Downgrade From iOS 5 To iOS 4 [Guide, Step by Step]

Home 2011 June 11 Downgrade From iOS 5 To iOS 4 [Guide, Step by Step]
, , , Firmwares, Redsn0w.us, , , , , , , 0

Many people wanted to downgrade from iOS 5 to iOS 4 Maybe you rushed out to test your app on the next big thing but now have to deal with a bug in the here and now version, and you don’t want to buy an additional device,

or maybe you just don’t have what you need yet and you’d prefer to wait for a later beta. Either way, it is possible to go back to iOS 4. Last year we showed you how to downgrade from the beta version of iOS 4 (Read More Below) as well. I am pleasantly surprised with how good the first beta version of iOS 5 is, but if for any reason you need to go back to iOS 4, we’ll show you a couple ways after the break!


About me I don’t recommend downgrading firmware unless you really need to. It can be a painful process that most people won’t like dealing with. But if you need to, it is completely possible.

Downgrade via XCode (Mac Only + dev license):


Downgrading via XCode is probably the easiest way to roll back to a previous version of iOS. The bad part is that it can sometimes put you into a never ending DFU loop. You can typically use iRecovery to kick you out of it.
STEP 1 : Download the firmware version you’d like to downgrade to. For most people, this will probably be iOS 4.3.3 so simply find and download it via *iClarified*.


STEP 2 : After that Open XCode and from the top select Window and then Organizer.


STEP 3 : You should now see your device. Under software version, it will show you are on iOS 5. Choose to restore from Other Version.

STEP 4 : You can then navigate to the iOS bundle you’d like to restore to that you downloaded and saved in step 1.

STEP 5 : Let XCode do its thing. If you’re lucky, you’re done. If not, go to the next step. (aka if you get any error message or get thrown for a loop via DFU craziness.)

STEP 6 : You’ll need to use a program like iRecovery which is linked above. I use Faster iRecovery as opposed to the original. Also, download the libusb files for Mac as well. iRecovery uses these.
STEP 7 : Simply run iRecovery after you’d downloaded the libusb files and it should throw your phone out of recovery mode. 
STEP 8 : After this, simply restore in iTunes and you should be downgraded. The first time you may get an error, simply restore again like you normally would and it should downgrade successfully.

As a side note, PC users can also use iRecovery and libusb if they get stuck in a DFU loop.

Downgrade via iTunes beta with TinyUmbrella (Mac and PC)
You need iTunes 10.5 beta for this, which is also available via Apple’s dev portal (and maybe elsewhere if you scan the internet)

You also need TinyUmbrella:Mac download

PC download

This is the route PC users will have to take. Mac users may also choose to do it this way if they don’t have XCode or the SDK. Start this process with your device NOT connected to your computer.  
STEP 9 : Install iTunes 10.5 beta and TinyUmbrella


STEP 10 : Then open TinyUmbrella and click on Advanced.

STEP 11 : Uncheck the box that says Set Host to Cydia On Exit.

STEP 12 : Restart your computer.

STEP 13 : Now plug in your device and turn back on your computer.

STEP 14 : After your computer restarts, you’ll need to go into iTunes. It may bring up error messages again. That’s okay. Just ignore them for now.

STEP 15 :  You’ll need to put your device into DFU mode. Refer to our DFU mode instructions if you’re not sure how to do this.

 STEP 16 : If you don’t do it correctly, just try again. When you get your device into DFU mode correctly, iTunes will pop up and tell you the device can’t be used until it is restored.

STEP 17 : You can now restore your device like normal.

Congratulations you have successfuly downgraded from iOS 5 to iOS 4, if you faced any problem please let us know.

How to downgrade from the beta version of iOS 4:



Step 1: Download the required old ipsw firmware files.

Step 2: Put your device into DFU mode (not recovery mode).

  • Connect your iOS device to your computer.
  • Turn it off.
  • Start iTunes.
  • Hold Power and Home buttons together for 10 seconds or so.
  • Release Power button but keep holding the Home button until your computer recognizes a new USB device.
  • iTunes will now recognize your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

Note: Your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch screen at this time should be blank (black in color), if not, then you are most likely in Recovery Mode, not DFU mode.

Step 3: Now trick iTunes into thinking that it is watching Apple servers, while in real, we are going to change the address to Saurik’s server. To do this:

  • Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\ and locate “hosts” file.

Mac OS X users can get to “/etc/” directory by going through “Go –> Go to Folder” from Finder.

  • Open this “hosts” file in Notepad (for Windows) or TextEdit (for Mac OS X) and add this
74.208.105.171 gs.apple.com

Now simply save this file and you are good to go!

NOTES

  • for Windows 7 and Vista: Start “Notepad” with Administrator privileges by right clicking on “Notepad” app, and click on “Run as Administrator“ option.
  • for Mac OS X: Make sure you have full read and write access on your account when you are saving the host file. If it still throws permission error, simply copy the host file to desktop, make the required changes, and then replace it with the original file in “/etc/” directory.


Step 4: Start iTunes, click on your iOS device icon from the sidebar in iTunes. Now press and hold left “alt” (option) button on Mac, or Left “Shift” button if you are on Windows on the keyboard and then click on “Restore” (Not “Update” or “Check for Update”) button in the iTunes and then release this button.

This will make iTunes prompt you to select the location for your iOS 4.3.2, iOS 4.3.1, iOS 4.3, iOS 4.2.1 or below. Select the desired ipsw file and click on “Open” to restore your iOS device.

Now sit back and enjoy as iTunes does the rest for you. This will involve a series of automated steps. Be patient at this stage and don’t do anything silly. Just wait while iTunes installs the requested firmware on your iOS device. Your device screen at this point will be showing a progress bar indicating installation progress. Once done, it will reboot automatically.

Now in some cases while restoring to iOS 4.3, iOS 4.2.1 or 4.1, iTunes might throw 1013 error at you. This is normal, just ignore this error as the firmware has already been successfully installed on the device.

Incase of the above mentioned error, your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch will be stuck in Recovery Mode, showing that “Connect to iTunes” screen.

To exit your device from Recovery Mode, download this program called TinyUmbrella (Windows / Mac). Run it and the click on “Exit Recovery” button. Your device will now restart normally.

That’s it, you should now be able to jailbreak and unlock your device on an older iOS firmware.
  
Last but not the least, you must now remove 74.208.105.171 gs.apple.com line from the host file so that you are prompted for future updates from Apple via iTunes.
Tags:

CONTACT US

We're not around right now. But you can send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap.

Sending

Log in with your credentials

Forgot your details?