfw.guide/updating-blobless
- Restoring to iOS 16 and lower is not possible.
- (A12 devices and newer) You cannot restore to any iOS versions other than signed ones. All SHSH blobs are useless.
- For A10 iPads only:
iOS 16 devices (A11 devices, older A9 iPads)
- Devices that fall under here have the latest iOS version 16.x.
- Delay OTA Guide (updating only): https://ios.cfw.guide/updating-blobless
- See the SEP/BB Compatibility Chart. iOS 16 SEP/baseband is incompatible with iOS 15 and below.
- For restoring to iOS 16.6.x, you can use this guide: https://gist.github.com/mineek/bd8d0e002ce67e82831a23a8d7eceb3c
- More info for this in here: https://twitter.com/MasterMike88/status/1759401746500128917
- For iPhone X, you cannot restore to any iOS versions other than signed ones or 16.6.x with blobs. All SHSH blobs for 16.5.x and lower are useless.
- Tethered downgrade/dualboot is an option with downr1n, dualra1n, and seprmvr64
- It is technically possible to downgrade to iOS 14-15 with blobs for all these devices except for iPhone X. For advanced users only. See the guide linked in compatibility chart
- For A9 iPads, check for Limefix compatibility
iOS 14-15 devices (A9 and A10 devices, iPad Air 2 and mini 4)
- Devices that fall under here have the latest iOS version 15.x.
- All devices that fall under here are checkm8 devices, they can do pwnDFU restores. See the guide “Downgrade checkm8 devices” above.
- *You may restore to iOS 14.x and 15.x only with futurerestore
- For iOS 13 and lower, check for compatibility with Limefix
- As of updating this post, Limefix only supports A9 devices and iOS 10, wait for updates for other devices and versions
- For more details about SEP and baseband compatibility, see the SEP/BB Compatibility Chart
- For restoring to unsigned versions of 14.x/15.x with SHSH blobs, you may use Legacy iOS Kit which utilizes the updated futurerestore nightly.
- Tethered downgrade/dualboot is also an option with downr1n, dualra1n, and seprmvr64
iOS 12 devices (A7 and A8 devices except iPad Air 2 and mini 4)
- Devices that fall under here have the latest iOS version 12.5.7.
- You can downgrade to as low as 11.3 with futurerestore if you have SHSH blobs – You can downgrade with SHSH blobs using Legacy iOS Kit
- Tethered downgrade is also an option with sunst0rm
- Limefix is not yet compatible with these devices, wait for updates
A7 devices (iPhone 5S, iPad Air 1, iPad mini 2)
- A7 devices (except iPad4,6 and all iPad mini 3 models) can downgrade to 10.3.3 without existing blobs, using Legacy iOS Kit or LeetDown
- Unfortunately checkm8 is very unreliable on Linux, so using macOS may be the better option with iPwnder32/ipwnder_lite used for better success rates
- iPwnder Lite for iOS can also be used to put device in pwned DFU
- You can also downgrade to 10.2-10.3.2 if you have SHSH blobs
- You can go as low as 10.1.x but Touch ID will not work
- You can downgrade with SHSH blobs using Legacy iOS Kit
- You can also downgrade tethered to iOS 7: https://ios7.iarchive.app
A5, A5X, A6, and A6X devices
- Devices that fall under here have the latest iOS version 9.3.5, 9.3.6, 10.3.3, or 10.3.4.
- You can downgrade and jailbreak any of these devices (except for iPhone 5C) to iOS 8.4.1 using Legacy iOS Kit without existing blobs
- For iPhone 4S and iPad 2 (except iPad2,4) devices, iOS 6.1.3 is also an option
- You can downgrade to any iOS version that you have SHSH blobs for using Legacy iOS Kit
- You can also save on-board SHSH blobs with Legacy iOS Kit’s “Save Onboard Blobs” option
- If you have iOS 7 SHSH blobs, you can do untethered downgrades using Legacy iOS Kit (powdersn0w)
- You can also dualboot to any version using Coolbooter
- You can dualboot to iOS 4.3.x using 4tify-iPad2 (iPad 2 only, macOS only)
- You can downgrade tethered without blobs using Legacy iOS Kit, n1ghtshade, or Deca5
- Both n1ghtshade and Deca5 are for macOS only
iPhone 4
- You can downgrade to iOS 6, 5, or 4 untethered using Legacy iOS Kit (powdersn0w)
- Only iPhone3,1 (GSM) and iPhone3,3 (CDMA) are supported
- You can also use Legacy iOS Kit to downgrade with saved SHSH blobs (see above)
- You can also use Legacy iOS Kit to do tethered downgrades
- Downgrading tethered by going to: Restore/Downgrade -> Other (Tethered)
- Do a tethered boot by going to: Other Utilities -> Just Boot
- Tethered downgrade IPSWs option is also available in Legacy iOS Kit, see below notes
- You can dualboot to any version except 4.x using Coolbooter
- You can dualboot to 4.x using 4tify (macOS only)
- 4tify for Linux (untested): https://github.com/LukeZGD/4tify-linux
iPod touch 4th gen
- There are no untethered downgrade options without blobs, unfortunately.
- iPod touch 4th gen can be tethered upgrade to iOS 7: https://albyvar.github.io/ipodtouchhax/
- You can do tethered downgrades without blobs using Legacy iOS Kit
- Downgrading tethered by going to: Restore/Downgrade -> Other (Tethered)
- Do a tethered boot by going to: Other Utilities -> Just Boot
- There is also the option to use tethered downgrade IPSWs from these (Restore/Downgrade -> Other (Custom IPSW)):
- https://www.reddit.com/r/LegacyJailbreak/comments/ji17zv/discussion_would_you_guys_be_interested_in/
- https://github.com/lychitree/pr3lude
- https://archives.legacyjailbreak.com
iPhone 3GS, iPad 1, iPod touch 2nd and 3rd gen
- You can also use Legacy iOS Kit to do untethered downgrades to other iOS versions without blobs (or with blobs also)
- iOS 4.1 is signed for the 3GS, touch 2nd gen and 3rd gen, use iTunes or Legacy iOS Kit to downgrade
- Error 1015 will show up at the end of restore for iTunes. You can exit recovery mode using RecoveryModeTool
- Tethered downgrade option is also available in Legacy iOS Kit, see above notes
- For the iPod touch 3rd gen, see tethered custom IPSWs in pr3lude
- For iPod touch 2nd gen (old bootrom model), there is no firmware signing for versions 3.0 and lower can be restored freely. 3.x IPSWs are available here: https://invoxiplaygames.uk/ipsw/ and https://archives.legacyjailbreak.com
iPhone 2G and 3G, iPod touch 1st gen
- AFAIK, there is no firmware signing and they can be restored to any iOS version using older iTunes after placing the device in pwned DFU mode using redsn0w.
- Legacy iOS Kit also supports these devices, for restoring/hacktivating to 3.1.3 (also 4.1 and 4.2.1 for iPhone 3G), as well as restoring to any other iOS version
- This makes use of changes from tihmstar’s idevicerestore fork (iOS 1 and 2 support): https://github.com/tihmstar/idevicerestore
- IPSWs for older iPod touch are available here: https://invoxiplaygames.uk/ipsw/ and https://archives.legacyjailbreak.com
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