Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. Guides

How to downgrade your iPhone or iPad from iOS 12 to iOS 11.4

By
iphone xs max hands on
iPhone XS Max Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Apple’s latest and greatest mobile operating system is iOS 12, and it brings with it a number of new features — including things like new gestures, improved performance, and more. But if you’re updating to the new operating system, you may find that it’s not really for you — in which case, it might be helpful to downgrade back to iOS 11.

That is why we put together this guide — to help you downgrade from iOS 12 back down to iOS 11. There are a few ways to do so, and they’re outlined below.

Recommended Videos

A quick note: We recommend backing up your phone before downgrading to an older version of iOS. Generally speaking, it should be pretty easy to downgrade, and it shouldn’t result in any lost data — but just in case it does, backups always help. On top of that, if history is anything to go by, you’ll only be able to downgrade to iOS 11.4 for around a week from the September 18 release of iOS 12. After that, Apple will stop signing iOS 11.4 versions, and you won’t be able to downgrade without a jailbroken phone.

Related

Here’s how to downgrade from iOS 12 back to the latest version of iOS 11.

From a backup in iTunes

The best and safest way to roll back your iPhone to iOS 11 is through a backup, and it’s easy, as long as you made a backup before upgrading to iOS 12. Let’s look at how to restore your iPhone if you have a backup from when your iPhone was running iOS 11.4 stored on your computer.

  1. Download the IPSW file for your device and iOS 11.4 here.
  2. Disable Find My Phone or Find My iPad by heading to Settings, then tapping iCloud, and turning off the feature.
  3. Plug your iPhone or iPad into your computer and launch iTunes. Click on the iPhone or iPad in iTunes, then select Summary.
  4. Hold down Option (or Shift on a PC) and press Restore iPhone.
  5. Navigate to the IPSW file you previously downloaded and press Open.
  6. Once the file has been installed, you will have a blank iPhone — which is where your backup comes in. In iTunes, click the Restore iPhone button, and select your backup. Make sure it’s the right backup — if you’ve been running iOS 12 for more than a day or so, the latest may be a backup of iOS 12. iTunes should then restore the correct backup, though it may take some time.

Without a backup

If you didn’t back up your device before updating to iOS 12, then there are still some options for you — though you may lose your texts in the process. If you’re fine with that, follow the instructions below.

  1. Download the IPSW file for your device and iOS 11.4 here.
  2. Connect your iPhone or iPad to iTunes and select your device.
  3. Under Summary, press Check for Updates while holding down Option (or Shift on a PC). Then, navigate to the IPSW file you downloaded before.
  4. Your iPhone or iPad should then install iOS 11.4.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Christian de Looper
Christian de Looper
Contributor
Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…
iOS 18.2 may make charging your iPhone even easier. Here’s how
A close-up view of the App Library page on the iPhone 16.

We've all been in a situation where we need to charge our phone quickly, but it can be hard to gauge just how much time it needs to spend on the charger before it gets a usable amount of juice. A feature coming to iOS 18.2 will tell you how much more time your phone needs, although we aren't quite sure yet when it will be released.

On Monday, iOS 18.2 beta 2 was released to developers. 9to5Mac spotted the codebase for this feature in their breakdown, stating that it will calculate the amount of time needed to reach a certain charge threshold based on how powerful the charger is. The framework was dubbed "BatteryIntelligence" within the code, but although it was present, the feature isn't finished. That likely means it has been added in for testing purposes, but won't be ready for full deployment for some time yet.

Read more
There’s an easy way to follow election results on your iPhone. Here’s how
Screenshot of Apple News on an iPhone.

It’s Election Day in the U.S., and Apple is making it easier for people to check real-time results. The Apple News app will have a Live Activity feature that starts displaying results on your device as they come in tonight. The Live Activity on iPhone will appear on the Dynamic Island (if your iPhone has it) and the lock screen.

For the election, the Live Activity feature will provide up-to-date information, eliminating the need to refresh the Apple News app. You can expect results for the presidential, Senate, and House races to be posted.

Read more
iOS 18.2 just took another step toward its official release
iOS 18 logo on the iPhone 16 Pro

Yet another iOS update is ready, and this one is important. The iOS 18.2 beta 2 update is live, and it's a big deal for a couple of reasons. It's available to more people than the previous beta, and it indicates another step toward iOS 18.2's public launch.

The first version of this beta was only available to people whose phones supported Apple Intelligence, but this latest version works with any phone that can update to iOS 18. Addditionally, iOS 18.2 beta 2 is only available to developer beta testers. There isn't a public beta at the moment, and we have no word on when one might release. Still, it's good to see that more people are included this time around.

Read more