Oliver Haslam·

How To Downgrade iOS 17 Beta To iOS 16.5

If you’ve updated to iOS 17 beta but want to downgrade to iOS 16.5, you can —and here are all the details on how to do it.

Apple’s iOS 17 update is now working its way through the beta program but it won’t be ready for primetime until later this year.

Developer and public betas give people a chance to see what the new update is all about, but sometimes the need to downgrade arises and sometimes you just need to ditch the new update in favor of something a little more stable.

If that sounds like your situation, don’t worry. You can downgrade to iOS 16.5 from iOS 17, but there’s one catch. Backups created using iOS 17 won’t be compatible with older versions of the iPhone’s software, so keep that in mind.

With that said, here’s how to downgrade from iOS 17 to iOS 16.5.

Step 1: Update to the latest version of macOS or the latest version of iTunes if you’re using a Windows PC.

Step 2: Download the IPSW file for the device that you own. You can download the correct iOS 16.5 IPSW file for your iPhone from here: Download: iOS 16.5 Final OTA File, IPSW Links Out Now.

Step 3: Be sure to disable the Find My iPhone feature. Open the Settings app and then head to iCloud > Find My iPhone. Toggle the Find My iPhone switch to the Off position and authenticate with your Apple ID password when prompted.

Step 4: Put your device into DFU mode using the quick guides below (if you don’t already know how to do it):

  • iPhone XR / XS / XS Max / 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max / 12 / 12 mini / 12 Pro / 12 Pro Max / 13 / 13 mini / 13 Pro / 13 Pro Max / 14 / 14 Plus / 14 Pro / 14 Pro Max, or 2018/2020 / 2022 iPad Pro owners can follow this guide.

Step 5: Press and hold the Option key (Mac), or SHIFT key (Windows), and select the Restore iPhone… option. Select the iOS 16.5 IPSW file and continue the downgrade process.

Step 6: The restoration process will begin and your iPhone will be running iOS 16.5 once complete.

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