There's no going back: Apple is now preventing downgrades from iOS 8
On Friday, Apple reportedly stopped signing iOS 7.1.2 firmware installs, restricting iOS device owners from downgrading their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from iOS 8.
Before now, iOS device owners running iOS 8 were able to manually downgrade to iOS 7.1.2 from inside iTunes. The process of installing firmware on an iOS device relies on Apple’s servers authenticating the install: up until Friday, these servers were still signing iOS 7.1.2, however as AppleInsider explains, this is no longer the case.
The news comes as Apple is aiming to bolster adoption of iOS 8. As we explained earlier this month, the adoption rate for iOS 8 is significantly lower than those of last year’s iOS 7 and the previous year’s iOS 6.
If you’re running iOS 8 on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and don’t like the experience, we’re afraid there’s no going back. However, given the nature of the update, we wouldn’t expect readers’ experiences with the new software to be radically different from iOS 7, which introduced a major redesign in September 2013.
Instead, iOS 8 brings less noticable (yet nontheless significant) changes including Handoff support, third-party keyboards, Notification Center widgets, and a refined user interface (UI) for Apple’s bigger iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets.
You can download iOS 8.0.2 now from iTunes or as an over-the-air (OTA) software update. It was released soon after an earlier point update, iOS 8.0.1, proved catastrophic for countless iOS device users.
See also: MLB.com At Bat’s latest update is a home run: adds full World Series coverage and more, Weather Underground for iPhone gets an iOS 8 ‘Today’ widget, and Here’s proof that the iPhone 6 ‘Bendgate’ controversy is blown way out of proportion.
