As expected, iOS 8.4 was released today, and with it comes the launch of Apple Music. However, if you’re having issues with the new update or just missing the iOS 8.3 company, here’s how to upgrade from iOS 8.4 to iOS 8.3.
With the release of iOS 8.4, many new performance improvements and bug fixes are coming to your device, but the most important new feature of iOS 8.4 is the inclusion of Apple Music, the company’s own music streaming service. Share of the already saturated market dominated by Spotify and Pandora.
However, Apple does offer music, interviews, etc. with real DJs called Beats 1. It aims to do things a little differently by also launching a live radio station featuring It’s an interesting concept that Apple thinks will win over users.
If you are experiencing issues with the iOS 8.4 update, all hope is not lost as you can revert to iOS 8.3 fairly easily. However, Apple only provides a short window of time (usually about a week) to do this.
If you want to go back to iOS 8.3, here’s how to do it.
Unfortunately Apple has shut down iOS 8.3 and you can no longer upgrade from iOS 8.4 to iOS 8.3.
Backup Your iPhone
Before doing absolutely anything, it’s always a good idea to back up your iPhone using iTunes. We have a great guide that walks you through the process of doing this, but if you’ve been a long-time iPhone or iPad owner, you probably know how it goes.
By backing up your iPhone, you protect yourself against mishaps during the downgrade process. If anything, you can restore from backup and try again with downgrade.
Still, if something bad happens to your iPhone or iPad, it’s a good idea to back up your device every now and then to avoid losing your apps and settings. Be sure you will thank yourself later.
downgrade to iOS 8.3
The first thing you want to do is this website and download the iOS 8.3 installer for your specific iOS device. These files can be several gigabytes in size, so they may take a while to download, so be aware when doing this.
Once the iOS 8.3 installation file is downloaded to your computer, the next step is to open iTunes and plug your iPhone or iPad into your computer.
Go to your device’s summary page in iTunes and hold down the Option/Alt key on your keyboard (or Shift if you’re using Windows) while clicking in iTunes. This will bring up the file explorer where you will navigate and open the iOS 8.3 install file you downloaded.
Your iPhone will start restoring to iOS 8.3. This process can take a few minutes, so it’s a good idea to sit back and relax while the process continues.
Once done, you’ll be left with a clean install of iOS 8.3 on your iPhone, but if you want to restore all your apps and settings, go back to iTunes with your device plugged in and click on your device’s summary page.
At this point, you’ll be back where you were before upgrading to iOS 8.4. You’ll have all your apps, settings, and the like, but you’ll be back to running iOS 8.3 now instead of being on iOS 8.4.
Again, iOS 8.4 comes with some performance improvements that should make the iOS experience better than iOS 8.3, including better battery life. However, if you’re having trouble with the latest version of iOS 8.4 or would rather not have the new Apple Music service on your device, reverting to iOS 8.3 is your best bet, and as you can see, the process is pretty easy.
iOS 8.4 Jailbreak Status
Perhaps one of the biggest things jailbreakers will look for with iOS 8.4 is whether it’s jailbreakable yet. iOS 8.4 is out and available to the public, but if you’ve already jailbroken iOS 8.3, we recommend deferring the update to iOS 8.4.
In the recent past, betas of iOS 8.4 were allegedly jailbroken at some point, and while that sounds like a good sign, we’re still cautious about whether the final version of iOS 8.4 is available for use.
In any case, if iOS 8.4 can be jailbroken, the TaiG developer team will most likely release an update to the jailbreak tool to make it work with iOS 8.4. We’ll update Moyens I/O.com with more information when it arrives, but in the meantime, it’s a good idea to stay away from updating to iOS 8.4 if you plan on jailbreaking until we hear official news.
