Following the release of iOS 13.6.1 on August 12, Apple has stopped signing iOS 13.6, which means downgrading to that version of iOS is no longer possible.

iOS 13
iOS 13.6 was a major update that introduced Car Keys support Apple News audio, and other features.

Apple routinely stops signing older versions of software updates after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date.

iOS 13.6.1, a bug fix issue that addressed problems with data storage, thermal management, and exposure notifications, is the only current publicly available version of iOS that can be installed on iPhones and iPads. Apple has also seeded betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 14 updates to developers and public beta testers, which can be downloaded instead.

Top Rated Comments

Chester Stone Avatar
47 months ago

I love the iPhone and IOS but wish Apple would allow us to install older versions of IOS. I had a specific incident years ago on an old iPhone. I upgrade IOS then several months later learned some of my devices would no longer connect via Bluetooth (one of those was my car). So there are some legitimate reasons to be able to install an older version of IOS (jail breaking is not a viable solution for me).
Totally agree. And I've written this in Apple user surveys, forums, and written their Twitter support about it. There are unintentional regressions all the time, bugs that didn't exist in older versions of iOS, that just get haphazardly released. Rolling back iOS version should be a fallback plan for those kinds of gamebreaking bugs.

Power management is a common area noted in the news, but I've also had an iPad Pro that just kept draining battery even when turned off via power switch shutdown, so that when a fully charged 100% device got turned back on, it'd be at 70% after a day, 40% after two, then 0%, without so much as a single charge. Not plugged into power, not touched or used. It was fine in iOS 13.4, then bad in iOS 13.5. Then later versions not playing from car speakers when connected to CarPlay on certain vehicles, requiring multiple unplugs and replugs. So many little bugs here and there that compromise the user experience, that pop up in one version of iOS, not present before. All together, the experience doesn't feel like "it just works."

So often, this kind of problem happens because the OS is so deep, and little feature adds and changes in the code can cause unintentional problems elsewhere. If it's a non-automated-testbed problem that doesn't cross the Apple QA folk's workflow or other employees' use case -- for example, employees never turning off their devices -- then it just gets released unnoticed.

Human error is understandable, but with no fallback to a previous iOS, it just hurts users that live outside the "typical" user/QA workflow.

(To make matters worse, Apple constantly tells developers to support two versions back when building & submitting an app to the App Store. It's so hypocritical when they won't even support two versions of iOS at the same time, pulling the plug so quickly on signing a previous version. It's just such an extreme reaction to security compromises and this whole "get on the latest" mindset.)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
calzon65 Avatar
47 months ago
I love the iPhone and IOS but wish Apple would allow us to install older versions of IOS. I had a specific incident years ago on an old iPhone. I upgrade IOS then several months later learned some of my devices would no longer connect via Bluetooth (one of those was my car). So there are some legitimate reasons to be able to install an older version of IOS (jail breaking is not a viable solution for me).
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jooish Avatar
47 months ago

You don't own your device; Apple does.
They decide what version of os you can run and when you can run it.
They decide when your device goes obsolete.
Samsung and others are no better.
You own the device... You just don't own the software.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BaltimoreMediaBlog Avatar
47 months ago
UNSIGNING IOS versions should be illegal, restraint of trade! I buy a car and I cannot put a different radio in it?
This is the ONE single thing that Apple should have been sued over but not so far. It cost me over 25 games that worked and then didn't because Apple forced me to upgrade.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ipadlover29 Avatar
47 months ago

What forced you to go back at 13.6?
Battery life. Was getting an hour less with 13.6.1. on iPhone 11 Pro and iPad Pro 4.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shirasaki Avatar
47 months ago
By maintaining only latest software, Apple can save a lot of money by not maintaining older versions and fixing legacy bugs. In turn, customers will suffer. I am lucky enough to not have too many game-breaking issues during updating, but who knows what’s going to happen next.
At the end of the day though, I doubt anything will change and Apple will keep their harsh stance against any user attempting to use older version software by scaring them off or forcing the upgrade when applicable.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...