How to Downgrade iOS 11 to iOS 10.3.3 on iPhone and iPad

How to Downgrade iOS 11 to iOS 10.3.3 on iPhone and iPad

Dont like iOS 11 on your iPhone or iPad? You can downgrade to iOS 10.3.3 if you act quickly. Maybe you dont like the update, maybe you find iOS 11 battery life to be poor, or app compatibility to be a problem, or perhaps you think the performance is subpar.

Whatever the reason, you can easily downgrade iOS 11 if you need to, but the ability to downgrade is only available for a limited time while Apple continues to sign the prior operating system release of iOS 10.3.3. Well walk through how you can downgrade iOS 11 back to iOS 10 on an iPhone or iPad. This guide requires iTunes and a computer, internet access, an iOS 10.3.3 ISPW file, and a USB cable.

There is no way to downgrade iOS 11 without iTunes and a computer. Important note: downgrading iOS 11 to iOS 10.3.3 can cause data loss, including the removal of important data or everything on your iPhone or iPad.

Thus it is critical to have a backup that is compatible with iOS 10 available before downgrading (one should have been made prior to updating to iOS 11 in the first place), this is because iOS 11 backups are not compatible with iOS 10 or other prior releases.

If you only have a backup for iOS 11, then downgrading to iOS 10 may require you to update again to iOS 11 in order to restore from that iOS 11 backup. If you dont know what you are doing and do not have adequate backups, do not attempt to downgrade or you may experience permanent data loss on the iPhone or iPad.

Well cover two ways to downgrade, a simple way that should work for most users, and an approach that requires Recovery Mode if the first downgrade method fails. Be sure you have recent backups available of your iOS device to avoid potential data loss.

An iOS 11 backup is only able to be restored to an iOS 11 device, thus you would need an iOS 10 backup to restore to iOS 10. Failing to have a compatible backup can lead to permanent data loss. The downgrade from iOS 11 to iOS 10.3.3 should go without a hitch, assuming you chose the proper iOS 10.3.3 IPSW file for your device, and assuming Apple is still signing the system software.

Once Apple stops signing iOS 10.3.3 then downgrading to it from iOS 11 will be impossible. Some users have reported that sometimes data in iBooks, Notes, Music, and Messages may go missing with the update downgrade approach outlined above. If that happens to you, simply restore the device from an iOS 10.3.3 compatible backup once the device is back on iOS 10.3.3.

Note that if you choose Restore in the above process and then select IPSW, then the device will be either restored from a backup made compatible with iOS 10.3.3 or setup as new like a standard restore process, which can then be restored with a compatible backup. If for some reason the above downgrade method fails, you can use the Recovery Mode approach to downgrading iOS 11 detailed next. Rarely, the above downgrade process will fail or get stuck on an Apple logo, or stuck on a black screen.

If this happens, you can start the downgrade over again while the iPhone or iPad is in Recovery Mode or DFU mode* * You can and . Its unusual to need DFU mode to downgrade unless something has gone wrong and the device has become totally unresponsive.

If you only have a backup from iOS 11, then it will not work with an iOS 10.3.3 device that has been downgraded. Instead, you will need to or update the device to iOS 11 through Setting app, and then restore the iOS 11 backup to the device after it has been updated to a compatible version of system software.

There is no way to make an iOS 11 backup compatible with an iOS 10.3.3 device as the iOS backups are not backwards compatible. Whats your experience with downgrading iOS 11? Why did you downgrade and how did it go? Share your experience in the comments below!