Apple on Tuesday stopped signing iOS & iPadOS 17.3.1, a rather predictable move on the Cupertino-based company’s part intended to end voluntary downgrades from the newer iOS & iPadOS 17.4 firmware that the company released just one week ago.
In doing so, users will no longer be able to use the Shift + Click method on the Restore button in iTunes on Windows or the Option + Click method on the Restore button in Finder on macOS to choose the older iOS or iPadOS 17.3.1 firmware file to restore to.
Firmware downgrades are most common among jailbreakers and jailbreak hopefuls who wish to stay on the lowest possible firmware in order to keep their devices susceptible to possible kernel exploits and other hacks, which is the primary reason why Apple seems so driven to prevent downgrades.
On the other hand, firmware downgrades have often been used by non-jailbreaks to remedy problematic bugs that software updates introduce. A few notable examples include the following:
- iOS 16.0 over-prompting users on clipboard access when pasting copied content into another app
- iOS 14.7 breaking the Apple Watch’s ability to be unlocked with the host iPhone’s Touch ID sensor
- iOS & iPadOS 13.2 imposing incredibly aggressive background management on backgrounded apps
Apple doesn’t like to admit that they do this to prevent jailbreaking, but considering how they don’t block software downgrades on the Mac platform, it seems self-evident. They’ll instead turn to other explanations, such as ensuring that users have access to the latest features, or that they want users to have the latest bug fixes and stability improvements.
While those are valid reasons to want users to be on the latest firmware, it turns a blind eye to user choice, which is why we feel that Apple should allow users to run any firmware they wish. Despite the additional risks of security vulnerabilities that users may cope with when staying on outdated firmware, many users often make this decision in an educated fashion as to open the door to possible hacks in the future that could improve their user experience in ways that Apple refuses to.
While it seems unlikely that Apple will ever change its longstanding position on this issue, we remain hopeful that governments around the world, such as the one overseeing the EU, will eventually use legislation to force Apple to be more user aware in their decisions as opposed to starting unilateral control. But perhaps this could be wishful thinking…
As always, you can see what firmware is or isn’t being signed for your device(s) via the IPSW.me online utility, and you can use our downloads page to acquire any IPSW file you might need for your purposes.
Are you upset to see another firmware unsigned by Apple? Discuss in the comments section down below.