Apple stops signing iOS 18.1.1, ending firmware downgrades from iOS 18.2
Apple on Wednesday tweaked its software update servers by unsigning iOS & iPadOS 18.1.1, a move that now causes said servers to deny user requests to install these firmware versions on iPhones and iPads.
Consequently, anyone who updated to the newer iOS or iPadOS 18.2 firmware can no longer downgrade to the older iOS or iPadOS 18.1.1 using traditional means, nor can anyone who is using an older version of iOS or iPadOS upgrade to iOS or iPadOS 18.1.1 using ordinary means – however the DelayOTA firmware upgrade method remains available for the next 90 days.
Firmware downgrades aren’t a common practice today, but they remain one of the only remedies that end users have at their disposal to return to a stable version of iOS or iPadOS whenever a software update brings instabilities that affect the regular use of a device. Although uncommon, there are multiple examples of this happening in recent memory, including the following:
- iPadOS 18.0 bricking M4 chip-equipped iPad Pros
- iOS 16.0 over-prompting users on clipboard access when pasting copied content into another app
- iOS 14.7 breaking the Apple Watch’s ability to be unlocked with the host iPhone’s Touch ID sensor
- iOS & iPadOS 13.2 imposing incredibly aggressive background management on backgrounded apps
Troubleshooting aside, firmware downgrades have more historically been used to put iPhones and iPads onto earlier and more vulnerable firmware that can be jailbroken. Apple continuously patches over security vulnerabilities with each software update, so downgrading has long been a way to increase jailbreak eligibility.
Apple likes to argue that by unsigning older firmware and forcing software updates, its users are safer from security threats. On the other hand, blocking even advanced users from being able to tinker with any firmware they please seems more like control and anti-jailbreaking tactics than having anything to do with users’ security. After all, users who want desire security would willingly upgrade rather than being forced to.
The iDownloadBlog team has always advocated for jailbreakers and would prefer if Apple allowed users to install whatever firmware they wanted on their device. But given the Cupertino-based company’s hardline stance against jailbreaking, it seems unlikely this will happen without Apple being compelled to by governments, much like how the European Union forced Apple to move from the proprietary Lightning port to the more universal USB-C port.
In any case, you can always see what firmware version(s) are or aren’t being signed for your iPhone or iPad by checking the handy IPSW.me website. You can also acquire any firmware file that you may need for your device from our dedicated Downloads page.
Are you upset to see that iOS & iPadOS 18.1.1 are no longer being signed? Let us know why or why not in the comments section down below.
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2024/12/18/apple-unsigns-ios-18-1-1-stopping-downgrades/
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