Feb 21, 2025 • Filed to: Mobile Repair Solutions • Proven solutions
iOS 16 was released on September 12, 2022. If you got on the iOS 16 bandwagon and discovered that the iOS 16 is not for you right now, you might be considering downgrading iOS 16 to iOS 15. This guide is a quick primer about the process and aspects to consider prior to downgrading from iOS 16 to iOS 15.
If you are considering a downgrade to iOS 15, you likely know your reasons. Any which way, there are several reasons why to downgrade from iOS 16 to iOS 15.
With all major iOS releases, there are a few categories of apps that refuse to work. Banking apps are one of the first casualties of new software. This year, there are a large number of banking apps not working on iOS 16, and you might want to downgrade to iOS 15 because of this.
No, if you follow this guide to a tee, there is no reason to worry about downgrading from iOS 16 to iOS 15, as this guide will help you with a step-by-step process to get back to iOS 15 without any issues.
When you upgrade to a major iOS version, there are some things to consider, such as those related to backups and iCloud. iCloud settings are invariably updated, and an important consideration remains that if and when your device running a newer version of iOS gets backed up to iCloud, you cannot restore that backup onto your device running an earlier iOS version. This means that when you were testing iOS 16, if your device created an iCloud backup, you cannot restore that backup to your device when you downgrade to iOS 15. A common question then arises: Will my data be lost if I downgrade iOS 16 to iOS 15? The answer is: No, not if you use the right tools.
What can you do? Third-party tools exist to help you in this case, where you can take full and even selective backups that are easily restorable onto previous iOS versions since they are not tied to iOS versions in any way.
There are two ways to take iPhone backups, as provided by Apple. The default way today is iCloud Backups, and the other method is using Finder/ iTunes to create a local backup on the computer.
The issue here is that no matter which way you create a backup while running iOS 16, you will not be able to restore it on the iPhone when you downgrade it to iOS 15.
This is one of the reasons why Apple warns and wants you to use a dedicated device with a separate iCloud account to try and test new iOS version so that data loss issues are minimized or eliminated.
Is there a way to take backups now that I have upgraded to iOS 16 and want to downgrade to iOS 15? Yes.
You can use third-party tools such as Wondershare Dr.Fone to take full or selective backups that can be restored to devices in a single click.
Selectively Back up your iPhone or iPad to your Computer with A Few Clicks!
Here's how to take full or selective backups easily using Dr.Fone:
Step 1: Get Dr.Fone
Step 2: Connect your iPhone
Step 3: Launch Dr.Fone
Step 4: Select Phone Backup
Step 5: Dr.Fone Phone Backup detects and shows the types of files on your device. Check individual types to backup or check Select All at the top to backup everything in one go.
Step 6: Click the Backup button to start.
The backup will start, and Dr.Fone will notify you when the process is complete.
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Now that you have taken a backup of your data with Wondershare Dr.Fone Phone Backup, you can downgrade from iOS 16 to iOS 15 confidently. There are two ways you can do this.
Using the official way to downgrade iOS 16 to iOS 15 means you will lose all data on the device as neither iTunes nor Finder will 'update' to iOS 15 from iOS 16. The only thing they can do is 'Restore', and choosing that option will wipe the device.
Downgrade From iOS 16 to iOS 15 Without Data Loss.
Dr.Fone to the rescue, once again! You can use Dr.Fone System Repair to quickly and confidently downgrade iOS 16 to iOS 15 without data loss. It feels like magic, but no, there is no magic involved. It is that the app does all the hard work and leg work for you in the background, which involves getting the appropriate firmware files for your device and 'updating' the device in the right way to 'restore' iOS 15 to the device. Here's how:
Step 1: Click System Repair from the Dr.Fone home and select the "iOS" module > "iOS Upgrade/Downgrade".
Step 2: Choose "Downgrade iOS", and then you will see all iOS versions you can downgrade to, such as iOS 15.7. Click "Download"
Step 3: Dr.Fone will download the iOS 15 firmware. After verification with Apple, will show this screen:
Step 4: Click Repair Now.
The iPhone will be downgraded to iOS 15 and will restart.
You can watch the video below to downgrade your iOS with Wondershare Dr.Fone
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At this point, you might be having a few queries. Here are a few FAQs to help:
If you are okay with your data getting wiped off the device during the downgrade process, you can use the official way to restore the device to iOS 15 from iOS 16. However, if you do not want to lose data during the downgrade process, your only option is to use third-party tools such as Wondershare Dr.Fone System Repair.
Yes, you can choose to disable automatic software upgrade:
Step 1: Go to Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates
Step 2: Make sure the toggles are set as in the picture above. This way, iPhone will not download and install any upgrade automatically but will still protect you with security fixes.
Yes! To enter Recovery Mode on iPhone:
Step 1: Connect the computer and the iPhone with the data cable
Step 2: Press the Volume Up key, then the volume Down key, then press and hold the Side Button until you see the following popup on your computer:
While Apple allows users to quickly downgrade iOS to previous versions as long as they are being signed, there is a critical flaw here that prevents a large number of users from going the Apple route - the backups Apple takes cannot be restored onto the devices running an iOS version earlier than the one the backups were taken on. To mitigate this issue, use third-party software such as Wondershare Dr.Fone that not only lets you take full and selective backups using the Phone Backup module but also allows you to downgrade iOS 16 to iOS 15 easily using the System Repair module.
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