Apple Stops Signing iOS 17.3, Downgrading No Longer Available - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Stops Signing iOS 17.3, Downgrading No Longer Available

Apple today stopped signing iOS 17.3, preventing iPhone users from downgrading to that version of iOS. iOS 17.3 is no longer being signed following the February 8 release of iOS 17.3.1, an update that added a fix for a text-related bug.

iOS 17
Apple routinely stops signing older versions of iOS, so it is not unusual that the iOS 17.3 update is no longer available. Apple prevents users from installing older versions of iOS to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date and to prevent downgrading to older, less secure versions of the iPhone operating system.

iOS 17.3.1 is now the only publicly released version of iOS available, but Apple is also beta testing iOS 17.4. Both developers and public beta testers can download and install iOS 17.4, with the update adding a number of App Store-related changes in the EU, new emoji, transcripts in the Podcasts app, and more.

Popular Stories

Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro: Pre-Orders and Release Date

Thursday August 20, 2026 8:00 am PDT by
Apple has yet to reveal when the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra will be announced and released, but the dates usually follow a familiar pattern. As usual, the iPhone event is expected to take place in the first half of September. Labor Day falls on September 7 this year. The last time the holiday was on that day was in 2020, but the iPhone event that year was delayed until October due to...
macOS 27 next to MacBook Pro Running macOS 27

macOS Golden Gate Marks the End of an Era

Thursday August 20, 2026 2:19 pm PDT by
macOS 27 Golden Gate is not compatible with any Macs with Intel processors, marking the end of an era. The update, which is currently in beta ahead of a release later this year, is limited to Apple silicon Macs with an M1 chip or newer. Last year, Apple said that macOS 26 Tahoe would be the final macOS release compatible with Intel-based Macs, so this was an expected development. Intel...
Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple Says CarPlay Ultra is Coming to These Vehicle Brands

Wednesday August 19, 2026 12:53 pm PDT by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. More than a year later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change in the foreseeable future. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. ...

Top Rated Comments

33 months ago
As it is your phone, it should always be possible to go back to the iOS version that was installed when you bought it, because that basically was the package you bought with your hard owned money. I know that you do not "own" the software, but the software is necessary to run the phone.

I have the same problem with "Miui" from Xiaomi. I bought a phone with Miui 9 or so and since then three new versions came out. Each with really interesting new features. The problem is that you can't easily go back to an earlier version if you do not like it. So I am stuck with the version that was on the phone when I bought it.

At least Apple allow a downgrade by one version for a limited time, but I am not sure if they tell users ahead of time when they will stop signing a version.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)