Apple has seeded the third beta of iOS 10.3 to developers which comes with a number of new features and improvements. The most notable addition is the Find My AirPods feature which is now included in the Find My iPhone app. The update includes a bunch of other new stuffs which you can read about in our previous post.
If you’ve updated to iOS 10.3 beta, but want to downgrade back to iOS 10.2.1, because you found it unstable then we’ve got you covered. It is quite easy to downgrade and in this tutorial, I’ll show you how to downgrade from iOS 10.3 beta to iOS 10.2.1.
Here are some important points to consider before downgrading:
- This guide is applicable for any of the iOS 10.3 beta versions.
- Ensure that you have updated iTunes to the latest version.
- You’ll be able to downgrade to iOS 10.2.1 only, which is the latest available firmware. You cannot downgrade to the previous versions as Apple has stopped signing the older iOS firmware files.
- Please take a backup of your iOS device using iCloud or iTunes so that if anything happens, you can recover your data from the backup. If you need help, follow our guide:
- It is important to note that you’ll be able to restore only from your latest iOS 10.2.1 compatible backup. You won’t be able to restore from the iOS 10.3 backup. If you don’t have your iOS 10.2.1 backup, then you can manually backup your photos and any necessary information before downgrading.
- Please note that the process involves wiping your device, and then restoring it from a compatible backup, so it can take some time depending on how much data needs to be recovered and your internet connection (if you’re restoring from an iCloud backup).
How to Downgrade iOS 10.3 beta to iOS 10.2.1
Step 1: The first step is to download the iOS 10.2.1 firmware file for your device. Make sure that you download the correct firmware that corresponds to your device model from our download pages.
Note: If you’re downloading the firmware file using Safari then ensure that auto unzip feature is disabled, or use Chrome or Firefox. Alternatively, renaming the .zip file as .ipsw file should also work.
Step 2: You now need to put your device into DFU mode. If you own an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, then read this guide for entering DFU mode. Otherwise, if you own an older iPhone model or an iPad or iPod, read the steps below:
- Plug your device into your computer.
- Turn off your device by holding the Power button and then sliding to power off.
- Next, press and hold the Power button for 3 seconds.
- Then begin holding the Home button without releasing the Power button for 10 seconds.
- Release the power button and continue holding the home button until you get a popup from iTunes that it has detected your device is in Recovery mode. If you don’t see the popup, try the process of holding the buttons again.
- Click on the Ok button.
Step 3: Hold the Alt/Option key on Mac or Shift key in Windows and then click on the Restore iPhone… (iPad/iPod touch…) button.
Step 4: Browse and select the iOS 10.2.1 IPSW file that you downloaded earlier.
Step 5: Then click on the Restore and Update button to continue.
Step 6: In the next screen, it will give you information about the iOS 10.2.1 update. Click on the Next button, followed by the Agree button to continue.
Step 7: iTunes will now verify the software and install it on your device. It should take around 10 minutes.
Step 8: After it is successfully restored to iOS 10.2.1, you should see the white ‘Hello’ screen on your device. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your device, and restore your device from the iOS 10.2.1 backup that you had made before updating to iOS 10.3 beta.
Congrats! You have successfully downgraded your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch from iOS 10.3 beta to iOS 10.2.1.
If you get the error message “This device isn’t eligible for the requested build” then it is probably because you’ve downloaded the wrong firmware file for your device.
Please don’t forget to let us know how it goes in the comments and drop us a line if you have any questions.
