Apple Stops Signing iOS 16.3.1 to Prevent Downgrading - MacRumors
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Apple Stops Signing iOS 16.3.1 to Prevent Downgrading

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Following the release of iOS 16.4.1 today, Apple has stopped signing iOS 16.3.1, preventing iPhone users from downgrading to that software version. iOS 16.4, iOS 16.4.1, and the iOS 16.5 beta remain signed at the time of writing.

iOS 16
iOS 16.3.1 was released on February 13 and was a minor update with bug fixes, security improvements, and additional Crash Detection optimizations for iPhone 14 models. Apple routinely stops signing older iOS releases over time in order to prevent users from downgrading to an outdated software version.

iOS 16.4 will likely be unsigned later this month, so iPhone users who wish to downgrade to that version have limited time remaining to do so.

Related Forum: iOS 16

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Top Rated Comments

FeliApple Avatar
FeliApple
40 months ago
Apple’s most purposefully harmful (arguably a segment of planned obsolescence) policy ever. I reckon that it will never change, but I will never get tired of saying this.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
C
Carrotcruncher
40 months ago
This doesn’t bother me, because every software release lately is a downgrade, so you can downgrade any time you like, no matter what they do 😂😂😂
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Solomani Avatar
Solomani
40 months ago

iOS 16.4 will likely be unsigned later this month, so iPhone users who wish to downgrade to that version have limited time remaining to do so.
Why on earth would anyone who has already installed 16.4.1 want to downgrade to 16.4? The main point of 16.4.1 was to patch a jackalope exploit that was still not fixed in 16.4 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheGenerous Avatar
TheGenerous
40 months ago
When I was younger with no money I didn't care about jailbreaks and hacks. Now that my family and I will suffer immensely if I get malware or Russian ransomware, I rather stick to the latest versions if possible. Imagine your keychain and email in the hands of "the bad people". So, if it's time to upgrade your iPhone or iPad, then so be it
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
P
Paddle1
40 months ago

Are they as harmful as they are on iOS though? That’s the important question, in my opinion.
The updates that nerfed the noise cancelling on the AirPods I'd argue were worse. You don't have a choice on whether to install.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
eveluvsrainbows Avatar
eveluvsrainbows
40 months ago

(a) I disagree with the sentiment defending Apple deciding which version of software I can use on my device.
(b) Because I strongly prefer the way they look and work. They both largely do/did what I needed of them the way I wanted them to and whatever newer versions might have brought wasn’t worth the drawbacks. Applications I use continue to work just as they always have, no updates needed, and I can still run the current version of Chromium anyway.
it is absolutely your device, but it isn’t your software. it is apple’s; they own the intellectual property and source code to iOS - therefore they have the ability to say whether or not they will continue signing a specific iOS version or not. you may not agree with it, which is entirely fine, but it is within their rights and abilities to stop signing older versions of iOS if they so choose.

regarding macOS mavericks, absolutely - that is a solid macOS version. however i honestly can’t really agree with your implication that ios 6 was good - for the time it absolutely was. but ios has matured a lot since then, and is a much better mobile operating system now than it was back then.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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