Apple is canceling iOS 16.4 subscriptions, ending most firmware rollbacks from the newer iOS 16.4.1.

Tonight, Apple officially stopped signing iOS and iPadOS 16.4. This is a predictable move that prevents regular iPhone and iPad users from voluntarily downgrading their device’s firmware with the newer iOS and iPadOS 16.4.1 software update that Apple released on Friday, April 7th ^with bug fixes. and security improvements.

Apple regularly stops signing older iPhone and iPad firmware after new versions are released, and the reasons vary greatly depending on who you ask. For regular users who can clearly see that Apple isn’t retiring older versions of macOS for the company’s line of computers, the reason is obvious: people can’t intentionally install older hackable firmware on their iPhones and iPads so they can’t install hacks and tweaks.

This means that the method of pressing the Shift key and clicking the Restore button in iTunes before selecting the iOS or iPadOS 16.4 firmware file on Windows, or pressing the Option key and clicking Restore in the Finder before selecting the same firmware file in macOS is no longer will work. Instead, users will be prompted to restore and update to iOS or iPadOS 16.4.1.

There are unofficial iPhone firmware downgrade methods available, such as FutureRestore, but these are mostly limited to older devices as changes to Apple device security since arm64e devices have broken this capability. However, if you’re running older firmware and want to update to iOS or iPadOS 16.4 outside of the signing window, you can use the DelayOTA method, which allows you to update 90 days after unsigning using Apple’s Device Control Technique for Device Administrators.

While no jailbreak currently supports iOS or iPadOS 16.4, it’s worth noting that the palera1n team is working on adding support for their checkm8-based tool for A9-A11 devices very soon. They will also likely support iOS and iPadOS 16.4.1 as checkm8 cannot be patched due to being a bootrom hardware exploit. Unfortunately, devices newer than the iPhone X have yet to be jailbroken on any version of iOS or iPadOS 16.

Aside from jailbreaking, some people rely on downgrading firmware for other reasons, such as to refuse a firmware update that introduces new bugs or instabilities that greatly affect the user experience. Although this rarely happens, it does happen and we have reported many such cases over the years:

• iOS 16.0 excessively prompts users for clipboard access when pasting copied content into another app
• iOS 14.7 breaks the ability to unlock the Apple Watch using the Touch ID sensor of the host iPhone.
• iOS and iPadOS 13.2 impose incredibly aggressive background control on apps running in the background.

iDB takes a hard line that Apple, like macOS, should allow users to install any version of iOS or iPadOS they want on their iPhone or iPad—the device they paid for. It doesn’t make logical sense to let Mac users downgrade to whatever they want and then artificially prevent iPhone and iPad users from doing the same. Unfortunately, Apple probably won’t change its stance unless the government forces it to.

Apple will also benefit from attracting users to newer firmware by giving them higher software adoption rates to please shareholders. In addition, more users are benefiting from security patches and new features when they update the firmware of their devices, but at the expense of jailbreak rights.

As always, you can find out which firmware is or is not signed for your device by visiting the handy online utility IPSW.me. You can also visit our Downloads page to get any firmware file you may need for your iPhone or iPad.

Are you upset that iOS and iPadOS are no longer signed? Be sure to let us know why, or why not, in the comments section below.