Apple Stops Signing iOS 16.4.1 to Prevent Downgrading

Following the launch of iOS 16.5 on May 18, Apple has stopped signing iOS 16.4.1, the previously available version of iOS. Now that iOS 16.4.1 is no longer being signed, iPhone users are prevented from downgrading to that software version.

iOS 16
Apple routinely stops signing older versions of iOS after new releases come out to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date, so the fact that iOS 16.4 is no longer being signed is not unusual.

Released on April 7, iOS 16.4.1 was a minor bug fix update that came just under two weeks after the launch of iOS 16.4, an update that introduced new Emoji, Safari Web Push notifications, Voice Isolation for phone calls, and more.

iOS 16.5, the current publicly available version of iOS, brought some important bug fixes and a couple of feature additions, including a dedicated Sports tab in Apple News and a Pride Collection wallpaper for Lock Screens. Apple is also testing iOS 16.6 with developers and public beta testers.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design Draws Criticism From Users

Wednesday September 17, 2025 2:56 pm PDT by
It's been two days since iOS 26 was released, and Apple's new Liquid Glass design is even more divisive than expected. Any major design change can create controversy as people get used to the new look, but the MacRumors forums, Reddit, Apple Support Communities, and social media sites seem to feature more criticism than praise as people discuss the update. Complaints There are a long...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4: Here Are 5 New Features to Expect on Your iPhone

Tuesday September 16, 2025 11:17 am PDT by
iOS 26 was finally released on Monday, but the software train never stops, and the first developer beta of iOS 26.1 will likely be released soon. iOS 18.1 was an anomaly, as the first developer beta of that version was released in late July last year, to allow for early testing of Apple Intelligence features. The first betas of iOS 15.1, iOS 16.1, and iOS 17.1 were all released in the second ...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

Apple's Rumored MacBook Pro Redesign: 6 New Features Anticipated

Wednesday September 17, 2025 4:26 am PDT by
Apple in October 2024 overhauled its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display changes, and more. That's quite a lot of updates in one go, but if you think this means a further major refresh for the ‌MacBook Pro‌ is now several years away, think again. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small ...
iOS 26 Glass Feature

iOS 26: The Top 100 New Features and Changes

Tuesday September 16, 2025 12:26 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 26 on September 15, and it's now available for all iPhone users with a compatible device. There are a lot of changes and features to learn about, so if you want a quick, easy-to-read list that outlines what's new, we've got you covered. Design Liquid Glass design that reflects light and refracts what's underneath. It's system wide, with dynamic tab bars and toolbars...
ios 26 liquid glass dark mode

iOS 26 Liquid Glass Design Makes App Icons Look Crooked, Report Users

Wednesday September 17, 2025 4:55 am PDT by
iOS 26's new Liquid Glass interface has been criticized for making some content illegible in certain circumstances, and now the UI design is reportedly causing another unusual visual problem for some users. Liquid Glass adds subtle glowing effects to the corners of app icons, creating a dynamic glass-like appearance with depth and parallax effects. However, as noted by Gizmodo, this design...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 Get iOS 26 Features With New Firmware Update

Monday September 15, 2025 10:50 am PDT by
Apple today released updated firmware for the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4, introducing support for the new AirPods features that are included in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe. The firmware has a build number of 8A356, and it replaces the current 7E93 firmware. With Apple's new software updates, the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4 support better audio quality for phone calls and...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Coming Soon, Likely With iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Fix

Thursday September 18, 2025 9:17 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The update will have a build number of 23A350, or similar, the account said. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's Henry T. ...

Top Rated Comments

ratspg Avatar
30 months ago
We’re ready for WWDC iOS 17 Betas let’s gooooooo!!!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Yr Blues Avatar
30 months ago
I want to downgrade to 15 or 14. I hate how changing wallpaper is so difficult now. So many little things made worse for no reason.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
retta283 Avatar
30 months ago

I want to downgrade to 15 or 14. I hate how changing wallpaper is so difficult now. So many little things made worse for no reason.
Strongly agree. I find iOS 14 to be by far the best of the recent versions, wish I could've kept my iPhone on it. For now I'm on 15 which is still mostly fine. 16 is junk, plain and simple. Battery life is awful, the new lock screen customization makes it a pain to do the things that used to be easy for those of us who don't care to customize ours (and I still think none of the fonts/sizes for time are as good as the 15 default) and I will never understand the notifications being at the bottom of the screen. Complete nonsense.

I am extremely stubborn when it comes to UI changes though, and I bet that by the time I am used to all of this they will change it again the next year...
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Fan 2008 Avatar
30 months ago

We’re ready for WWDC iOS 17 Betas let’s gooooooo!!!
My iPad is still on the iOS 16 beta ?, I barely use it
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fmillion Avatar
30 months ago

The iPad is a service, not a product. Use the Mac if you want a product on which you have the proper degree of control (although it's getting more services-like with the years, but it's still a product). And show your opposition to services by not paying for them, but for products that you can control instead. I think I'd love the iPad if it was a product: the iPad would be great if you could control it like a Mac (but Apple is going the other way around, and slowly turning the Mac into an iPad instead of what they should do).
Follow the money trail. Subscriptions and services make way more money than products. Even when I was in high school, I understood the idea of "you'll make more money if you can make something that lots of people pay a small amount of money for on a regular basis, than something that some people pay a big amount of money for one single time."

I despise locked down products and subscriptions with a passion, but I'm not sure how we stop it. Even if everyone were to stop buying locked down devices and only bought open devices right now, the overall profit would still be much lower in the long term (and the economists know it), thus the incentive to push people back to subscriptions in any way possible would never go away. Of course in reality a lot of people don't have a choice but to buy service-type devices - the fact that every major software vendor (Adobe, Microsoft, now Apple, etc.) have all moved to subscription software is part of it. Plus there are many kinds of things we do on our devices that depend on a service model - the simplest example is that we need a cellular network to connect our cell phones to, so there will always be a "service" component at play. Every example, even in the OSS world, of someone putting out a fully open device is consistently proven not to be financially viable in the long term, and/or users don't like that they can't use it with their favorite SERVICES (can't watch Netflix at HD quality on open-source Android versions is an example). It will likely not be long before you simply CANNOT buy a device that isn't a subscription-based locked-down service device. (Wasn't Apple talking about moving the iPhone itself to a lease model, where you never actually own the physical phone? That's where I fear we're ultimately heading.)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
reezekeys Avatar
30 months ago
So much for those needing to downgrade so they can use their USB3 CCK until Apple updates 16.5 (and who's to say the bug will be fixed then?)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)