Paul Morris on December 19, 2018, 1:42 am

How To Downgrade iOS 12.1.2 To iOS 12.1 / iOS 12.1.1

Here’s how you can downgrade from iOS 12.1.2 to iOS 12.1 / iOS 12.1.1 on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch the right way.

With iOS 12.1.2 now out in the public domain and as far back as iOS 12.1 still being signed by Apple, it’s possible to safely downgrade with minimal fuss and get yourself back on an earlier version of Apple’s firmware.

If you are of the mindset where you want to downgrade for reasons that may be known only to yourself, and if you meet the following requirements, then you should be good to go:

Access to either a Mac or PC with the latest version of iTunes installed.
Be in possession of the correct iOS 12.1 / iOS 12.1.1 IPSW file for your device.
Patience and understanding that you can only go as far back as iOS 12.1 as no additional versions of iOS are being signed by Apple.

With all of the above in mind, let’s dive right in and take a look at the downgrade process:

Step 1: On the device, launch the native Settings app and navigate to iCloud > Find My iPhone. This is an iCloud feature that we are going to need to turn off. Toggle to switch into the OFF position and enter the device’s passcode to confirm the change.

Step 2: Connect the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to the Mac or PC and make sure that iTunes is launched. You will then need to make sure that the device is put into DFU Mode using the guidelines below:

iPhone 8 / 8 Plus, or iPhone X / XR / XS / XS Max owners: DFU Mode On iPhone X / 8: Here’s How To Enter It
iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus owners: Enter DFU Mode On iPhone 7 Or iPhone 7 Plus, Here’s How
If you have an older device, then follow the instructions here.

Now, with the device in DFU Mode and picked up by iTunes, you can continue with the process below.

Step 3: Make sure that the connected device is selected in iTunes. Hold down the Option (Mac) key or Shift (Windows) key and click on the Restore iPhone/iPad button. This will create a new popup window that will ask you to select the firmware file of choice. You should have already downloaded the relevant iOS 12.1/12.1.1 file for your device and have it stored locally. Within the popup window, point iTunes at that downloaded file.

Step 4: Once you have selected the IPSW file within iTunes you simply need to sit back and watch the software go to work and it restores your device to iOS 12.1/12.1.1. This may take an indeterminate amount of time so please be patient as iTunes does its magic. After it has finished, you will be left with a device running the firmware file of your choice.

Enjoy!