How to downgrade iOS 17 beta to iOS 16.6.1 without data loss

betaprofiles · June 11, 2023, 2:07pm

I guess you’ve downloaded and installed iOS 17 beta on your device in the past few days, right? Although iOS 17 brings some exciting features like StandBy, a new call interface, interactive widgets, etc., some devices may encounter issues such as overheating, battery drain, or lag after installing iOS 17 beta. This is completely normal because it’s a major update and it’s currently in the beta stage.

If you don’t want these issues to occur on your daily-used iPhone, here’s a guide to downgrade from iOS 17 beta to iOS 16.6.1 without losing data.

Important Note: If you have an Apple Watch enrolled in the watchOS 10 beta, restoring your paired iPhone to a previously-released OS version is not recommended as it will no longer pair properly.

Preparation

Mac or Windows computer
Lightning cable capable of data transfer, usually the one included with your iPhone, iPad
IPSW file for your device

Download the IPSW file for iOS 16.6.1

Download the IPSW file for iPadOS 16.6.1

Downgrade Guide (if you don’t have a backup from iOS 16.6.1)

Note: This method doesn’t always work with all devices. You’ve been warned, so you’ll be responsible for any potential risks that might occur.

It also applies to iPads running iPadOS 17 beta.

Open Finder on your Mac or iTunes on your Windows computer. If you don’t have iTunes, download it here.
Connect your device to your Mac or Windows computer using a USB to Lightning cable.
Backup your device using iTunes or Finder. Select the option to back up all your data to your Mac or Windows computer, then click the ‘Backup Now’ button.

After the backup is complete, on your computer, navigate to the following path:
With File Explorer on Windows:
C:\Users\[your_username]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup
With Filnder on macOS:
~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup
You will see a folder similar to this 0000xxxxxxxxxxxxxx, open it and navigate to the Info.plist file. Open this file with a text editor that can be edited, I recommend using Notepad (Windows) or TextEditor (download from the Mac App Store).
Find “Product Version” in the Info.plist file, then change “17.0” to “16.6.1”. After that, save the changes by pressing Cmd + S (macOS) or Ctrl + S (Windows).

Go back to iTunes/Finder, hold down the Option key (macOS) or Alt key (Windows) + click on the “Restore iPhone/iPad” button. A window will appear for you to select the .ipsw file you downloaded earlier.

Wait for the restore process to complete, then follow the on-screen steps to complete the activation.
When prompted by iTunes/Finder to restore from a backup, select the backup you made in Step 2. Then select “Continue” and iTunes will restore your device.

After the restore from backup process is complete, your device will restart. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.

Downgrade Guide (if you have a backup from iOS 16.6.1)

If you have a backup from when your device was running iOS 16.6.1 or iPadOS 16.6.1, the downgrade process will be slightly simpler.

Open Finder on your Mac or iTunes on your Windows computer. If you don’t have iTunes, download it here.
Connect your device to your Mac or Windows computer using a USB to Lightning cable.
"Put your device in recovery mode. The method to do this depends on your specific device, so please check the list below for the steps corresponding to your device. Apple also provides additional information about Recovery Mode in this support article.

A dialog box will appear asking if you want to restore your device. Click on Restore to erase your device and install the latest public release of iOS or iPadOS.
Wait until the restore is complete.
When prompted by iTunes/Finder to restore from a backup, select the backup you have from iOS 16.6.1 or iPadOS 16.6.1.

Once the restore is complete, your device will reboot, continue to follow the onscreen instructions until it’s done.

Judhea_Banning · August 6, 2023, 11:05am

I followed these instructions for windows (the one where backup was made on iOS beta and changed the Product Version to 16.6 from 17.0) but it did not work. It still kept saying that it could not be restored because an error occurred.

betaprofiles · August 7, 2023, 2:41am

A few devices can be restored this way, but some cannot. This method is to trick Apple’s authentication system and it’s possible they have patched it. So I always encourage people to back up their devices before updating to any betas.