How to Downgrade to iOS 8.1.3 from iOS 8.2

iOS 8.2 was released today and it arrives to bring Apple Watch support to the iPhone, but if you’re having problems with the new update, you can downgrade to iOS 8.1.3 for a limited time.

While iOS 8.2 is a rather minor update in terms of new features, it includes a handful of minor bug fixes and improvements, but it’s a bigger update for those who are interested in buying an Apple Watch which will be available for pre-order on April 10 and will release on April 24.

Normally, you wouldn’t be able to downgrade back down to an older version of iOS, but Apple is still signing iOS 8.1.3, which means you have time to downgrade if need be.

UPDATE: iOS 8.1.3 is no longer being signed, which means if you upgraded to iOS 8.2, you can’t downgrade to iOS 8.1.3.

If you want to downgrade to iOS 8.1.3 from iOS 8.2, you’ll want to do it as soon as possible, because it’s only matter of time before Apple stops signing iOS 8.1.3. Afterward, you won’t be able to downgrade. Luckily, Apple is still signing iOS 8.1.3 right now, so you have a little bit of time to lock in iOS 8.1.3 if you’ve been having issues with iOS 8.2. Here’s how to do it.

Downgrading to iOS 8.1.3

Since iOS 8.2 is the latest version of iOS, you can’t simply open up iTunes and “update” to an older version. You have to add on a couple more steps, but luckily it’s fairly easy.

Before you do anything, make sure to back up your iOS device, because this method will wipe your iPhone or iPad entirely clean. Luckily, we have a handy guide on how to do just that.

First off, visit this website and download the iOS 8.1.3 IPSW for your specific iOS device. These files range between 1.5 GB and 2GB for iPhones and iPads, so be aware that it may take a bit of time to download it.

Once you have the file downloaded, plug your iOS device into your computer and open up iTunes. Go to your device’s summary page and hold down the Option/Alt key on your keyboard, or Shift if you’re on Windows. Keep holding down the key as you click on Restore in iTunes.

Next, browse to find the IPSW file that you downloaded and open it. iTunes will begin restoring your iPhone and will install iOS 8.1.3.

After the process is complete, your iOS device should now be running iOS 8.1.3. From there, you’ll want to restore your backup by going to the device summary page in iTunes and clicking on Restore Backup. Give it time to restore all of your apps and settings, and eventually you’ll be back to running iOS 8.1.3 just like you were before updating to iOS 8.2.

If You Want to Jailbreak

Unfortunately, iOS 8.2 nor iOS 8.1.3 are jailbreakable, and you can’t downgrade even further to iOS 8.1.2, which means you’re simply out of luck. However, if you’re still running iOS 8.1.2, you can easily jailbreak your device with TaiG’s latest jailbreak.

The TaiG jailbreak currently only works on Windows machines for the installation process and there’s no word on whether or not a Mac version will be on the way, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see it soon enough. Luckily, though, there’s another jailbreak tool that you can use to jailbreak your iPhone or iPad on Mac.

If you’re not running iOS 8.1.2, you’ll have to wait for an iOS 8.2 jailbreak, which shouldn’t be too far off. The TaiG jailbreak team, which was responsible for the iOS 8.1 jailbreak, already has a jailbreak available for iOS 8.2 beta 1 and 2. However, there have been newer betas since then and Apple has closed access to the first and second betas for iOS 8.2, but the company hasn’t patched up those exploits, meaning that iOS 8.2 is still jailbreakable.

On the TaiG website, they have stated they’ve “already completed the untethered jailbreak support for iOS 8.2,” which could mean that the TaiG team already have newer exploits needed to crack iOS 8.2 if Apple patches up the current exploits that are being used. Of course, TaiG won’t disclose these exploits until iOS 8.2 officially releases and a jailbreak is complete.