Apple Stops Signing iOS 16.2 Following iOS 16.3 Launch, Downgrading No Longer Possible
Following the launch of iOS 16.3 on January 23, Apple is no longer signing iOS 16.2, the previously available version of iOS. Now that Apple has stopped signing iOS 16.2, it is no longer possible to downgrade to that version of iOS after installing the iOS 16.3 update.
Apple routinely stops signing older versions of iOS after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date, so it is not unusual that the iOS 16.2 update is no longer being signed.
iOS 16.2 was a significant update that added Apple Music Sing, the Freeform app, Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, and more. iOS 16.3 introduces Security Keys for Apple ID, changes to Emergency SOS, and it adds support for the new HomePod model.
Apple is expected to release the first beta of iOS 16.4 in the near future, but as of now, iOS 16.3 is the only available version of iOS 16. Apple has also stopped signing iOS 15.7.2 and iOS 12.5.6 following the release of iOS 15.7.3 and iOS 12.5.7 security updates earlier in January.
Popular Stories
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
