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iOS 7 to iOS 6?: Switch Back to iOS 6 No Longer An Option (Update 2)

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“Can I go back to iOS 6?” and “Can i Downgrade from iOS 7?” are two of the most common questions we expect to hear after users install the iOS 7 update that Apple delivers to the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Update: Apple is still allowing users to downgrade from iOS 7 to iOS 6. If there is a green check next to your device on iOS 6.1.3 or iOS 6.1.4 on this page, you can use these instructions to switch back to iOS 6 for a limited time.

Update 2: Apple is no longer letting users switch from iOS 7 to iOS 6.

While there are countless guides to downgrade from iOS 7 to iOS 6 available, these guides refer to the iOS 7 beta, which Apple released this summer and was available at the same time as Apple was still letting users upgrade to iOS 6.1.3 and iOS 6.1.4.

Now that the official iOS 7 release date is here, Apple will soon stop allowing users to upgrade to versions of iOS 6. This means that short of any errors on Apple’s end, downgrading from iOS 7 to iOS 6 is out of the question.

Read: 7 Reasons Not to Update to iOS 7 on Release Day

Downgrade from iOS 7 beta to iOS 6.

Apple does not let users downgrade from iOS 7 to iOS 6.

Apple routinely stops signing old versions of iOS when it releases a new one. This means even if you download iOS 6 for the iPhone 5, you will not be able to complete the installation because Apple’s servers will not allow the final part of the update to complete, leaving users stuck until they restore to iOS 7.

So in short, once you upgrade to iOS 7 there is no way to switch back to iOS 6.

With this in mind, you should make sure that you like the iOS 7 features and designs before you upgrade. It also means that if you are on an iOS 6 jailbreak, you shouldn’t give it up for iOS 7 with a hope of a fast jailbreak or of returning to iOS 6 and jailbreaking again.

Read: 10 iOS 7 Features That You’ll Hate

The iOS 7 video below highlights many of the new iOS 7 features and shows the new iOS 7 design in action on the iPhone. While some users may not like the new look immediately the new iOS 7 features and design is something that many users will adapt to in a week or two. New iOS 7 features include the Control Center, which offers fast access to common apps and settings, a New Notification Center and new Siri options to name a few.

If you are apprehensive about the iOS 7 update and the new look of iOS 7 for the iPhone and iPad, it’s a good idea to wait a few weeks to see if you like how it performs on a friend’s device. Apple is reportedly working on an iOS 7.1 update already, which could fix any lingering issues on iOS 7.

94 Comments

94 Comments

  1. kiddink07

    09/18/2013 at 10:20 am

    how do I update to iOS 7 final version from beta 6? shows my phone up to date when I check software update and the final version just released est 20min ago

    • John

      09/18/2013 at 10:55 am

      How ?

    • marshall

      09/18/2013 at 6:19 pm

      you need to restore, click the restore or you can download the ipsw from https://www.felixbruns.de/iPod/firmware/ and option click restore if you are on a mac. make sure that you have the correct ipsw selected for your phone if its a 5.

  2. AppleGeek

    09/18/2013 at 11:06 am

    Revert to 6.1.3 and OTA to get ios 7 release

  3. tclash

    09/18/2013 at 11:18 am

    So if I do a full backup to computer before updating to 7 I wouldn’t be able to restore from that to go back to 6.1.3 (iPhone 4S)?

    • themidnightwill

      09/18/2013 at 5:31 pm

      You absolutely can downgrade. I just did it. You have to connect your iPhone in “Recovery Mode” (give it a quick Google, easy to do). Then option-click restore, and select 6.x software ipsw (iPhone firmware) file you want to use. Note: it WILL wipe everything on it, but you can Sync it again.

      • tclash

        09/18/2013 at 6:04 pm

        Did you downgrade from iOS 7 beta or the new official version?

        • themidnightwill

          09/18/2013 at 6:09 pm

          Official. I had updated over the air without connecting to my Mac. The only thing i can say that might be a catch is i hadnt updated to iTunes 11.1 yet, so i was still no 11.0.x

          • tclash

            09/18/2013 at 6:19 pm

            That’s interesting. It wouldn’t let me download iOS 7 without updating to iTunes 11.1 first.

          • themidnightwill

            09/18/2013 at 6:22 pm

            I downloaded the 7 update right on the iPhone, not on my computer, so that’s why I didn’t have to upgrade. You may be able to still downgrade with 11.1, but I’m not sure about that.

          • tclash

            09/18/2013 at 6:24 pm

            It’s not showing 7 as available through the software update on my phone for some reason. Maybe the servers are still bogged. Thanks for your feedback, though.

      • Liz

        09/18/2013 at 6:27 pm

        I need help with that I don’t like the new version and I want to go back !

      • Rosa

        09/18/2013 at 11:43 pm

        Where do you find the iPhone firmware? On iTunes or on your phone?

      • micheal choudhary

        09/19/2013 at 4:03 am

        on 18-09 apple release ios 7 publicly at 05 pm(uk time) means after half an hour of posting your this comment.
        apple will stop allowing devices to downgrading from ios7 to older 6.1.3 or 6.1.4(for iphone 5) after 24 hours of publicly official release .
        this means that who had updated there iphone or other apple devices to ios 7 can only downgrade withing 24 hour of ios 7 release :)
        NOTE-
        i am not sure about 24 hour time but it is assumed nearly 24 hour :)
        for further question email me on [email protected]
        good day

        • Adham Salm

          09/20/2013 at 10:34 pm

          NO that’s not true i did it yesterday >> i downloaded the IOS7 shit and i restore my iphone 4 to IOS 6.1.3 and it worked smoothly….and finally i feel peace

  4. mike

    09/18/2013 at 11:50 am

    please help .., i have also facing same problem. downgrade from ios 7 beta 6 to 6.1.3 is not possible..showing error..

    • Arfaak Hussain

      09/22/2013 at 7:22 am

      How do I go back to 6.1 version in iPhone 4S I don’t like 7 version of iphone.

  5. Robert

    09/18/2013 at 12:07 pm

    just put in DFU mode and restore

  6. Migla

    09/18/2013 at 12:44 pm

    I hate new look – iOS 7. Now my telephone looks like toy and I hate that. I bought iPhone because it was much better than windows phone. Now it is the same shit.

    • Chris

      09/18/2013 at 7:25 pm

      Same thoughts here looks stupid. Apple made a huge mistake here…

    • Roy

      09/18/2013 at 9:27 pm

      I agree. I am wondering whether to go back to Android again. The elegant look of the ios 6 led me to switch from Android. Now with ios7, the UI looks such a big piece of crap. Ugly text everywhere, distasteful choice of colors. Even legibility is so poor in some of the screens (i.e. when I open a contact) It has no elegance, or magic of the previous ios we have seen since iPhone 1.

    • Monica

      09/19/2013 at 10:02 am

      I absolutely agree with your comment! This versions is ridiculous…. I wish I wouldn’t have done this “upgrade”

  7. s

    09/18/2013 at 1:14 pm

    I HATE ios7. It looks like a friggin toy designed by Gerber for babies. PLEASE Apple, let me go back to ios6!

    • themidnightwill

      09/18/2013 at 5:32 pm

      You absolutely can downgrade. I just did it. You have to connect your iPhone in “Recovery Mode” (give it a quick Google, easy to do). Then option-click restore, and select 6.x software ipsw (iPhone firmware) file you want to use. Note: it WILL wipe everything on it, but you can Sync it again.

      • Jazmine nava

        09/19/2013 at 10:59 am

        Can you explain more

  8. Keith

    09/18/2013 at 2:46 pm

    Ios7 icons look like pencil drawings. Additionally the main screen time the numbers are so thin Appke did not think about users with astigmatism. Very infantile icon looks. I want an ios 6 back out. Or an immediate I os 7 fix. Every screen looks like system 8 and 9 on the original Mac computers.

  9. Marc

    09/18/2013 at 3:28 pm

    Very disappointing Apple… IOS7 is a major backward step. The icons are just lame, I dont really see anything new, apart from childlike cosmetics… If this is what I can expect from a new 5s, then sorry Apple… You can shove it! Will be doing my best to revert my 4s to IOS6 with Jailbreak, and then off to look at the (seaming far superior) alternatives

  10. Immy (@wafflergirl)

    09/18/2013 at 4:05 pm

    i hate the new IOS 7 why couldnt you keep it how it was and only change a few things, please apple, make it alot better for the next software up date!

  11. alcor

    09/18/2013 at 4:19 pm

    OMG. iOS7– WHO THE HELL DESIGNED THIS?!– IT LOOKS TERRIBLE. UGH– I WANT MY iOS6 BACK– PLEASE.
    I FEEL LIKE THROWING MY PHONE TO THE WALL NOW.

    • 6789

      09/19/2013 at 6:55 pm

      I feel the exact same way!!!!

    • Andrea

      09/20/2013 at 11:57 pm

      I feel the same way too! I hate ios7 can anyone help me downgrade?

      • Micheal

        09/21/2013 at 4:34 am

        I had said you all to downgrade but some of you had not done it till yet .
        I am gonna tell you bad news that . Apple had stopped signning 6.1.3/6.1.4 . So , now you can not downgrade .
        Who had downgrade , dont do update again to check that is it is working more or not .
        As you will not get the way to get back your ios 6 .

        I think ios 6 jailbreak will be available soon in 15 days and it takes 6 month to hackers to make jailbreak for ios 7 because ios 7 work on a diffrent theory .

        I had got all this info from winocm and evasd3rs team .

        Take care

  12. Hanz

    09/18/2013 at 5:21 pm

    Ios7 is discuistinvg! It’s doesn’t even look like an apple phone anymore! Seriously want to go back to 6, I bought apple because it used to be sophisticated and unique!

  13. derev

    09/18/2013 at 5:28 pm

    MAKE IT GO AWAYYYYYYY

  14. Ib

    09/18/2013 at 5:30 pm

    I wish i didnt update to ios7 on my iphone 5,,,

  15. biilly bob

    09/18/2013 at 6:10 pm

    You really should do some styling around the GOOGLE ADS embedded in the middle of the Articles to distinguish between the article content and the AD content – makes for hard reading and wanting to LEAVE YOUR WEBSITE.

  16. joe

    09/18/2013 at 6:33 pm

    iOS 7 is very poor interface, the iOS 6 is easier to navigate. Just really don’t like it.
    It would be nice if you could select interface. Galaxy 4G is looking rather nice right about.

  17. Matthew T

    09/18/2013 at 7:07 pm

    I really hope Apple can see these comments.

    iOS 7 is ridiculous. I hate everything about it. I loved my iPhone because of how simple it looked and operated. That’s the same reason I hated the galaxy and windows phones. Now I basically have one.

    If I can’t remove this I’ll definitely be looking for a better phone to buy. And if Apple doesn’t create a way to go back to 6 or fi this I hope their phone sales drop completely.

  18. Zan Reynolds

    09/18/2013 at 7:56 pm

    I hate it also. I have tried everything for hours to config. I have to go back or I will never be able to get my job done. They took my work tool and demolished it. Looks like a teennie bopper.

  19. Steven

    09/18/2013 at 8:21 pm

    I’ve seen and used iOS 7 and it looks horrible. I’ll keep 6 on my 5.

  20. chaz

    09/18/2013 at 8:56 pm

    ios6 is the next windows XP

  21. Alex

    09/18/2013 at 9:39 pm

    Steve is turning in his grave. This is embarrassing. Pathetic.

  22. alejay

    09/19/2013 at 12:42 am

    if you put the phone in recovery mode it’s possible to restore to 6.1.3 , but do it asap apple might stop signing the 6.1.3 ! IT WORKS DID IT TODAY plain and simple

  23. anon

    09/19/2013 at 1:12 am

    you can still restore 6.1.4 as of right now while apple is still signing it. Download appropriate IPSW 6.1.4 for your device, put iphone into DFU mode (power down while plugged into computer, hold home button 3 seconds, hold power button while still holding home button for 10 seconds, release home button) if done correctly itunes should say it detects iphone in restore mode. from there on windows CTRL+click restore then locate IPSW file on mac option+click restore and locate ipsw. should now complete downgrade. video guide https://www.heavy.com/tech/2013/09/how-to-downgrade-iphone-5-4s-4-restore-ios-7-ios-6-2/

  24. marry anderson

    09/19/2013 at 1:43 am

    We can still restore to IPSW 6.1.4 and answer is already posted above by anon.

  25. micheal choudhary

    09/19/2013 at 4:03 am

    on 18-09 apple release ios 7 publicly at 05 pm(uk time) means after half an hour of posting your this comment.
    apple will stop allowing devices to downgrading from ios7 to older 6.1.3 or 6.1.4(for iphone 5) after 24 hours of publicly official release .
    this means that who had updated there iphone or other apple devices to ios 7 can only downgrade withing 24 hour of ios 7 release :)
    NOTE-
    i am not sure about 24 hour time but it is assumed nearly 24 hour :)
    for further question email me on [email protected]
    good day

  26. Dawn

    09/19/2013 at 6:12 am

    My son thinks it looks like for babies and he is 13… I am a grown up..I almost feel embarrassed to carry it! The graphics are plain awful…

  27. alejay

    09/19/2013 at 6:18 am

    i agree when you update is like what the heck is that …. awful menu , battery drainer … is like there is no iphone , more like a let’s steal some cydia tweaks and revolutionize the new sistem by adding them to the new ios ! and it works awful on iphone 4 and 4s i love my 6.1.3, actually everyone should

  28. alejay

    09/19/2013 at 6:20 am

    and people , if you have gevey and jailbroken iphones and you have the wrong doing to updating you are screwed , i mean look at the current situation all updated phones have 04.12.05 now it’s been a lot of time and there is still no ultrasn0w for that so …. don;t update you will like it 5 minutes then you suddenly want to get back is too strange

  29. Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

    09/19/2013 at 6:26 am

    Success! iPad Mini LTE ios 7.0 back to 6.1.3. On iTunes PC 10.7 press shift+click restore and locate IPSW file for 6.1.3. Done this morning at 4am.

    • Micheal

      09/19/2013 at 6:28 am

      Keep the older version . If you like to enjoy jailbreak . :)
      Apple is going to stop signinng ios 6.1.3/6.1.4 in next 5 to 29 hours :)
      So downgrade before 5 hours :)

  30. E

    09/19/2013 at 7:12 am

    tinyumbrella + snowbreeze, people. google it

  31. maxwell

    09/19/2013 at 7:42 am

    okey, so now can i still downgrade ??

    • Micheal

      09/19/2013 at 7:50 am

      Yaa you can . Do it before apple stop signing ios 6.1.4 :)
      Better if you will do it now :)

  32. maxwell

    09/19/2013 at 7:59 am

    which version of itunes should i use??? i’m reinstalling the one version 11.0.5.5

    • Micheal

      09/19/2013 at 10:14 am

      Any old if possible

  33. TurnUpTheBass

    09/19/2013 at 8:40 am

    Success here as well – downgraded AT&T iPhone 5 from 7.0 to 6.1 – Happy!

    • Monica

      09/19/2013 at 10:35 am

      Please tell me how How u did it? I HATE, the new ios 7 ! I feel like throwing my phone against the wall! Lol

      • themidnightwill

        09/19/2013 at 10:39 am

        Look elsewhere in the thread, explained multiple times

  34. 1111

    09/19/2013 at 9:35 am

    I agree with all these comments. This ios7 looks like carppy. Hard to read things. Way to much color. I hate the dock is not clear or transparent a bit. And it take sup so much space. Just a big block of ugly color. Its too bad apple didn;t include a theme i.e. ios orginal or new ios. I hope I can downgrade to 6.1.3. Pus, all these silly animations make it slow on my iPhone 4. My i phone worked great on 6.1.3. Definetly a step backwards apple. Looks like a botched android windows phone marrage. Ive should be fired for this crap. My 5 yr old could do better….lol

  35. Iffy

    09/19/2013 at 10:01 am

    I got wierd problem after updation, My Keyboard does not work properly, if i press a letter it does not show up in text area , say if i type a sentence , all of them together shows up after some 20secs , same is the case with my passcode screen, can anyone help me on this , BTW mine is iphone 5

  36. ms_tru

    09/19/2013 at 10:49 am

    I do not want to upgrade my phone knowing this IOS 7 will be on there. I hate this new look. It’s Childs Play. Apple is this a joke?? I know very well Steve Jobs would never have created this garbage. This is 1st grade quality at it’s best. I’m so disappointed. Now I am stuck with it. I tried to go back and I can’t. It hurts just looking at my phone. I am serious. It’s now an expensive crayola colored paperweight.

    • a

      09/19/2013 at 12:09 pm

      crayola colored paperweight. Thats funny. Its like easter all year.

      • ms_tru

        09/19/2013 at 12:21 pm

        I know better next time. If there will be one. You see the thing is Apple has been pulling these shenanigans for quite some time. No matter what phone I upgrade to I will just wait it out when it comes to stuff like this. You never know what these companies have in store for you. I’m no test dummy.

  37. 0E 800

    09/19/2013 at 11:05 am

    **DOWNGRADE INSTRUCTIONS***
    (note: these instruction were tested on ipad mini)

    I was able to downgrade back to 6.1.3 by following instructions:

    1) plug in ipad/iphone into computer that has older version of iTunes 11.0.4 (not current iTunes version of 11.0.5)

    2) turn off ipad/iphone and put in DFU mode (google instructions)

    3) restore ipad/iphone from iTunes. (because older iTunes does not recognize ios 7 device, it will install 6.1.3)

    note: this might not work forever.

  38. Nelson

    09/19/2013 at 11:26 am

    So can I buy a new iphone 5/ 4s iOS 6.13 on it?

    • g2-26a58b9e6ef5c3d61aa04d820ba35ba1

      09/19/2013 at 12:13 pm

      Probably. Any stock that was in stores before now, will still have something before 7 on it. Get em now before they are all gone. Evem some refurbs right from apple may still have it. Or refurbs from ATT

  39. Kaput ios7

    09/19/2013 at 12:19 pm

    Aaaaaaaahhhhh this looks and feels horrible :(

  40. Dave

    09/19/2013 at 4:53 pm

    I made the mistake of updating to from iOS 5 to iOS when it came out. They took away the awesome native Youtube app and the Google Maps app. I got used to the crappy Apple Maps which is really laughable and unreliable along with the new Youtube app which freezes up all the time.
    Along with ios 6 came a battery drain issue for the iphone 5 and a slew of wifi bugs. They also ruined listening to podcasts by not adding playlist functions.
    I will not be updating to iOs 7 anytime soon… it looks and sounds terrible.
    Apple has really gotten piss poor since Steve Jobs passed away. Tim Cook basically is running it into the ground.

    • ms_tru

      09/19/2013 at 5:41 pm

      I truly believe. Apple will be a very short story in the coming years if they don’t get someone in there to take over. It will run into the ground.

  41. Leslie

    09/19/2013 at 6:39 pm

    Keeps saying an unknown error has occurred. Could this bedtcaue it is an older version of iOS? 5.1, I think…

  42. iHate iOS 7

    09/19/2013 at 6:44 pm

    Downgrade to iOS 6.1.3 is easy!
    Find the firmware that suites your device.
    Re-install your iTunes with the older version.
    Delete all the iTunes library.
    Set your device in the recovery mode.
    Open the iTunes and shift-click restore button for your device.
    Wait until it finished!

    Leave the message here in case you have other problems!
    Thanks for reading!

    iHate iOS 7 and I know you hate it too!

    https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=168363200019351&id=168359436686394

    • 6789

      09/19/2013 at 7:05 pm

      after installing itunes older version it tells me that it can’t be opened because a newer version exists??

      • iHate iOS 7

        09/19/2013 at 7:36 pm

        You need to put your device in the recovery mode too.
        And if possible try turn off your wifi so your iTunes won’t check for the new update.
        Also make sure you iTunes is old enough.

      • Micheal

        09/19/2013 at 10:21 pm

        Thaanks to 8E 800
        0E 800 09/19/2013 at 11:05 am
        **DOWNGRADE INSTRUCTIONS***
        (note: these instruction were tested on ipad mini)

        I was able to downgrade back to 6.1.3 by following instructions:

        1) plug in ipad/iphone into computer that has older version of iTunes 11.0.4 (not current iTunes version of 11.0.5)

        2) turn off ipad/iphone and put in DFU mode (google instructions)

        3) restore ipad/iphone from iTunes. (because older iTunes does not recognize ios 7 device, it will install 6.1.3)

        note: this might not work forever.

        Download itunes from http://www.filehipoo.com

  43. Judi

    09/19/2013 at 11:30 pm

    Horrible!!! I’m not a teenager! My eyes aren’t as good as they used to be! Pencil lines are almost impossible to see! HATE IT! Hate my phone, NOW! 😂

  44. Dave

    09/20/2013 at 4:05 am

    It’s hard to downgrade back to iOS 6 if your not a millennial. I guess we’re screwed.

  45. Leslie

    09/20/2013 at 7:02 am

    Thanks everyone! Restore to 6.1.3 worked perfectly and now I love my apple device again!

    • Michelle Robles

      09/20/2013 at 7:31 am

      Leslie….how?

      • themidnightwill

        09/20/2013 at 7:44 am

        Directions are several places in the comment thread for this post…

      • Leslie

        09/20/2013 at 3:38 pm

        There are directions listed in several places on this page but a couple do not list the recovery mode process correctly. First, I simply found an older version of iTunes (https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1577), put the iPad in recovery mode: turned off power while connected to PC, then hold power button for 3 seconds, then also press down home button and hold both for 10 seconds and then let go of power button until your PC recognizes the device in recovery mode. Click ok and then hold the shift key and click “Restore.” I got a box that showed the version it would install and then clicked to install. I am having to reload everything and personalize again but in comparison with what I got from iOS 7, it is completely worth it.

  46. Dave

    09/21/2013 at 5:39 am

    Im still not going to update to iOs 7. Is there any way to get rid of the red badge notification on the settings app reminding me to ruin my iPhone?

    • Micheal

      09/21/2013 at 11:43 am

      Hahahah you are so funny . Wait until jailbreak come , then , we will think about it and find a solution

      Well you are lucky as apple stopped signing ios 6.1.4

  47. deepa

    09/21/2013 at 6:15 am

    I HATE THE IOS 7 ITS HORRIBLE IE THE MESSAGES AND THE LOCK SCREEN THE FOLDERS AND THE WAY PAGES USED TO OPEN IN SAFARI THE KEYBOARD EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED WISH I COULD GO BACK TO IOS 6. TRIED EVERYTHING CANNOT GO BACK. APPLE BETTER BRING IT ALL BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS VERY UNHAPPY WITH MY PHONE RIGHT NOW DONT EVEN FEEL LIKE GOING ON IT.

    • Micheal

      09/21/2013 at 11:45 am

      If you will be lucky then you can downgrade as apple had stop singning ios 6 . Try as soon as possible

  48. destiny

    09/21/2013 at 10:36 am

    Gosh, can this still be done because I now HATE my iphone! The new look is sooooo childish looking, and hard to read. I am so mad at myself for doing the update. Apple should let people go back if they want to. Shouldn’t happy customers be the most important thing here?

    • Micheal

      09/21/2013 at 10:09 pm

      Sorry for hurting you .
      Now, there is no way to ho back .
      If, you had jailbreaked your phone ever in your life , thrn it can be possible . I will help you in getting rid from ios 7 :)

  49. Roy

    09/21/2013 at 5:24 pm

    i hvae an error (3194)

    how can i deal with it..???

    • Micheal

      09/21/2013 at 10:07 pm

      Well , no way to back now that means . You can uae now only ios 7 .
      But there are some chances :)
      Have you ever jailbreaked your device ( you have ) ?

  50. saaaaa

    09/21/2013 at 10:42 pm

    I hate it :( i miss my old iphone!!!!

    • Micheal

      09/22/2013 at 9:04 am

      You can not :(
      No way

  51. Kathy

    09/22/2013 at 9:00 am

    How did you do it? Help, I hate the 7.0

    • Micheal

      09/22/2013 at 9:07 am

      Sorry its too late
      There is now only way to diwngrade with the help of shsh blobs , if you had saved them before .
      For answer regarding all apple product
      Email me or join me on facebook
      [email protected]
      I will happy to help you :)

    • Micheal

      09/22/2013 at 9:08 am

      Anyone can
      Email me or join me on facebook
      [email protected]
      I will happy to help you :)

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