Charmed by the plethora of brand new features, you downloaded iOS 15 beta on your iPhone to test the pre-release version of the software. However, a few days after installing the beta, you desperately want to upgrade from iOS 15 to iOS 14 beta due to a series of unexpected glitches and bugs that turned out to be a nightmare. Don’t worry, there is a pretty reliable way to downgrade from iOS 15 and back to iOS 14. And that’s what I’m going to guide you in this article.
How to Upgrade from iOS 15 Beta to iOS 14 (2021)
Downgrading a beta iOS software update to an older version of iOS is a cumbersome affair. Besides, it also comes with some painful caveats that you need to keep in mind before going ahead with the process. Moreover, this process will also work if you want to upgrade from iPadOS 15 beta to iPadOS 14. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the steps.
Things to Keep in Mind Before Downgrading iOS Beta Software Update
- Be warned that if you have already installed watchOS 8 beta on your Apple Watch paired with your iPhone running iOS 15 beta, you will not be able to use your smartwatch after the downgrade.
- You cannot restore from a backup made on iOS 15 when you revert to iOS 14.
- You will only be able to restore from a previous iOS 14 backup, so make sure you have your device backup before installing the iOS 15 beta.
- Downgrading iOS 15 requires you to erase all existing data. So be sure to back up all your data beforehand.
Put your iPhone into recovery mode
Unfortunately, there is no single switch to revert to the old version of iOS from the beta software update. So we will have to use the recovery mode to remove the iOS 15 beta software profile and revert to the latest stable software version. Just follow the steps below:
- First, you need to turn off your iPhone.
- On iPhone and iPad without home button: Press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons until Slide to Power Off appears. Next, slide your finger across the slider to turn off your device.
- On iPhone and iPad with the home button: Hold down the side/up button until Slide to Power Off appears. Then slide your finger across the slider to turn off your device.
2. Now connect your iOS device to your computer using a cable.
3. Next, it’s time to enter Recovery Mode.
- iPhone 8 or later: Press and quickly release the volume up button. Press and quickly release the volume down button. After that hold down the side button until you see the recovery mode screen.
- iPad without home button: Press and quickly release the volume up button. Press and quickly release the volume down button. Press and hold the Up button until your device starts rebooting. Continue to hold the Up button until your device enters recovery mode.
- iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Simultaneously press and hold the side and volume down buttons. Hold the buttons until the recovery mode screen appears.
- iPad with home button: Hold down the Home and Up buttons at the same time. Make sure to hold the buttons down until you see the recovery mode screen.
Downgrade your iPhone from iOS 15 beta to iOS 14
If Finder or iTunes doesn’t launch automatically, be sure to open it manually. Once iTunes detects your device in recovery mode, it will ask you what you want to do.
1. Now click on the “ Restore” in the pop-up window.
2. Next, click on “ Restore and update to confirm your action.
3. Next, click on “ Next on iOS 14 Software Updater. After that, click “ to agree” to accept the terms and conditions and start downloading iOS 14.
To note: If your iPhone or iPad reboots to iOS 14 before the download is complete, be sure to repeat the steps above and put it back into recovery mode.
Restore your archived iOS 14 backup to your iPhone
Once your device is restored, it will be running the latest stable version of iOS 14. To recover your data, restore the device from a previous backup.
4. In iTunes or Finder, click “Restore backupin the General section.
5. Next, select the archived backup you made before installing the iOS 15 beta software update. Once the restore is complete, your iPhone should be back to where it was before the iOS beta update was installed.
Downgrade from iOS 15 beta and back to iOS 14
That’s it! I hope you were successful in downgrading your iPhone from iOS 15 beta to iOS 14. I wish there was an easier way to upgrade and downgrade software, but there isn’t. not for the moment. So until then, take advantage of this method to ditch the pre-release version of iOS and go back to a stable version. That said, do you have any comments or questions? If so, be sure to let us know in the comments section below. Also, share your thoughts on some of the most talked about iOS 15 features like the ability to watch movies together on FaceTime, Notification Digest, Focus Mode, Apple Digital Legacy, Extensions support in Safari on iPhones, etc
