Restoring an iPhone is a standard operation to return an Apple smartphone to a working state after various failures. Failed firmware, incorrect jailbreak, incorrect iOS update - if you know how to restore iPhone, you can fix almost any malfunction that occurs during the operation of this device.
Recovery order
To restore iPhone, you need to enter Recovery Mode. To do this is simple:
When the iPhone is ready for the rollback and error correction procedure, click the "Restore" button. 
iTunes will independently find the current version of the firmware and install it on the smartphone, returning it to the state in which it was immediately after purchase.
Working in DFU mode
If iPhone recovery does not work in Recovery Mode, then you need to enter the device into DFU mode. This mode is used when there are software errors - for example, when the iPhone does not turn on. DFU mode works at the hardware level, so it helps to reset all settings even in the most difficult cases. To enter DFU mode:
- Connect your device to your computer.
- Press and hold Power and Home for 10 seconds.
- After counting to 10, release Power while continuing to hold the Home button.
It is difficult to enter DFU mode the first time, as nothing changes on the screen. If the recovery mode reveals itself as an iTunes icon, then the phone does not seem to turn on in DFU. Therefore, you need to look at the computer screen where iTunes is running. As soon as the iPhone enters DFU mode, a notification will appear in iTunes stating that the program has detected a device in recovery mode, and you need to reset all settings and content in order to continue working with your smartphone. 
If you need to install another firmware, then hold down Shift and click "Restore". An explorer will appear, through which you need to specify the path to the previously downloaded firmware.
Recovery without a computer
If the computer is not at hand, it does not turn on, or you cannot connect your iPhone to it, then try resetting all settings through the device settings. As a result of this operation, you will get a clean smartphone without settings and user information, so be sure to make a backup before resetting. If the smartphone turns on normally:
It is not necessary to delete user files. If the iPhone turns on, then you can fix the malfunctions in its operation by simply resetting the settings. In this case, the user's personal data will remain untouched.
Recovery after a reset
If you need to restore your iPhone after resetting all settings and deleting content, then you won’t be able to do it without a backup. The presence of a backup file with information stored in the device's memory is the main point that you need to check before performing a reset. After the iPhone is reset to factory state, all personal user data is erased from it.
Create a backup before factory reset:
After the reset, the iPhone will be like new: no content or settings remain on it. To get all the information back, you need to connect the device to your computer and use iTunes to restore from a backup. Choose the most recent backup, as it stores the most up-to-date information. 
You can also restore all settings after a reset through iCloud, provided that you have stored backups on the cloud. In this case, when setting up the iPhone, you need to select the option "Restore a copy from iCloud" and specify the appropriate backup.
Recovery issues
If the phone does not turn on after a normal restore, then it makes sense to put it into DFU mode and try restoring through iTunes again. This time, do not trust iTunes: download the official firmware and select it in the explorer window by holding Shift and clicking on the "Restore" button . 
Sometimes the TinyUmbrella utility helps to solve the problem that the smartphone does not turn on after resetting via iTunes. This program has an "Exit Recovery" button. If the iPhone does not turn on after recovery, you need to select it in the TinyUmbrella window and click "Exit Recovery".
Apple developers quite often publish new versions of the operating system. That's just not always the updated version will be better than the previous iOS. Luckily, if you want to rollback to an earlier version, it's not that hard to do so.
In updates, developers change the operation of some applications, optimize programs and fix bugs. But it happens that new opportunities are not to your liking, while the old ones are no longer available. Yes, and the occurrence of errors in the updated version is also not excluded, and a lot of time will pass before they are corrected. It is in these situations that you may need to rollback to a previous version of iOS.
There can be many reasons for rolling back to a previous version of iOS.
The easiest way to roll back to the old version is the official one. But it has a number of limitations. You can officially “roll back” only to the previous version of the system and only for a short time after the release of the update. Then the developers block the possibility of rollback, and users have to look for other ways.
Preparations Before Rolling Back to an Earlier Version of iOS
Before proceeding directly to the rollback process, it is necessary to perform preparatory steps. For this you need:
- create a backup copy of files - so as not to lose the data that is stored on your device;
- select and download firmware - it is very important that the firmware is downloaded from a reliable source and does not contain errors;
- Turn off Find My iPhone.
Backup
There are two ways to copy data from an Apple device: iCloud backup or iTunes copy.
Copy data with iCloud
After the iCloud migration process is complete, it will be stored in the cloud storage. To copy, do the following:
After that, the backup will be created. In order not to have to repeat the steps manually on a regular basis, you can set up the entire process automatically. However, to create a copy before rolling back to the previous version, this is not necessary.
Copying data using iTunes
To create a backup using iTunes, you will need to install a media player on your computer. After that, do the following:
You can get one of the latest firmware versions for your device on third-party sites. Read reviews beforehand to make sure the site can be trusted. Most likely, during the download process, you will be asked to indicate which Apple device you are using, specify the model, and then select the suggested version from the list. After downloading the version you need, be sure to remember where you uploaded the file. You will need it later.
Turn off Find My iPhone
If you did everything right, you will receive a message in your mail notifying you that the Find My iPhone option is turned off on your device.
Reverting to a previous version of the operating system
Firmware rollback is a safe feature and you can restore your device to its previous state anyway. Nevertheless, you still act at your own peril and risk. Be careful, and then you will not have problems.
To roll back, do the following:
So you can return to one of the previous versions of iOS. But is it possible to choose the old version? No, you will not be allowed to download it from the site. Even if you find it in third-party sources, the correct installation will not be performed. These are restrictions from Apple, and nothing can be solved in an official way.
Officially, you can downgrade the iOS version of the device to one of the previous ones. Roll back iOS version using a special program
In addition to the ability to return the previous version using iTunes, there is another way. You can roll back your device using a special program. For example, a program called RedShow does this job well. But the following is worth noting:
- this method is much more complicated and may require you to install a jailbreak (unless, of course, you have not installed it before);
- if you want to roll back not only to the previous version, but also to earlier ones, you will need an SHSH certificate from the old version. Saving happens automatically if a jailbreak is done. Or you can save the data manually after each update using the TinyUmbrella program;
- Rollback is not available for all devices. The iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4G are ideal, and a fallback to the iPad 2 is also available. Until recently, this was not possible on other devices, but now the developers have added support for several more phones.
The rollback process itself using this program is done as follows:
Rollback apps on iOS
We figured out the rollback of the operating system. But what if you need to rollback one of your installed apps? After all, unsuccessful updates happen there. There is an official Charles Proxy tool for this. It allows you to access older versions of apps or games on your iPhone or iPad. Using this program is not too easy, so this is a topic for a separate article.
You can roll back iOS apps to a previous version Video: roll back iOS from any version to an older one
For most users, the possibility of an official return to one of the latest versions of the device is enough. The main thing is that this version is still supported by Apple. If you need to return to an earlier version, you can use one of the unofficial methods. In any case, now, when installing an unsuccessful update, you know how to proceed.
On September 19, Apple released the final version of iOS 11. Millions of iPhone, iPod and iPad users immediately started updating "over the air" and today everyone decided whether to stay on the new version of the system or better wait for more stable iOS 10.
At the time of publication of this manual, Apple continues to sign iOS version 10.3.3, so the rollback procedure is still possible. If you decide to return to the top ten, try not to hesitate - then it may be too late.
What to do before downgrading from iOS 11 to iOS 10?
The process of preparing an iOS device is quite simple and allows you to restore all data immediately after installing iOS 10, but with one condition - you must have an iTunes or iCloud backup created under iOS 10.
When downgrading the firmware, restoring data from a backup from a newer version of iOS is not possible.
Go to the menu Settings -> Touch ID & Passcode and disable the corresponding slider. Rollback is possible only when protection is disabled.
How to rollback from iOS 11 to iOS 10. Step by step instructions
1. Hold down the Power key and turn off your iOS device. For iPhone 7: Hold down the Volume Down button while holding down the Home button.
2. Hold down the Home key and connect your smartphone with a USB cable to a computer or Mac with iTunes installed. Hold down the Home key until you see the iTunes icon.
3. iTunes should recognize your device and offer three options: Cancel, Refresh, or Restore. Choose "Cancel".
4. Download the firmware image specific to your device.
For iPhone and iPad, which explains step by step what to do and how. Today we have prepared an instruction of a different format, it tells how not to do it. I will talk about a failed attempt to downgrade the iOS firmware. A similar situation is sometimes encountered by novice iPhone and iPad users who are trying to roll back the firmware version, i.e. replace higher generation iOS with legacy firmware with a lower version. We do not recommend repeating the steps in this article. In today's case, you'll learn what can sometimes happen to your tablet or phone when you try to downgrade iOS. This material also pursues another task, which you will learn about by reading to the end.
Before starting any actions with the firmware in the iPhone or iPad, we need to find out the firmware version currently installed on the device, for this we read - "". Before the experiment, we determined that our iPhone has firmware 7.1.2. And now we will try to restore iOS 6.1.3 firmware to iPhone by force recovery. To do this, we download the 6th firmware. Where and how we download firmware is described -.
After we have downloaded the iOS 6.1.3 IPSW firmware to our computer, we need. We launch iTunes, connect our experimental iPhone to the computer using a native USB cable.
In iTunes, you need to select iPhone. Then, in the "Overview" section, while holding down the Shift key, click the "Restore iPhone" button.
In the window that opens, select our downloaded iOS 6.1.3 firmware and click the Open button. At first, iTunes even promises that it will erase and restore the iPhone to iOS 6.1.3 and check the restoration with Apple, here we click the Restore button.
iTunes starts extracting the software and prepares to restore the iPhone, the whole process is displayed in the status window of the program. But then suddenly iTunes gives error 3194 with the following text:
Failed to restore iPhone "iPhone". An unknown error has occurred (3194).
When you do this, the iTunes logo and the Lightning USB cable appear on the iPhone screen. Any attempts to reboot the phone lead us back to the cord and cable. Here is such a sad story about how to roll back the iPhone back to iOS 6, unfortunately it did not work out. After a while, iTunes detected the iPhone in recovery mode, but it turned out to be a managed mode from which you can still exit.
In fact, by following the steps to downgrade the iPhone firmware, we already knew what the consequences would be. But now you know what will happen if you force the iPhone or iPad to “swallow” the firmware with the version below the available one.
In addition to preventive and educational purposes, we needed an iPhone driven into a recovery loop, which as a result we did. And this means that now you will learn how to get iPhone or iPad out of Recovery Loop not only with, but also with the help of the program. If, at your own peril and risk, you decide to enter the iPhone into the Recovery Loop and withdraw from it, then first do it.
Despite the fact that updates to the iPad 1,2,3 operating system or another model in 90% of cases are associated with the transition to a new version, some users want to roll back. In other words, downgrade the firmware. The reason may be dissatisfaction with the operation of the system or the complete inoperability of the tablet.
The possibility of a rollback really exists. How to perform this operation on any iPad model (2,3.4, iPad mini), we will describe in detail in this article.
Starting in 2009, the Apple company began to carefully monitor which variations of iOS can be returned to a particular device. Therefore, before starting the firmware, it is now required to check whether a rollback from your gadget is possible in principle. And if so, which version.
For this purpose, it is recommended to use various services, of which there are many on the network (like Appstudio.org). There, the user will be able to see a list of available versions to which you can switch. After selecting a specific type of firmware, you will need to download it to your PC / laptop.
The download process consists in choosing the type of device, its generation and firmware version. Then the download process will start automatically. Then you will need to select a location on your PC to save the file in order to apply it for rollback in the future.
Making a backup
In the situation with Apple, there are very few non-standard situations, but it will not be superfluous to create a backup. Remember this rule: first create a copy, and then install the firmware, but not vice versa.
This operation is performed through iTunes or the "cloud". It will also not be superfluous to have a copy of photographs, videos with video and audio for their future upload to a tablet. Files of this type will not be 100% included in the backup.
It should be noted here that when saving a copy in iTunes, it will be available only for the ninth operating system. Therefore, if the user does not have a copy for the eighth variation of iOS, upon successful rollback, they will have to set up the phone as a new one. If the operation in the process is interrupted for any reason (for example, due to an error), it will always be possible to return to the nine.
In the cloud situation, all backup data will be restored regardless of the version of the installed iOS. Therefore, we put the "cloud" in a priority place. And if this step is not available, you will have to save to iTunes.
Turn off the device search function
If this option is active on your device, you should disable it before the rollback procedure. Otherwise, the utility will generate an error. And this will happen at the very start of the procedure.
You can deactivate the function in one of 3 ways:
- Through the device settings in the "clouds" menu.
- In the iOS program of the same name (you can download it for free).
- On a PC / laptop with any operating system.
But it is important that the tablet from which the work will be done is connected to the network.
Rollback method to the previous operating system
There are 2 ways to perform this procedure:
- using RecoveryMode4
- using DFU.
The first mode is emergency. It is intended to restore the normal functioning of the gadget after it has stopped working in normal mode.
DFU is essentially the same. The only difference is that the operation is performed bypassing the operating system, and is done directly through the firmware. This method is recommended when the first method cannot be applied.
Rollback iPad 2 Firmware: Recovery Mode
Initiate tablet shutdown first and wait for the display to fade. Connect your device to your PC/laptop. The device recognizes the gadget in the mode we need. Then follow this algorithm:
- Launch iTunes and wait for the program to find the iPad. There are 2 possible scenarios for the development of events. The first is a pop-up window with a proposal to restore the gadget. If this is what you want, then you just need to click on the consent button. Second - if the utility does not react in any way, then you need to click on the tablet icon and find the restore point. Then you will need to select it while holding down the Shift or Alt element (depending on the PC operating system).
- A file manager will pop up, where you will need to make a choice of a specific variation of the firmware. You will need to find the pre-downloaded file.
- Select the firmware and click on the opening element.
- Selecting the .ipsw view file.
- Waiting for the process to complete. The program will do everything itself, on a full machine.
- Disconnect iPad from PC/Laptop.
- Turning off the tablet by pressing Power.
- Turn on the device with a quick click on the same button.
When performing the procedure through iTunes:
That's all - the tablet is ready for further work, we successfully rolled back the firmware.
Flashing iPad with DFU Mode
Before the operation, the tablet version two or three (or any other) must be transferred to the named mode. For this purpose, you need to connect the device to the PC and turn off the mobile gadget. Further, at the same time, hold down the Home and Power button elements for 8-12 seconds. After this period, the first button should continue to be held, and the second should be released. And so on until the program recognizes the tablet in DFU mode.
- Select your gadget in iTunes.
- We are looking for a restore point.
- We select it by holding the Shift or Alt element (depending on the operating system).
- In the pop-up window, specify the firmware (or rather, the path to it) and click on the opening element.
- We are waiting for the completion of the operation that the program will perform automatically.
- We turn on the tablet and use it for its intended purpose.
This method should be chosen by those whose firmware via Recovery Mode for some reason did not work.
This concludes our tutorial. As you can see, there is nothing complicated in the rollback procedure. And there is no need to contact the repair shop and spend money. You can do everything yourself, because now you know how to install older firmware on an iPad. Even a beginner will cope.
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