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How to Downgrade to iOS 8.1 from iOS 8.1.1

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iOS 8.1.1 was released earlier last week and it aims to fix a handful of bugs and improve performance on the older iPhone 4s and iPad 2. However, the update also patches up the Pangu iOS 8 jailbreak, and the update could also cause general problems with your device. If you happen to be an unlucky user, here’s how to downgrade back to iOS 8.1 from iOS 8.1.1.

Normally, you wouldn’t be able to downgrade back down to an older version of iOS, but Apple is keeping iOS 8.1 open for a longer amount of time, allowing users to downgrade if they wish.

While iOS 8.1.1 fixes some minor bugs and such, it isn’t compatible with Pangu’s iOS 8 jailbreak, so if you plan on jailbreaking your iPhone or iPad, it’s important that you stay as far away from iOS 8.1.1 as possible, and if you already jumped the gun and updated to iOS 8.1.1, not all hope is lost.

If you want to downgrade back to iOS 8.1, you’ll want to do it as soon as possible, because it’s only matter of time before Apple stops signing iOS 8.1. Afterward, you won’t be able to jailbreak.

However, Apple is still signing iOS 8.1 right now, so you have a little bit of time to lock in iOS 8.1 and jailbreak your iPhone or iPad if you haven’t already done so. Here’s how to downgrade to iOS 8.1 if you upgraded to iOS 8.1.1.

Downgrading to iOS 8.1

Since iOS 8.1.1 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.

iPhone-6-pair

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

First off, visit this website and download the iOS 8.1 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 them.

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.

iPhone-6

After the process is complete, your iOS device should now be running iOS 8.1 and you’ll now have the latest version of iOS that supports the Pangu iOS 8 jailbreak. From there, you can jailbreak your device, which again only consists of a few simple steps.

Before you jailbreak, it’s important to back up your iPhone or iPad again, that way if anything goes wrong you can easily rewind.

Jailbreaking iOS 8.1

Before you do anything else, it’s crucial that you first disable the passcode on your device by going into Settings > Touch ID & Passcode and turn off the passcode. You’ll also need to turn on Airplane Mode by swiping up from the bottom of your screen to open Control Center and tap the airplane icon.

Now comes the fun part. Head to Pangu.io and download the jailbreaking tool.

iOS-8-Cydia-tweaks

Once it’s downloaded, open the Pangu tool and plug in your iOS device. When it’s recognized by the Pangu tool, click on Start Jailbreak and then click Already Did.

Sit back and wait for the jailbreak tool to do its thing. Your iPhone or iPad will eventually reboot and you should get a finished message. From there, you can close out the Pangu tool and unplug your iOS device.

Lastly, open up Cydia and let it prepare the file system. After that, you can download and install tweaks and go crazy!

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. Dalton

    11/24/2014 at 7:13 am

    I have an iPhone 6 running 8.1.1, but when I try to downgrade to 8.1 it says firmware is not compatible. Any suggestions?

  2. Eric

    11/24/2014 at 7:18 am

    Hey Dalton I have a iPhone 5s and the same message for me too

  3. Kaitlyn

    11/24/2014 at 3:21 pm

    Inalso have the same problem for my iPhone 5c ^^^

  4. Dylan

    11/24/2014 at 9:35 pm

    I’m very proud

  5. wibble

    11/25/2014 at 5:21 am

    Thanks helped me out with a 4S :)

  6. Dharmendra Singh Sengar

    11/25/2014 at 11:45 pm

    first downgrade to 8.1

  7. wibble

    11/26/2014 at 3:12 am

    Also worked on iPad air as a upgrade from 7.0.4. Very handy for Pangu

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