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212rikanmofo

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jan 31, 2003
1,906
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Just curious as how to one would downgrade back to the latest stable release of iOS 12 from iOS/iPadOS 13?

Would you mess up anything by doing this?
 
Just curious as how to one would downgrade back to the latest stable release of iOS 12 from iOS/iPadOS 13?

Would you mess up anything by doing this?
Anything can happen. But basically one need to perform a DFU and restore to iOS 12.3.1, then recover from a backup, ideally iTunes one.
 
Couldn't you download an image of iOS 12.3.1 and restore it that way? I mean, sure, you can just go to iTunes and do a DFU, but this is in the case that iOS / iPadOS 13 releases and you still want to keep your device on 12.
 
Perform a local iTunes backup before upgrading. Archive it (so it doesn’t get overwritten). Then upgrade. If you need to go back, generally it’s been DFU as suggested above then use the backup.
 
Perform a local iTunes backup before upgrading. Archive it (so it doesn’t get overwritten). Then upgrade. If you need to go back, generally it’s been DFU as suggested above then use the backup.

How do you archive an iTunes backup?
 
Just curious as how to one would downgrade back to the latest stable release of iOS 12 from iOS/iPadOS 13?

Would you mess up anything by doing this?

Well, that didn't take long.

Wipe the device and set it up as new... then restore from the backup that you made in iOS 12.x.x.prior to doing the upgrade to iOS 13 beta.
 
How do you archive an iTunes backup?
In Mac, when browsing the backup, right click the one you want to archive, click “archive” and you are done.
In windows, you have to browse through the actual location of the iOS backup in file explorer and rename the folder or move it elsewhere.
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Restoring using iMazng is a lot easier than using iTunes.
But it costs $80. Ain’t cheap for this software. Might be good as iOS device management replacement though.
 
In Mac, when browsing the backup, right click the one you want to archive, click “archive” and you are done.
In windows, you have to browse through the actual location of the iOS backup in file explorer and rename the folder or move it elsewhere.
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But it costs $80. Ain’t cheap for this software. Might be good as iOS device management replacement though.
It is on sale right now for $20 from stack social.
 
Just curious as how to one would downgrade back to the latest stable release of iOS 12 from iOS/iPadOS 13?

Would you mess up anything by doing this?
If you're asking these questions before you install the beta, good for you!

You can definitely revert, as the other posts have indicated (and the iTunes method is not hard, just a little time consuming). But as emphasized above, make sure you create an archived backup prior to installing the beta. By archiving the backup (Google how to do this or see iMore.com), you are ensuring that any subsequent backup in iOS 13 doesn't overwrite that 12.3.1 backup (as it normally would for an unarchived backup). This is your insurance policy if you decide to revert back to 12.3.1.
 
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