How to Downgrade from iOS 15.3 to iOS 15.2.1

This is how to revert from iOS 15.3 to iOS 15.2.1.

If you run into iOS 15.3 issues and think that rolling your iPhone back to the previous iOS 15 version might help, this guide will help you downgrade.

You can only revert to iOS 15.2.1. You can’t go back any further than that. The path to iOS 15.2 and below is closed and won’t turn back on.

Update: Apple recently stopped signing in iOS 15.2.1; this means you can no longer switch from iOS 15.3 to iOS 15.2.1. Do not use these instructions. We’ll let you know it’s safe to downgrade again.

It’s also worth noting that you can’t upgrade from iOS 15 to iOS 14 and Apple may not turn this option back on.

Initially, it looked like Apple would allow iPhone users to stay on iOS 14 and continue to receive security updates and perhaps bug fixes for ongoing issues. Unfortunately, those plans seem to have changed.

Apple hasn’t released a new version of iOS 14 for months and the latest version of iOS 14 is gone. Devices running iOS 14.8 and earlier can only upgrade to the latest version of iOS 15.

This is important because there probably won’t be a way to downgrade from iOS 15 to iOS 14 in the future. The only way this can happen is if Apple releases a new version of iOS 14.

When you downgrade, you can only restore a backup you made in iOS 15.2.1; so keep that in mind in case you need to restore a backup.

Most users will have a recent backup, but you may lose some items if you don’t regularly back up your photos and messages to iCloud.

While this isn’t officially supported, it’s easy to do and you won’t lose any support or void your iPhone’s warranty.

How to Downgrade from iOS 15.3 to iOS 15.2.1

Here’s what you need to do to revert to iOS 15.2.1 on your iPhone. You won’t be able to use your phone during downgrade, so you need to turn it on on your computer or other device.

If you made an archived backup, you can use it after restoring it. If you’re doing this right after iOS 15.3, you may have a backup of iOS 15.2.1 in iCloud or on your computer.

Follow these steps to revert from iOS 15.3 to iOS 15.2.1.

This process takes some time to complete. When it does, you can reboot or restore a backup made in iOS 15.2.1. Most people will want to install a backup.