Apple Stops Signing iOS 14.4.2 After Releasing iOS 14.5.1 With Fix for Actively Exploited Security Issues

Following today's release of iOS 14.5.1 and last week's release of iOS 14.5, Apple has stopped signing iOS 14.4.2, the previously available version of iOS 14 released on March 26. With iOS 14.4.2 no longer being signed, it is not possible to downgrade to iOS 14.4.2 from iOS 14.5 or iOS 14.5.1 if you've already updated your iPhone or iPad.

iOS 14
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 14.4.2 was a security update that addressed a vulnerability where processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to universal cross-site scripting. iOS 14.5 released last week addressed a number of security issues, and today's release of iOS 14.5.1 addresses another pair of WebKit issues that may have been actively exploited, so those who have not yet updated should do so.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
terminal macos tahoe

Apple's Terminal App Gets Colorful Redesign in macOS Tahoe

Monday June 16, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's Terminal app is getting a visual refresh in macOS Tahoe, and it's the first notable design update since the command-line tool debuted. The updated Terminal will support 24-bit color and Powerline fonts, according to Apple's State of the Platforms presentation at WWDC25. The app will also adopt the new Liquid Glass aesthetic with redesigned themes that align with macOS 26's broader...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...

Top Rated Comments

Populus Avatar
54 months ago

These articles don’t need to exist.
I disagree, I appreciate to know when I can downgrade or not.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
now i see it Avatar
54 months ago
Months and months of iOS 14.5 betas totaling six - then when it finally releases they've got to scramble to fix a security flaw a week later
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jack Neill Avatar
54 months ago
I just downed a iPhone 8 to 14.4.2 yesterday because of some issues I was having. Phew just made it.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BaltimoreMediaBlog Avatar
54 months ago

This is another thing that should be dragged to court, OS downgrade limitations.
I totally agree. I've been saying this for years. The IOS 10 to 11 upgrade cost me nearly 50 free 32 bit games, and there was no way to go back and because Apple forced the upgrade on me as my iPhone was in repair at Apple. Basically, they damaged the unit in my opinion. This is one thing that should be a class action lawsuit that rarely anyone ever mentions. Oh, of course Apple did return my iPhone in full working condition as they call it, but not in the condition I sent it to them, but with only half of my apps functional.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sparkinstx Avatar
54 months ago
I haven't seen any news about it, but WatchOS 7.4.1 was released today. I'm installing it now.

Update: Build is 18T201. Mine is a Series 4.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
doboy Avatar
54 months ago

wondering how restore from backup works in this instance. i had a brand new 2020 iPad pro that i returned after learning of the new M1 model. It was not yet on 14.5 when I returned it, so presumably it was on 14.4.2 when I last did an icloud backup before returning it. When receive my new iPad pro, does restore from backup also attempt to install an older SW version, or is it just profile, settings, apps, etc?
No it'll just load your data on top of whatever iOS it comes with.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)