iOS 9 downgrades no longer possible as Apple stops signing iOS 9.3.5

No iOS 9

On Tuesday, Apple pulled the plug on signing iOS 9.3.5 for its entire iOS device lineup, and since it was the last iOS 9 release since iOS 10’s launch last month, that means you can’t downgrade your firmware anymore.

It’s worth also mentioning that the signing process was also killed for iOS 10.0.1, which means anyone who tries to restore their device(s) in iTunes will be forced to install iOS 10.0.2 or later (10.0.3 is only for iPhone 7 & 7 Plus).

Overall, iOS 10 is a pretty solid software update, but it’s not without its quirks.

Many people reported seeing poorer battery life after upgrading to iOS 10, while others said performance wasn’t as great. Others see a bug with notification sounds from third-party apps after upgrading to iOS 10.

Apple’s reason for doing this is to promote security by guiding users to upgrade to the latest iOS firmware and thwart jailbreak attempts.

How it impacts the jailbreak community

For jailbreakers, the death of iOS 9.3.5 isn’t a big deal because it couldn’t be jailbroken to begin with. The last public jailbreak was released by Pangu for iOS 9.2-9.3.3. There’s no ETA on a jailbreak for iOS 10 at this point in time, and Pangu has proven in the past that they’re interested in working on one.

For what it’s worth, iOS hacker Luca Todesco has proven that iOS 10 can be jailbroken and Cydia can run just fine on the firmware, but no one said breaking Apple’s latest security would be easy.

Making things even more difficult for a jailbreak release, Apple is planning an iOS 10.1 launch with new features like Portrait Mode for photos soon, which will undoubtedly hinder the progress of the jailbreak.

Where do you stand?

Are you happy with the iOS 10 upgrade, or do you wish you could downgrade back to iOS 9? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

As usual, you can use the IPSW.me online tool to check for the latest iPhone firmware signing statuses. You can also use our downloads page for all of your firmware download needs.