How to set up smartphones and PCs. Informational portal
  • home
  • Advice
  • Update old ios version. An easy way to install older versions of apps from the App Store

Update old ios version. An easy way to install older versions of apps from the App Store

There are many new features in iOS 11, for example, such functions, as well as many other things, but just because everything has changed, this does not mean that they are better, as a result of this, you can rollback ios. So if you decide this isn't for you, you'll be glad to know that you can still return to iOS 10.3.2, but this window of downgrade opportunities won't last forever.

When IOS 11 officially comes out in September 2017, Apple will stop signing older firmware versions. That is, you will not be able to rollback if you have not saved your SHSHS2 blobs. Also in the new version of iOS there was a lot.

Until that day arrives, however, it's actually pretty easy to go back to iOS 10.3.2. All you need is a Mac or Windows PC and the process takes only a few minutes. Better yet, you should be able to save all your apps and data, so let's go ahead and get started, shall we? Download on ios for free.
"Update" for iOS 10.3.2

This tutorial will outline two iOS rollback methods which aims to restore the IPSW firmware file using iTunes. For most people, the steps in Method 1 should be all you need.

However, there is a small chance that data from iOS 11 may cause errors or crashes after you've upgraded to iOS 10.3.2. Again, this is rare, but if it does, you can use the steps outlined in method 2, to erase the corrupted data and then restore the old iCloud backup of your data.

First of all, you need to download the iOS 10.3.2 IPSW file for your specific device. This is the firmware file that you will install using iTunes to roll back your operating system, and luckily we have a reliable source where you can get this file. So, go to the next link from your computer, then select your device and model.

Then select iOS 10.3.2 when prompted, then click the Download button. The file is quite large, so it may take a while to download, but be sure to note the location of the file after it finishes.


IOS Rollback: Step 2 Install Old Firmware from iTunes

Next, connect your device to your computer using the Lightning cable, then open iTunes if it doesn't start automatically. From there, click on the phone icon near the top left corner of the window to go to the device menu.


From here, make sure that the " Summary»Is selected on the left side of the window. After that, if you are using a Mac, press and hold the button Option on keyboard. Otherwise, if you are using Windows, press and hold the button Shift... Hold down the keyboard button and click Check for Updates.


Then the File Browser menu will appear - use this to locate and select the IPSW file that you downloaded in step 1. After you have done that, click on "Open".


After a few seconds, you will see a pop-up informing you that iTunes will now install iOS 10.3.2 on your device. Click "Update" here, then sit back and wait because the process of installing the old firmware will take up to 30 minutes. Along the way, you may be prompted to enter your PIN on your device, so be sure to do this if asked.

Once iTunes finishes installing the old firmware, your device will automatically reboot. When this happens, disconnect your phone from your computer, then follow the prompts on your phone to re-enter your password and complete the setup.

IOS Rollback: Step 3 Delete Your Beta Profile (Beta Users Only)

You will now be back to iOS 10.3.2, but if this is your first time using the beta to install iOS 11, you will soon be prompted to reinstall iOS 11.

To avoid this, go to the menu " Are common" in Settings, then scroll down and tap Profile. From there, select your beta profile, then click Remove Profile at the bottom of the screen. After that, you won't be prompted to install iOS 11 again until the official launch in September.

At this point, you are all set up and ready to go. The vast majority of users won't have to worry about the second method below, but if you encounter any bugs or glitches, just go back and go through the next section.

Method 2 Recover from iCloud backup (only if you have errors)

This next method is only for people experiencing bugs after upgrading to iOS 10.3.2. This is rare, but it can happen when there is leftover data from iOS 11 that is not fully compatible with iOS 10.3.2.

If so, the easiest workaround is to recover from the IPSW file again. But this time, don't save your existing data and restore it from your old iCloud backup instead. Alternatively, you can perform a factory reset to clear the corrupted data, but the method in the following steps is slightly faster.

IOS Rollback: Step 1 Find Your iOS 10.3.2 Backup

First of all, keep in mind that downgrading your firmware using this method will delete existing apps and their data. This means that you will need to save important things. However, iOS 11 backups cannot be restored to iOS 10.3.2, which presents a problem.

You will only be able to restore all your data if you have an iOS 10.3.2 (or older) archived backup. Which was done before downgrading with Method 1. You should have done this iTunes backup when you first installed iOS 11. You may try to backup after using Method 1, but some of the problems may persist.

ICloud was supposed to automatically create a backup the last time you run 10.3.2, so most people will be fine. But to check, connect your device to your computer, then click the phone icon in iTunes to view the backups.

The information listed here does not include iOS version numbers. Therefore, you will need to check your backup dates to make sure they were created the last time you ran iOS 10.3.2 (or older). If they were, you can get your data back. Otherwise, you will need to start over.

IOS Rollback: Step 2 Disable Finding My iPhone

Then you need to turn off Find My iPhone. To do this, go to the "Settings" section, then click your name at the top of the list and select "iCloud". From here, select Find My iPhone, then turn off the toggle switch on the next screen.

IOS Rollback: Step 3 Downgrade the firmware again

Then reload the IPSW file for your device, if you've lost it since using method 1, then the rest of the process will be pretty straightforward. This is basically the same as the first one, but with one minor exception, so you can use the screenshots above for visual reference. To get started, connect your iOS device to your computer, then follow these steps:

  1. Open iTunes.
  2. Enter the "Device" menu.
  3. Select the "Summary" tab.
  4. Hold the key Option(Mac) or key Shift left(Windows).
  5. Click "Restore iPhone" (or "iPad" or "iPod").
  6. Open the IPSW file.
  7. Confirm your choice by clicking the "Restore" button.

As with Method 1, iTunes will take care of the rest and your device will restart after it completes.

IOS Rollback: Step 4 Recover Data from iCloud

Once the process is complete, do the initial setup on your iPhone. Then select "Set up as new" if you want to start a fresh start, or "Restore from iCloud Backup". If you want to get all your apps and data back. If you're going with the latter, just sign in with your Apple ID and then select the most recent iOS 10.3.2 backup and your apps and data will be restored. You can also select "Restore from iTunes Backup" if you backed up iOS 10.3.2 before installing iOS 11.

Without corrupted iOS 11 data, you won't have any more problems with iOS 10.3.2. But if you run into problems with any of the above methods, please let us know in the comments section below and we'll try to point you in the right direction. Also, if you want, you can remove Autoplay videos in the iOS 11 App Store.

Let's figure out how to properly rollback iOS on iPhone to a previous version of the operating system. In the article we will consider using a specific example of versions, but this is also true for newer iOS.

This article is suitable for all iPhone Xs / Xr / X / 8/7/6/5 and Plus models on iOS 12. Older versions may have different or no menu items and hardware support indicated in the article.

Reasons for iOS rollback

For users, the reasons for downgrading to a later version of the iOS system can be completely different. Some may be unhappy with the visual changes in the interface design of Apple gadgets, which change in some detail with each update.

Others want the same stability in the work of the device after the update. Problems began to be noticed by users who upgraded to iOS 12 on the iPhone. Even in iOS 12, there are new system items in the menu, which seem redundant to users and are not aesthetically woven into the smartphone interface itself.

There are also some users who roll back the iOS version after the release in order to check the general performance of this function on the official Apple packages. For example, we have already found out that with iOS 12 rollback is possible only to version iOS 11.4, which was the last in the iOS 11 update series.

Other iOS versions are not covered by the company's package subscription. About this was said in the official blog of Apple.

Important nuances

  • During the rollback process, the device must be reset and then restored from the copy. It will take some time, which will depend on the Internet connection and the amount of your data.
  • You should start rolling back when you have a backup copy of the gadget in iTunes or in iCloud.
  • A standard copy of iTunes or Ikloud will be based on iOS 12, so after a rollback to iOS 11, it may malfunction. It is better to use a copy that was saved before anyone, as iOS 12 was installed.

Rollback from iOS 12 to iOS 11.4.1 without losing information

This method is risky, but it can be used to rollback from iOS 12 to iOS 11.4.1 without losing data. The process is even faster than the second method, which we will look at later.

To downgrade to iOS 11.4.1 from iOS 12, follow the instructions:

You can use an alternate method if this doesn't work. For it, you need to have a saved backup of the gadget, which was created even before the installation of iOS 12.

Rollback from iOS 12 to iOS 11.4.1 by recovery method

  • Download the firmware file for your device https://ipsw.guru/firmware/11.4.1/.
  • Launch iTunes on your computer.
  • We connect a gadget with iOS 12 to the computer.
  • Now you need to enter the device into DFU (recovery) mode. This process is different on different models.
  • In the appeared Aityuns window, click on "OK".
  • Hold down the "Alt / Option" button on a Mac or on a Windows computer with "Shift", then select "Restore ..." to your gadget.
  • Select the iOS 11.4.1 ipsw file.
  • Click "Restore" to continue.
  • The user will be shown information about version 11.4.1. Click "Next", then "Accept".
  • ITunes will install the new version on the device. The whole process takes approximately 10 minutes.
  • When the process is successfully completed, the device will display the familiar power-on screen. The device can be restored using a saved backup.

If some errors occur during the rollback, then most likely the firmware is not downloaded for your model.

Updates of applications do not always bring something new and useful, some errors are often eliminated, but others appear immediately. It is worse when, after the update, ads appear or useful functions disappear, and there are a lot of such cases.

In this article, we will show you how to rollback the iOS version of the application using Charles and iTunes. But before you start, please note:

  • the instruction works only on version Charles 4, was tested on Charles 4.0.2 (the program is paid, but has an unlimited trial period, the trial version stops working every half hour);
  • the maximum version of iTunes for macOS is 12.3.3, for Windows - 12.2.2, on the next versions this method no longer works: either iTunes does not start, or there is no Download button (12.4-12.4.3), or an error appears
    “ITunes cannot authenticate the server. Invalid server certificate " (12.5-12.6.3).

Unfortunately, this method will no longer work on macOS High Sierra and higher. When launching previous versions of iTunes, you will get an error, as the minimum version for High Sierra is 12.7 (no App Store).

Attention! Starting with iTunes 12.7, the application no longer has the App Store, so to install the downloaded application on your device, use the latest working version - 12.6.3.

How to roll back a version of an app on iPhone and iPad

Step 1 Download Charles 4 for your operating system (macOS or Windows) and install it. If the method does not work on a newer version, then download Charles 4.0.2 from here

Step 2 Start the Charles program. On computers with macOS, when you start the program for the first time, click the Grand Priviliges button



Step 4 Go to Charles and in the Structure pane (on the left) find the line containing “buy.itunes.apple.com”. Right-click on it and select Enable SSL Proxying


Step 5 Go back to iTunes, stop downloading the application and remove it from the download list (click on the download icon in the upper right corner, select the downloaded application and press the Delete key 2 times). If the download has already completed, then go to the "My programs" section and delete the downloaded application


Step 6 Use iTunes search again and re-download the app. If iTunes warns you that it cannot authenticate the server, click Continue. The application will start downloading, stop it and uninstall


Step 7 Go to Charles and find a new line containing "buy.itunes.apple.com". Open it and select "buyProduct"


Step 8 In the right pane of the program, select the Contents tab (instead of Contents, in some operating systems it may be Response) and specify the display type "XML Text". Find among the lines of code:

softwareVersionExternalIdentifier
821085078

In line the current version of the application is indicated, and below it are the identifiers of all previous versions:

softwareVersionExternalIdentifies
785833618
811158353
811420549
811474632

Select the version you want to install and copy its number


Step 9 Return to the left panel Structure and on the line "buyProduct" right-click, select Breakpoints


Step 10 In iTunes, find and download the app again

Step 11 As soon as you click Load, a new window will appear in Charles. Go to it, select the Edit Request and XML Text tabs


Step 12 Find the stitch XXXX and instead of XXXX (a set of numbers), paste the version number of the application that you copied earlier and press the Execute button once, and then again


Step 13 iTunes should start downloading the selected version. When the download is complete, the downloaded application will appear in the "My Programs" section. Look at the version of the program, open the context menu with the right mouse click and select Information or press Cmd + I (macOS) / Ctrl + I (Windows). If you are not satisfied with the version, copy another version ID and repeat Steps 10 - 13


Step 14 Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer and install the app on your device

After completing all the operations, do not forget to return everything to the default in Charles, go back to the program, select the "buyProduct" line, right-click on it and click Disable SSL Proxying, and also uncheck Breakpoints or simply uninstall the program.

The instructions are complex and demanding, but worth it if you want to return an old version of the application.

Tell your friends about this life hack, share a link with them in social networks and subscribe to our publics in

Quite a common situation - you update an application or game and instead of improved performance and new features, you get a completely inoperative tool. Developers of all stripes make such mistakes, and you can only roll back from a new version to an old one using the Charles Proxy tool.

The Charles Proxy program can also come in handy in cases where some functions have been removed in new versions of applications or games. There are a lot of examples of such remote functions, take at least the official applications of VKontakte or YouTube, the latest version of which causes only negative emotions in users.

We want to note right away that despite the apparent complexity, any user can install an old version of any application. The main thing is to follow the instructions clearly. In it, we installed on the iPad one of the first versions of the application of the popular social network Instagram.

Step 1. Download, install and run Charles tool for Windows or Mac (download)

Step 2. Launch iTunes and start downloading the application, the old version of which you want to install on your iPhone or iPad

Step 3. In the Charles window, select the iTunes server from which the application is downloaded, with the word "Buy". Right-click on the server name and select Enable SSL Proxying

Step 4. Return to the iTunes window and stop downloading the app

Note: if the application has already been downloaded, then it must be removed in the "My programs" section

Step 5. Find the desired app again in iTunes and start downloading it again

Step 6. Go to the Charles window and find another line with the word “ buy"- this is exactly the object that we are looking for. Go back to iTunes and stop downloading the app

Step 7. Expand the found branch with the word “ buy"In Charles and find the line buyProduct

Step 8. Select a stitch buyProduct and go to the tab Response, where specify the type of display XML Text

Step 9. On the screen, after sewing softwareVersionExternalIdentifiers, you will see lines like:

2948163
3091092
3107891
3171975
3194579
3240261

where the seven-digit number refers to the application's version numbers in ascending order. In our example, we rolled back Instagram to the truly ancient version 1.8.7, whose build number was first in the list. In practice, it is most often necessary to rollback to the previous version, so it is recommended to choose the build number (the one enclosed in the tag ) as close to the final version as possible.

Step 10. Make a right click on the item buyProduct and select Edit

Step 11. Select a section XML Text and find the line in the field:

appExtVrsId
XXXX

where XXXX is the latest version of the application. Instead of XXXX, you need to paste the value you copied in step 9, and then click Execute... In our example, we changed the number 81542337 to 2948163, thereby rolling back the most recent version of Instagram to the earliest one.

Step 12. Again, right-click on the item buyProduct and select the item Breakpoints

Step 14. Go to iTunes, find your application and refresh the page (Ctrl + R on Windows). Then start downloading the tool

Step 15. A moment after you clicked the download button, you will be transferred to Charles, where you need to switch to the screen Edit Request -> XML Text... In field XXXX instead of " XXX»Paste the build number you copied in step 9, then click Execute.

Step 16. Then press again Execute

Step 17. Go to iTunes and make sure the application download has started. Wait for the download to finish

Step 18. In iTunes, select the " My programs", Find your application and by right-clicking on it, select" Intelligence". Here you can make sure that it is the old version of the application that is being downloaded.

Step 19. Remove the new version of the required application from your iPhone or iPad, connect the device to iTunes and install the old assembly

Step 20. After the end of synchronization, the old version of the required application will appear on your smartphone or tablet.

Due to constant bugs in new versions of iOS, even those users for whom the iPhone is a “dialer” began to take an interest in the firmware rollback (downgrade) process. It is elementary for open assemblies, but impossible for closed assemblies. But this applies exclusively to the mobile OS, with applications, things are much better. Without jailbreak, encyclopedic knowledge and a lot of time, you can easily downgrade the version of the App Store object to the desired one. You just need to download the correct helper program and follow the instructions below.

The most popular reasons for downgrading are increasing the required OS version (as an option, switching from iOS 6 to iOS 7) and deliberately cutting out certain functions by developers. It was the second point that forced us to write this material. The AppStudio editorial team speaks warmly of the affordable and, at the same time, functional fitness bracelets Xiaomi Mi Band 1s, the proprietary application of which, from the second version, has lost a smart alarm clock that lifts you out of bed in a fast sleep phase - a serious loss, because some bought the gadget only for a comfortable awakening! In such a situation, you can either wait for the upcoming update, or make a downgrade, which, in fact, we will do.

The first step is to download the application Charles... It is a great HTTP monitor and proxy to track any requests between client and server and make your own adjustments. The program is paid, but there is a trial period of operation, albeit with periodic pop-up waiting windows and termination of work every half hour, so be careful.

Launch iTunes and put the required application on download. We decided to take Moves (2.7.10) as an example.

Go back to Charles and look at the left window - there should appear a line containing the word "buy". Right click on it and click on "Enable SSL Proxying". Nothing will happen visually, we just activate the SSL request redirection.

Go to iTunes again and kill the download: click on the icon with the arrow in the upper right corner, click on the rocking application, and then, while holding down the FN key, press Backspace 2 times until the object disappears. At the same time, it does not interfere with emptying the trash.

Now we again drive Moves into the search (or click on the large application icon) and start downloading again.

We climb into Charles again and see that there is a second line with the words "buy". Therefore, we kill the download in iTunes in the same way.

In Charles, in the list on the left, expand the second line that says "buy", including the WebObjects folder. There we will find the file buyProduct. Right-click on it, select Export from the context menu and specify the save location (the easiest way is to put the Desktop). It is better to choose the format XML Summary File, the name - whatever.

Open the saved file with any text editor (we have Coda 2), scroll down and look for lines similar to these:

6940998
10969069
11758907
12262840
12679839

Back to Charles. Click on buyProduct and select Edit.

Click on the Text button in the right field. The fourth line contains tags :

appExtVrsId

And below them are the tags and the key value of the current version of the application.

816441851

Replace the number between these tags what you copied in the step above when you were counting down the correct version. Click on Execute at the bottom.

To make sure that the downloaded version is correct, click on the Response tab and scroll down to the tags with the designation bundleShortVersionString, under which the current version will be located. As you can see, the marking "0.9" indicates the success of the experiment. But that's not all.

Right click on buyProduct and select Breakpoints.

We go into iTunes, drive the application into the search and download it. Almost immediately, the download will pause, and such a window will appear on the screen.

Click on Edit Request, selecting XML Text just below.

On the fifth line, between tags , you need to paste the version that you have already copied and to which you want to rollback. Now we press on Execute.

Another window will appear - press again Execute.

The download to iTunes should continue. As a result, an old version of the application will appear in the library. To check it, go to My Programs, find the desired object there, right-click on it and select Details. There, the current numbers will be displayed, which should please you;)

Be sure to remove the latest version from iPhone / iPad before syncing, and it would also be nice to disable automatic software updates in iOS settings. Without unnecessary need, you can part with Charles. This, perhaps, is all. Happy downgrades;)

Top related articles