Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

I've got Beta Updates => Off. So why does my iPhone have 18.3, when the current release is 18.2.1?

T

theorist9

macrumors 601
Original poster
May 28, 2015
4,070
3,219
Just bought an iPhone 13 Mini. It came with iOS 18.3. I removed the SIM card (which the last owner forgot to remove), and did an "Erase All Content and Settings". According to Apple, as of today, "The latest version of iOS and iPadOS is 18.2.1."

So why, after doing "Erase All Content and Settings", is it still on 18.3? Does this procedure not reinstall the OS, thus leaving 18.3 on my phone?

When I check Beta Updates, it's set to Off, so I assume the next update will be to the stable release, not the public beta.

In the meantime, if I want to downgrade to the stable release, how do I do that? I don't see the option to downgrade within Settings->Software Update. I.e., I don't see the middle screen they are showing here:

1736882989002.png
 
MarkX said:
You need to do a restore with iTunes.
Click to expand...

You mean using a PC? While iTunes is still current on Windows, the last Mac OS on which it's officially supported is Mojave.

I do have iTunes unoffically installed on my iMac, which is running Monterey, but I had to use Retroactive to install it. And when I tried do a restore, using that unofficially-installed copy of iTunes, I got an error message that said "resources are not available". I also tried doing it with an officially-supported copy of iTunes, on a MacBook Pro running High Sierra, and that didn't work either.
 
Last edited:
moneym8 said:
On a PC download the Apple Devices app to restore. On your Mac, the restore tool is now in Finder, not iTunes.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Is the only difference between Restore (via Finder) and "Erase All Content and Settings" (on the iPhone) that the former reinstalls the OS? I.e., is their effect outside the system volume the same?

Apple Support has various articles on this, and some say to use one, while others say to use the other, but none of them (at least that I've seen) explain the difference.

I talked to an AC+ iOS specialist, and she insisted the two were identical. But if Restore reinstalls the OS, then that's clearly not true. In addition, she didn't even know you needed to use Finder instead of iTunes for Restore, since she told me to use iTunes.
 
They’re not identical. Erasing simply erases the device’s data contents. Restoring fully removes the beta profile and reinstalls the current release - that’s why simply erasing kept you in the beta.
 
moneym8 said:
They’re not identical. Erasing simply erases the device’s data contents. Restoring fully removes the beta profile and reinstalls the current release - that’s why simply erasing kept you in the beta.
Click to expand...
Understood—but to make this explicit, the difference between the two is confined to the SSV (Signed System Volume), right? Thus anything the last user could have stored is completely erased either way.

I.e, if my device instead came with the stable release, the net result from the two procedures would be identical—I'd have the stable release on the SSV, and an otherwise fully wiped iPhone.*

*The exception would be if the device were owned by a business that installed an MDM (mobile device management software), and didn't erase it prior to sale. From what I understand, that software is embedded in a way that makes it very tricky for anyone outside the company to remove; neither an "Erase All Content and Settings" nor a Restore will remove that. Fortunately, my iPhone was privately owned, so that's not an issue here.
 
theorist9 said:
Understood—but to make this explicit, the difference between the two is confined to the SSV (Signed System Volume), right? Thus anything the last user could have stored is completely erased either way.

I.e, if my device instead came with the stable release, the net result from the two procedures would be identical—I'd have the stable release on the SSV, and an otherwise fully wiped iPhone.*

*The exception would be if the device were owned by a business that installed an MDM (mobile device management software), and didn't erase it prior to sale. From what I understand, that software is embedded in a way that makes it very tricky for anyone outside the company to remove; neither an "Erase All Content and Settings" nor a Restore will remove that. Fortunately, my iPhone was privately owned, so that's not an issue here.
Click to expand...
Yeah
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back