Apple Stops Signing iOS 16.3.1 to Prevent Downgrading

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 Apple routinely stops signing older iOS releases over time in order to prevent users from downgrading to an outdated software version.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

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

iOS 18 Available Now With These 8 New Features For Your iPhone

Sunday September 15, 2024 10:09 am PDT by
Following over three months of beta testing, iOS 18 was finally widely released to the public on Monday, September 16. The update is available in the Settings app under General → Software Update on the iPhone XS and newer. Below, we have highlighted eight key new features included in iOS 18, and Apple shared a complete list of new features and changes last week. Note that Apple...
iOS 18 Public Beta Thumb 1

Here's When iOS 18 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone

Monday September 16, 2024 3:56 am PDT by
It's that time of year again. Apple is about to release iOS 18, which promises to bring a range of new features and improvements to iPhones worldwide. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and the company is expected to release it sometime today – Monday, September 16. Based on past releases, the update is likely to drop at around 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time/1:00 p.m. Eastern...
apple silicon mac lineup wwdc 2022 feature purple

M4 Macs, New iPad Mini, and iPad 11 Expected at Upcoming Apple Event

Sunday September 15, 2024 5:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely hold another event in October this year to announce new Macs and iPads. If so, it would be the fourth time in the last five years that Apple has held an event in October. Last year, Apple held a virtual event on Monday, October 30 to announce new MacBook Pro and iMac models with the M3 series of chips. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated...
M4 Mac mini Black Ortho Cooler

Apple Leaks New Mac Mini With 5 USB-C Ports

Monday September 16, 2024 11:40 am PDT by
Apple has seemingly leaked the rumored next-generation Mac mini with five USB-C ports, according to a code change within Apple software that was discovered today by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The code refers to an unreleased Mac mini model with an Apple silicon chip and five ports, which lines up with a previous report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman that said the next Mac mini will be ...
16 pro

iPhone 16 Pro Demand Has Been Lower Than Expected, Analyst Says

Sunday September 15, 2024 3:58 pm PDT by
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said demand for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max has been "lower than expected" since the devices became available to pre-order in the U.S. and dozens of other countries on Friday. Kuo said his data is based on a "supply chain survey" and shipping estimates listed on Apple's online store. Kuo estimated that sales of all four iPhone 16 models reached...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID Single Camera Hole

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Friday September 13, 2024 2:40 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 sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...

Top Rated Comments

FeliApple Avatar
19 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)
Carrotcruncher Avatar
19 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
19 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)
Paddle1 Avatar
19 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)
TheGenerous Avatar
19 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)
Evelyn Harthbrooke Avatar
19 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)