Apple has just rolled out the third beta iteration of iOS 10.3 for developers with a host of performance improvements and feature enhancements. With this update, Find My AirPods feature is the most noteworthy addition into Find My iPhone app, while it also brings a few other minor improvements to the table.
Nevertheless, those who have accidentally upgraded to iOS 10.3 beta may downgrade back to iOS 10.2.1, using the step-by-step guide provided below.
Alternatively, folks at iDownloadBlog have discussed a new way to downgrade from iOS 10.3 beta 1 to iOS 10.2 through Prometheus. This method requires either iPhone 5s or iPad Air as both these devices can produce nonce collisions that will enable indirect downgrade from iOS 10.3 beta to iOS 10.2 using futurerestore.
Note: If you are running iOS 10.2.1, you can follow the regular downgrade method. If not, you can first install iOS 10.3 beta 1 and then downgrade it back to iOS 10.2 via futurerestore. The futurerestore method has been confirmed to work flawlessly by its creator, tihmstar.
Pre-requisites for futurerestore method
- You must be running iOS 10.2.1 or iOS 10.3 beta on your iPhone or iPad.
- You need to have either iPhone 5s or iPad Air as these are the only devices that can produce nonce collisions.
- You also require access to iOS 10.2 shsh2 blobs that are saved with correct colliding nonces.
- Familiarity with using an iOS beta version and/or futurerestore downgrade tool is a must, before you proceed.
Assuming that you are running iOS 10.3 beta 1, you can run noncestatistices to check the nonces that are colliding most for your device and verify if any of the saved iOS 10.2 blobs have matching nonces for downgrading. Alternatively, run futurerestore with all the saved nounces and verify if any of them collides or matches your blob, although this is a less effective way of accomplishing this task.
For instance, you may figure out the colliding nonces on an iPhone5s running iOS 10.3 beta 1 to be as follows:
- 9e4c518009d00df190a450b3b47691768812360c
- 9f4aeec726e7c682339ddb3c6c2dec52662dc517
Prerequisites for regular downgrade via iTunes method
- A computer with latest version of iTunes installed
- This method only supports downgrading back to iOS 10.2.1 from any iOS 10.3 beta iterations. As Apple has stopped signing iOS 10.2, you can no longer restore that firmware unless you have the saved .shsh2 blobs, which can be used via Promethus.
- Backup your important data and settings on the device via iCloud or iTunes, before you proceed.
- You can only restore iOS 10.2.1 compatible backup and not iOS 10.3 beta backup.
- If you have not configured the automatic backup, just perform a manual backup of your photos and videos, before proceeding.
iOS 10.2.1 IPSW Direct Download Links:
iPad Air 2 (6th generation WiFi)
iPad Air 2 (6th generation Cellular)
iPad Air (5th generation WiFi + Cellular)
iPad Air (5th generation WiFi)
iPad Air (5th generation CDMA)
Download iTunes
Download iTunes 12.5.5 for Windows and Mac
Steps to downgrade iOS 10.3 beta to iOS 10.2.1 on iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch
Step 1: Ensure you have installed the latest version of iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC, using the download links provided.
Step 2: Download iOS 10.2.1 IPSW file from the links provided (above) for your specific model of iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
Step 3: Disable the Find My iPhone feature on your device. Go to Settings > iCloud > Find My iPhone, and verify that the option is toggled off.
Step 4: Connect the iOS device to your Mac or PC via USB cable and launch iTunes.
Step 5: Boot the device into DFU mode by holding down both Power and Home/Touch ID buttons on the device for 10 seconds. Release the Power button but continue holding the Home/Touch ID button until the device enters DFU mode. An alert should pop up in iTunes notifying you that the device is now in Recovery Mode.
Step 6: When your device appears to be successfully recognised in iTunes, press the Option key on the Mac or the SHIFT key on a Windows machine, and then hit the "Restore iPhone..." button.
Step 7: When asked, browse and select the iOS 10.2.1 firmware file that was downloaded earlier. iTunes will now go through the process of installing a fresh version of iOS 10.2.1 to your device.
Step 8: Do not disconnect the device from the computer until iTunes confirms that the restore process is complete or the device has rebooted into the welcome screen.
Step 9: You can now restore your backup files for iOS 10.2.1 or older firmware that you created earlier. Any data backups taken in iOS 10.3 beta will not work after you downgrade back to iOS 10.2.1.
