Apple stops signing iOS 18.2.1, ending downgrades from iOS 18.3

In a foreseeable turn of events, Apple this week stopped signing the iOS & iPadOS 18.2.1 firmware for iPhones and iPads, which effectively precludes anyone owning these devices from voluntarily downgrading from the newer iOS & iPadOS 18.3 firmware that the Cupertino-based company released at the end of last week.
We call this a foreseeable event because Apple regularly does this in order to tightly control what firmware iPhone and iPad owners can install on their devices. In doing so, Apple ensures more users are running the latest bug fixes and security patches while also bragging about new software adoption to the company’s shareholders.
Firmware downgrades are something that have been used by the jailbreak community for more than a decade to install pwnable firmware onto iPhones and iPads to run jailbreaks and install jailbreak tweaks for ultimate control over one’s device. Unfortunately, Apple really doesn’t like it when we do this.
It used to be that iPhone and iPad users could simply save SHSH blobs for their firmware and circumvent the signing window imposed by Apple using their blobs, but after newer devices with the Secure Enclave Processor (SEP) and more security mitigations came along, this was no longer the case.
Today, the only reliable and easily replicable way to install unsigned firmware on newer devices is to upgrade to it using the DelayOTA method, which works up to 90 days after a particular firmware version gets released. After that, the method no longer works.
While Apple often cites the ‘we’re the good guy’ excuses of device security and new features, we know Apple’s blocking of older firmware installations is fueled by a much darker reasoning. Apple doesn’t want users installing outdated firmware and hacking their devices, and that’s the reason they patch jailbreaks so quickly.
Jailbreaking aside, there are other reasons why someone might want to downgrade their firmware, such as when a new firmware release introduces a bug so annoying and disruptive that users have no other remedy besides reverting their device back to a usable version. Recent examples of this include 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
Apple at least recognizes the aforementioned fact, which is why they provide about a week or two between unsinging events after releasing a new firmware, but the iDB team sternly believes that users should have the right to install whatever firmware version they want on their iPhone or iPad, just like PC users can.
Despite how unlikely it seems that Apple will ever change its course, we’re hopeful that government intervention such as what has been happening the European Union recently could one day end this anti-consumer behavior and turn the tide for those wanting to use their device their own way.
For now, however, you can see what firmware is or isn’t being signed for your device by visiting the IPSW.me website and you can download any firmware file you might necessitate at any given time from our dedicated Downloads section.
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/02/03/apple-stops-signing-ios-18-2-1/
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