How to Downgrade iOS 17 to iOS 16

Hello, dear readers. In this article, I will show you how to downgrade your iPhone or iPad from iOS 17 to iOS 16 without losing your data. iOS 17 is the latest version of Apple’s operating system for mobile devices, which will release in September 2023. It comes with many new features and improvements, such as widgets on the home screen, app library, picture-in-picture mode, app clips, and more. However, some users may not be satisfied with iOS 17 for various reasons, such as bugs, compatibility issues, battery drain, or simply preferring the old interface. If you are one of them, don’t worry. You can easily go back to iOS 16 by following the steps below.

What You Need

Before you start the downgrade process, you need to prepare some things first. Here is what you need:

  • A Mac or Windows PC with the latest version of iTunes or Finder installed.
  • A Lightning cable to connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer.
  • A backup of your device on iOS 16 that you made before upgrading to iOS 17. You can use iCloud or your computer to backup your device. If you don’t have a backup, you will lose all your data when you downgrade.
  • The latest signed IPSW file for your device model on iOS 16. You can download it from this website. Make sure you choose the correct file for your device.

How to Downgrade iOS 17 to iOS 16

Once you have everything ready, you can start the downgrade process. Here are the steps:

  1. On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. This will erase everything on your device and make it ready for the restore process.
  2. On your computer, open iTunes or Finder and connect your device using the Lightning cable.
  3. Put your device into recovery mode. The method of doing this depends on your device model. You can check this article from Apple for more details.
  4. A dialog will pop up asking if you want to restore your device. Click Restore and Update to wipe your device and install iOS 16.
  5. Wait while the restore process completes. It may take several minutes depending on your internet speed and device performance.
  6. Once the restore is done, you can set up your device as new or restore it from a backup on iOS 16 that you made before upgrading to iOS 17.

Conclusion

That’s how you can downgrade iOS 17 to iOS 16 without losing your data. You should now be able to enjoy the familiar features and interface of iOS 16 on your iPhone or iPad. However, keep in mind that downgrading may also mean missing out on some security updates and bug fixes that Apple releases for iOS 17. Therefore, you may want to reconsider upgrading to iOS 17 again when it becomes more stable and compatible with your apps and accessories.

I hope this article was helpful and informative for you. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below. Thank you for reading and see you again in another interesting article.