Downgrade iOS 16.0.3 to iOS 15.7 without data loss!
Yes, it is still possible to downgrade iOS 16.0.3 to 15.7! Have you upgraded to the latest version of iOS 16, but annoying issues like touch screen not working, battery draining too fast are making your iPhone unusable?
Downgrade iOS 16.0.3 to iOS 15.7
Although a popular website like ipsw.medo not show iOS 15.7 as signed for iPhone 8 and later, this software version is still signed!
Nevertheless, iOS 15.7 was never the current version of iPhone 8, X, XS, 11, 12 and 13 models, simply because it was released as an optional upgrade to iOS 16.0. For this reason, most tracking websites don’t cover it!
The good news is that we have created a dedicated page for iOS 15.7. Tap here to check if iOS 15.7 is signed by Apple. It is updated daily.
Moreover, we also provide all iOS 15.7 .ipsw download links for all compatible iPhones! They are available here.
Point: Open the link on the computer you plan to use for the downgrade and download the file for your iPhone model!
Downgrade iOS 16.0.3 to iOS 15
- A Mac or Windows computer.
- A Lightning to USB cable.
- The iOS 15.7 ipsw file, downloaded to the computer.
- An encrypted backup of your device. (Ideally done in iOS 15.7, before updating to iOS 16)
How to Downgrade iOS 16.0.3 to iOS 15.7
Follow these steps if you want to downgrade to iOS 15 without losing data:
- 1. Connect iPhone to Computer using the USB to Lightning cable that came with your device.
- 2. Open Finder (on Mac) or iTunes (on Windows).
- 3. Perform a full and encrypted backup from your iPhone using Finder (on Mac) or iTunes Computer (on Windows).
- 4. On iPhone, go to Settings -> Apple ID -> Find My and switch off find my iphone. Otherwise, you will get an error while trying to restore the device.
- 5. Hurry alt key (optional) + left click restore iphone on Mac. (Shift key + left click restore iphone under Windows).
- 6. Select the recently iOS 15.7 ipsw file downloaded, in the dialog box that appears. Click on Open. Click on Restore to confirm that you want your iPhone erased and iOS 15.7 restored to your device!
- seven. Use the Restore from this backup possibility of recovering your data. Select Backup from the drop-down menu. Otherwise you can configure as a new device.
Point: Finder is pre-installed by macOS. For Windows, if you’ve never used iTunes before you need to download it from here. (direct link Apple.com).
Point: Ideally, this backup should have been done in iOS 15.7, before updating to iOS 16. However, there is a trick you can apply to make new backups work on an older version of iOS.
Do: If you don’t have any backup available when you decide to downgrade, make one even if your iPhone is already running iOS 16.0.3. You need this backup to be on a computer (not iCloud), to be able to modify it for iOS 15.7.
Point: iPhone downgrade from iOS 16 to 15.7 will begin. Be patient until it is completed. You will notice the white Apple logo on the device screen and a progress bar.
Point: Once again be patient until the backup is deployed. The iPhone will restart automatically when the process is complete.
Important: If you’re using a newer backup, made in a higher iOS version than the one you’re downgrading to, you’ll get an error at this point:
“iTunes could not restore iPhone because the backup was not compatible with the iPhone being restored.”
To fix: In this case, you need to modify your iOS backup as described here.
Downgrade iOS 16 to 15.7 Video
The step-by-step guide above is also shown in the following YouTube video:
Have you successfully downgraded iOS 16 to 15 without data loss? Do you have questions or do you need more help? Share your feedback in the comments. We are here to help you.
Related: You might also be interested in how to downgrade iOS 16.1 to iOS 16.0.3. A step-by-step guide is available here.