How to switch from iOS 16 to iOS 15 without losing data

Apple regularly releases updates to iOS that introduce new features, but also makes changes to how the operating system works. Users already have the ability to test iOS 16 through Apple’s beta program.

However, after installing the iOS 16 beta profile, not everyone will appreciate the many changes to the iPhone interface. They may find it to be too unstable and therefore want to go back to a stable version of iOS 15 and uninstall the iOS 16 beta.

Before you do anything to your iPhone or iOS, you should back up your personal data. This is a crucial step before removing iOS 16 beta and going back to iOS 15.6 to protect your information.

For this article, the backup should have been done before installing the beta version. Regular backups are recommended, especially before using beta software.

Backup is necessary if you want to downgrade iOS 16 to iOS 15 without losing data. Backing up data on a Mac or PC can be done through the Finder on macOS or iTunes on a Windows PC.

• Connect the iPhone to your Mac using a cable.
• On a Mac with macOS 10.15 or later, open Discoverer and select the iPhoneafter Generalafter “Back up all your iPhone data to this Mac” then click Copy now.
• In earlier versions of macOS or on Windows, open itunesclick on the iPhone button, select Summaryafter Copy now.

You will have the option to encrypt the local backup during the process. For security reasons, it is better to do it and set a password to decrypt it in the future if necessary.

The interface to backup your iPhone to your computer.

You can also backup your iPhone via Tenorshare iCareFone or iCloud.

Switching to iOS 15 from the beta can be done within Finder or iTunes, but you’ll also need to do a few things beforehand.

In addition to backing up your iPhone, you’ll also need to disable Find My iPhone temporarily. This is done by going to Settings, selecting your Apple ID, selecting Find My, then Find My iPhone, then turning off the toggle next to Find My iPhone.

You must also purchase the correct IPSW file. This can be downloaded from IPSW.me, and must be the latest signed version for your iPhone model.

• Open Finder or iTunesselect your iPhone either in the sidebar or by clicking the iPhone icon below the menu bar.
• In Summaryhold Option if you’re on Mac or Change if you’re on a PC, click restore iphone.
• When prompted, select the IPSW file you previously downloaded.
• In the message that asks if you want to erase iPhone, select Restore.

ReiBoot iOS System Recovery is an iPhone system repair tool that deals with 150+ iOS issues. One of its uses helps those who want to uninstall iOS 16 beta from their devices.

It can perform the same task faster and more reliably than iTunes and doesn’t require the use of any Apple account to work. You don’t even have to download the firmware beforehand.

Download and install Tenorshare ReiBoot. Connect your iPhone to your PC or Mac, open ReiBoot and select Downgrade iOS.

Tenorshare ReiBoot

When asked which downgrade option to use, select Deep Downgrade, then click the Deep Downgrade button.

Select Deep Downgrade to go between major iOS versions.

To download the firmware file, select the directory where it will be installed, and then click Download.

Remember the location of the downloaded firmware.

Once the firmware has downloaded, click Start Deep Downgrade. You’ll be warned that downgrading will erase all data on the device, so click Continue once you’re ready.

Click Start Deep Downgrade to begin the process.

After a few minutes, your iPhone will have finished the reset process and will be running iOS 15 again.

The downgrade process will notify you once it is complete.

Once you’ve reset iPhone to iOS 15, you’ll need to restore a backup of your data. This is usually done within iTunes or Finder and is relatively easy.

However, this is only simple if you have an iOS 15 backup available. You can’t directly use an iOS 16 beta backup to restore your data to an iOS 15 device, but it can be done.

• Locate the backup file on your Mac or PC.
• On Mac, select and open the file info.plist in Textedit.
• On PC, hold down the Win and R keys and then type %application data% or %user profile% in the command box, and then click okaythen select mobile sync. Open the corresponding info.plist file in Notepad.
• Search the file for a reference to the word “Product” followed shortly by “16.0”. Use the search function of Command-F or Control-F to locate it.
• Change the 16.0 to 15.0 Y save money the file.
• To restore the backup, open Finder or iTunes and access the iPhonethen select restore backup.
• Select the back you have modified then Restore.

Restore your iPhone with iTunes or Finder after downgrading to iOS 15.

As you can see, those who are trying to remove iOS 16 beta and go back to iOS 15 can do it. It’s not as simple as trying to remove iOS 16 beta profile and uninstalling 16 beta from your device, but it is possible.

With tools like ReiBoot from Tenorshare, you can go back to what you had before on your iPhone, with your data intact.

This doesn’t rule out possibly upgrading your device to iOS 16 in the future, but it does allow you to try it out knowing that you can revert your changes if necessary.