Downgrade

You probably shouldn’t update to watchOS 2 unless you’re genuinely a developer

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 11, 2025

Every time a beta is released, we always provide tutorials for those of you who may be developers, but to be honest, we know that even some of you non-developers with paid access to developer accounts will upgrade to the betas as well. Of course, that's your own decision.

But with watchOS, things are different. You really shouldn't upgrade to watchOS 2 unless you truly are a developer, or at the very least, you should thoroughly understand what you're getting in to. Why is this? We explain in this post.

TinyUmbrella can now save local SHSH blobs from device, and that includes iOS 8.1.2

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 24, 2015

Semaphore has been on a roll lately, as shown by the release of yet another TinyUmbrella beta build, and this version contains a significant new feature. You now have the ability to save SHSH blobs directly from a local device. This means that if you're on a jailbreakable firmware like iOS 8.1.2, you can save the 8.1.2 blobs even though Apple is no longer signing that firmware version.

New TinyUmbrella 8.2.0.41 beta released

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 22, 2015

TinyUmbrella, the tool that allows users to save SHSH blobs to be used for potential downgrades, has received another update. As we reported a few weeks ago, TinyUmbrella has made a significant comeback, and its developer, semaphore, is hopeful that downgrades to iOS firmware will be a real thing in the not so distant future.

With this in mind, semaphore is continuing to improve TinyUmbrella, and this latest beta version contains numerous fixes and iterative enhancements. If you still haven't saved your SHSH blobs, I advise you to stop what you're doing, download TinyUmbrella, and do so today.

How to use the new TinyUmbrella beta to save SHSH blobs and prepare for downgrades

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

In case you missed our post over the weekend, TinyUmbrella, the popular tool associated with downgrading iOS firmware, is back with a brand new beta version. This is a significant new revelation for the jailbreak community that could have some far-reaching consequences when it comes to establishing potential downgrade options and protecting against Apple's routine of closing firmware signing windows.

The new TinyUmbrella tool shares a lot in common with its predecessor, but it's been a long time, and there's enough differences to warrant a brand new walkthrough and discussion. In this video, I'll show you how to save your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch SHSH blobs, I'll talk about what's new with TinyUmbrella, and I'll show you some of the things I've learned and encountered thus far.

A new TinyUmbrella beta is released with iOS downgrades in view

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

As promised, Semaphore has released a rewrite of his popular TinyUmbrella tool for OS X and Windows. The tool, which has been completely rewritten from the ground up, is currently in beta and requires Java.

Semaphore has alluded to the fact that the new TinyUmbrella may have far-reaching consequences related to downgrading both 32-bit and 64-bit devices. Back in the original TinyUmbrella's heyday, it was used as a tool to help downgrade to prior versions of iOS.

You can still downgrade to iOS 8.1.1

Sébastien Page ∙ December 10, 2014

I'm not sure why one would want to do that, but here is a friendly public service announcement to let you know that you can still downgrade to iOS 8.1.1 should you choose to. Following the release of iOS 8.1.2 yesterday, Apple still hasn't closed the signing window of iOS 8.1.1, which means that if for some reason you have issues with iOS 8.1.2, you can still downgrade to iOS 8.1.1 and enjoy a stable jailbreak with TaiG.

How to downgrade to iOS 8.1

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

If you want to jailbreak iOS 8.1, but you're running iOS 8.1.1 or the new iOS 8.2 beta, you can downgrade your firmware to iOS 8.1 and jailbreak as long as Apple is still signing the iOS 8.1 firmware. As of this post, 8.1 is still being signed, but that will change in the future, so use this post to determine whether or not this tutorial is still valid.

If Apple is signing iOS 8.1, it's extremely easy to downgrade your device, even if you're running the iOS 8.2 beta or iOS 8.1.1. Neither of those firmwares are jailbreakable at the moment, but iOS 8.1 is jailbreakable, hence the need to downgrade. Follow our simple tutorial after the break to downgrade your device back to iOS 8.1.

Apple no longer signing iOS 7.1.2, closing the downgrade window

Cody Lee ∙ September 26, 2014

Apple has finally ceased signing iOS 7.1.2 today, notes hacker iH8sn0w, more than a week after releasing iOS 8 . This means that you can no longer downgrade to the older firmware from iOS 8.x, or upgrade to it from older versions.

This is a big deal for jailbreakers, as 7.1.2 is the latest firmware that can be jailbroken, and there won't be one on iOS 8 for the foreseeable future. But it also affects average users too, as those not happy with iOS 8 can no longer revert.

Apple provides workaround for those affected by iOS 8.0.1, says iOS 8.0.2 will be available in the next few days

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated May 15, 2023

Apple issued a support document Wednesday night detailing a "workaround" on how to revert back to iOS 8 for those users that were affected by the release of iOS 8.0.1 earlier in the day, an update which incapacitated iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices.

Besides providing instructions on how to downgrade to iOS 8, the company noted that it is "preparing iOS 8.0.2 with a fix for the issue, and will release it as soon as it's ready in the next few days."

iOS 8.0.1 broke your iPhone? You can still downgrade to iOS 8

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated May 15, 2023

Those of you who are affected by the iOS 8.0.1 update from earlier today still have the opportunity to downgrade back to iOS 8. Unfortunately, downgrading requires your iPhone to be connected to a computer, which might be an issue for many people, but this is still an option.

Apple randomly signing iOS 6.0.x firmware [update: signing is over]

Cody Lee ∙ July 25, 2013

Good news for folks who lost their jailbreak updating their iOS device to try out iOS 7, it appears that Apple is currently signing 6.0.x versions of iOS firmware. This means that you should be able to downgrade your iPhone or iPad to iOS 6 and re-jailbreak.

Well-known iOS hacker and jailbreak developer iH8sn0w was the first to spot the reopening of the signing window, and we have since had multiple users confirm to us that they have successfully downgraded and re-jailbroken their devices. More after the fold...

How to downgrade iOS 7 to iOS 6.1.3

Jeff Benjamin ∙ June 11, 2013

Apple makes it sound like a life or death scenario when developers decide to install iOS 7 beta on a test device. In fact, it's always done so with its beta releases. In the notes for iOS 7, Apple states that "Devices updated to iOS beta can not be restored to earlier versions of iOS."

The thing is, that simply isn't true. I've always been able to successfully downgrade my firmware in the past for a beta test device, and I've confirmed that the process still works perfectly fine on iOS 7. In fact, it's extremely easy to downgrade your firmware from iOS 7 to iOS 6.1.3; it doesn't even require any special tricks or techniques like some downgrades do. Check inside as I walk you through the extremely simple step-by-step process for downgrading iOS 7 back to iOS 6.1.3.