Apple just last week released iOS & iPadOS 15.6 to the masses following an extensive beta testing period involving both developers and public beta participants. Fast-forward to today, and Apple doesn’t want anyone turning back.
In a predictable move by the Cupertino-based tech giant, Apple has unsigned iOS & iPadOS 15.5, a move that restricts those who’ve upgraded to iOS & iPadOS 15.6 from downgrading to the previous firmware version via official means.
Apple regularly unsigns older firmware following the release of something newer in an effort to spur new firmware adoption. The move benefits the company in other ways as well, such as thwarting jailbreaking by blocking downgrades to more susceptible firmware versions and also by pleasing shareholders who get to hear that iPhone and iPadusers are adopting the company’s latest and greatest software at a rapid pace — not necessarily voluntarily, however.
Less-than-official ways of installing iOS or iPadOS 15.5 post-unsigning certainly exist, such as using the DelayOTA method if updating from an even older firmware, or using futurerestore to downgrade with user-saved SHSH blobs. These methods, however, come with heavy prerequisites that not all users meet the criteria of.
Apart from installing older firmware that’s more susceptible to jailbreaking, other reasons to install older firmware include installing a previously-stable version of iOS or iPadOS when an update introduces new bugs that impact the user experience. Instances of this happening in the past include when iOS 14.7 broke the ability to unlock paired Apple Watches with an iPhone’s Touch ID authentication and when iOS & iPadOS 13.2 imposed overly-aggressive app backgrounding management.
You can actively check to see which version(s) of iOS or iPadOS are being signed at the handy IPSW.me website, and you can download any version of iOS or iPadOS you might need from our Downloads page.
Are you sad to see that iOS & iPadOS 15.5 are no longer being signed? Let us know in the comments section down below.