How to Downgrade Back to iOS 5
How to Downgrade Back to iOS 5
Did you upgrade to iOS 6 with the thoughts that you’d have a better mobile experience on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, but didn’t? It's Maps, isn't it? Luckily, you can downgrade your device with ease back to iOS 5.1.1, and update again when Apple's released a fix for some of the features that are bugging you. Continue reading, and we’ll show you how to get your iOS 6 device back to working on iOS 5.
1. Download Your IPSW
To restore, you’ll need to download the IPSW file of iOS 5.1.1 from Apple’s servers to restore your device. Click on one of the links below to download your specific version of iOS 5.1.1:
- iPad 1
- iPad 2 Wi-Fi
- iPad 2 (GSM - AT&T)
- iPad 2 (CDMA - Verizon)
- iPad 2,4 (New iPad 2)
- iPad 3 Wi-Fi
- iPad 3 (GSM - AT&T)
- iPad 3 (CDMA)
- iPhone 3GS
- iPhone 4 (GSM)
- iPhone 4 (CDMA)
- iPhone 4S
- iPod touch 3rd generation
- iPod touch 4th generation
2. Back Up
Before proceeding, back up your device to either iCloud or iTunes. Back up manually to iCloud by navigating to Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup and choosing “Back Up Now.†Back up in iTunes by right-clicking your device in the sidebar and selecting “Back Up Now.â€
3. Restore in iTunes
After you’ve downloaded the IPSW file and backed up your device, then it’s time to perform the restore in iTunes.
To do this, hold down the Option key while clicking on the “Restore†button. A Finder file selection dialog will appear. Select the IPSW file that you just downloaded, and then click the “Open†button.
4. Restore Device Back Up
After your iOS 5.1.1 has been restored, you can proceed with restoring your backup from either iTunes or iCloud. You can find more about restoring from an iCloud backup here.
Cory Bohon is a freelance technology writer, indie Mac and iOS developer, and amateur photographer. Follow this article's author, Cory Bohon on Twitter.
Use the instructions above at your own risk. While the risk is relatively small, the author, nor Mac|Life, will assume any liability for a bricked phone.
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