Apple recently released iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 to the public. Since it is available to everyone, you can update your iPhone and iPad to iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 right away. But if you have installed an iOS 15 beta then you have to remove it first, check this guide. In case if you find any major bugs which you cannot ignore and want to switch to iOS 14 then this guide is for you. Whatever the reason in your case, here is how to downgrade iOS 15 to iOS 14 without data loss.
iOS 15 is the new major update for iPhones which is now already available. Although the iOS 15 brings a lot of new features, it also takes away the opportunity from Jailbreaking some iPhone models. And so many of you might want to downgrade to iOS 14 from iOS 15 after trying it for few days. Who doesn’t want to try new features?
iOS 15 comes with new features such as Spatial Audio in FaceTime, SharePlay for sharing content with participants, iMessage shared contents can be accessible from stock apps, notifications now show bigger app icons and contact photos, Focus, Photo Search, Spotlight, new wallpapers, and more. You can check the official iOS 15 release notes here. So, there are many reasons to try the iOS 15. But there can also be some reasons to switch back to iOS 14, and so we are here with a guide on it.
How to Downgrade iOS 15 to iOS 14
If you are already using the iOS 15 but now want to switch to iOS 14 for some reason like, it has bugs or features that you don’t like. Another main reason for downgrading to iOS 14 from iOS 15 is the Jailbreak support. Yes, since iOS 15 is the new update, you may not be able to Jailbreak iPhones running iOS 15.
You must be aware of the fact that we cannot downgrade to an iOS version that is no longer signed. So here in this guide, you can use any signed version to which you want to go back like iOS 14.8 which is the current latest update in iOS 14.
Also following this guide, you don’t have to worry about data as you can restore all the data from iOS 15 to iOS 14. So, let’s start the guide by taking a full backup of your iPhone running iOS 15.
Prerequisites for iOS 15 Data Restore
You can follow this section if you want the data from your iOS 15. And if not, then you can skip after the first two steps in this section. But it is always advisable to have a backup before any update or modification.
- On your iPhone, go to Settings > Your Account > iCloud > Find My and Turn off Find My iPhone option.
- Remove the iOS 15 Beta profile from Settings > General > VPN & Device Management. You can ignore the Restart popup.
- Now connect your iPhone to your Windows PC or Mac.
- Take a backup of your iPhone using Finder on Mac or iTunes on Windows. Make sure to backup data on your Mac or Windows instead of iCloud (You need to check ‘Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac/Windows’).
- Mac – After backup, click on Manage Back Up and open the latest backup file and then open Info.plist which will be in the backup file.
- Windows – Open Run dialog and enter %appdata%. It will take you to the app data location. From that location go to Apple Computer > MobileSync > Backup. Select the latest backup and look for the Info file.
- Make sure to open it on a text editor or notepad.
- In the Info Plist, search for the Product version and change its string value to 14 in Mac and 14.0 in Windows and save the file.
After taking the backup and modifying the backup file you can proceed with the downgrade method. Make sure you follow all the steps correctly to avoid any issues like spinning wheel screens on iPhone.
Steps to Downgrade iOS 15 to iOS 14
- Download the signed IPSW for your iPhone or iPad. You can get it from IPSW sites. Signed IPSW will have the green tick.
- Transfer the downloaded iOS or iPadOS signed IPSW to your computer.
- Open Finder or iTunes and connect your iPhone. Make sure to Trust the connection to connect your iPhone successfully.
- After trusting the device, it will show iPhone information on your Finder or iTunes.
- If you want to keep your data after the downgrade, then follow the points given in the preparation method. After changing the value in the backup file, follow the further process.
- Now if you have a Mac then hold the Option button and click on Restore iPhone. Hold the Shift button in case you have a Windows PC.
- It will open the Explorer, choose and select the iOS 14/iPadOS 14 IPSW file that you downloaded in the first step.
- After selecting the IPSW click on Restore in the popup.
- Now your iPhone will restore to the preferred version of iOS 14.
- Your iPhone will reboot into the System. Once you reach Apps & Data while setting up your device, choose “Don’t Transfer Apps & Data” if you want to restore iOS 15 data backup. You can also skip iCloud sign-in.
If you want to restore data, then you can follow the next section. It will help to get all the data from iOS 15 to iOS 14.
Restore iOS 15 Data
After setting up your iPhone, connect your iPhone to the computer. Make sure to Trust the connection on your Finder or iTunes.
Once the Finder or iTunes shows the iPhone details, click on the Restore Backup button. Browse and select the backup file that you modified earlier in this guide. It will then start restoring the backup on your iOS 14.
After reboot, set up your device again and you will find all your previous data. Now you can enjoy iOS 14, or you can even Jailbreak the latest iOS 14.8.
So, that’s all on how to downgrade iOS 15 to iOS 14. You can also follow this guide for iPads. If you have any doubts then you can let us know in the comment section.
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