Last week, Apple released the iOS 13.5.1 update to patch the zero-day security exploit in iOS 13.5 that allowed for a jailbreak. The company is likely going to stop signing iOS 13.5 later this week or early next week, so if you have accidentally updated your iPhone to iOS 13.5.1, follow this guide to downgrade it back to iOS 13.5.
iOS 13.5 is likely the last build of iOS that can be jailbroken. Apple is all set to announce iOS 14 later this month and after that, developers are likely going to turn their attention to that. So, if you want to enjoy using a jailbroken iPhone for the next few months, its recommended that you downgrade your device back to iOS 13.5. There was also a bug in Unc0ver that automatically updated devices to iOS 13.5.1 despite the auto-update setting being turned off. Thankfully, with Apple still signing iOS 13.5, you can downgrade your iPhone back to it by following the guide below.
Downgrade iPhone from iOS 13.5.1 to iOS 13.5: Things to Know
- You will be able to downgrade your iPhone or iPad to iOS 13.5 as long as Apple continues to sign it.
- You will not be able to restore the iOS 13.5.1 backup on your iPhone after downgrading it back to iOS 13.5. The backup version and the iOS version should be the same.
- Make a backup of all the data on your iPhone before proceeding with the downgrading process below.
Downgrade iPhone to iOS 13.5.1 from iOS 13.5
Method 1
Downgrade to iOS 13.5 Without Losing Data
The riskier method of the two but you can downgrade your iPhone back to iOS 13.5 with this process without wiping your device clean. This makes it notably faster than the second method which involves erasing all data from your device.
How to Downgrade iOS 13.5.1 to iOS 13.5 Without Losing Data
- Turn off Find my iPhone via the Settings app (Settings > iCloud > Find my iPhone).
- Download the iOS 13.5 firmware file for your device from our iOS firmware file download page for your iPhone.
- Connect the iOS device running iOS 13.5.1 to your computer.
- Launch iTunes and select the iOS device from the top left corner.
- Then click on Summary in the left-hand sidebar.
- Hold the Alt/Option key on the Mac or Shift Key in Windows on your keyboard and click on the Check for Update option, instead of restoring.
- From the window that pops up, select the iOS 13.5 IPSW firmware file you had downloaded earlier.
- iTunes will inform you that it will update the device to iOS 13.5 and verify the update with Apple.
- Click Update.
- iTunes should now downgrade your iOS device to iOS 13.5.
If you are running macOS Catalina, the steps to downgrade your device to iOS 13.5 remains pretty much the same. Since iTunes is no longer a part of the OS though, you will have to open a new Finder window and access your device from there.
Method 2
How to Downgrade from iOS 13.5.1 to iOS 13.5 Using Recovery Mode
- Download the iOS 13.5 firmware file for your device from our firmware download page.
- Launch iTunes on your computer.
- Plug your iPhone or iPad running iOS 13.5.1 to the computer with iTunes running.
You now need to put your iPhone in DFU mode (if you want to find out what it means check this post for more details). The process differs based on the iOS device:
On iPhone 11/Pro, iPhone XS/XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus:
- Press and release the Volume Up button, then press and release the Volume Down button, finally, press and hold the Power / Side button until you see the recovery mode screen.
- Press and hold the Power / Side button and Volume Down buttons at the same time, continue holding until you see the recovery mode screen
iPad and iPad Pro models, iPhone 6s, and earlier iPhone models:
- Press and hold the Power/Side button and Home buttons at the same time, continue holding both buttons until you see the recovery mode screen.
- Release the power button and continue holding the home button until you get a popup from iTunes that it has detected that your device is in Recovery mode.
- Click on the Ok button.
- Hold the Alt/Option key on the Mac or Shift key in Windows on your keyboard and click on the Restore iPhone… (iPad/iPod touch…) button.
Note: If you directly click on the Restore iPhone button without holding the Alt/Option key on the Mac or Shift key in Windows will result in restoring your device back to iOS 13.5.1. - Select the iOS 13.5 IPSW file you had downloaded earlier.
- Then click on the Restore and Update button to continue.
- In the next screen, it will give you information about the iOS 13.5 update. Click on the Next button, followed by the Agree button to continue.
- iTunes will now verify the software and install it on your device. It should take around 10 minutes.
- Once the process is done, your iPhone will boot back into iOS 13.5 and you should see the white ‘Hello’ setup screen. Follow the setup process now and if you have an archived backup of iOS 13.5, restore it during the setup process.
Once you are done downgrading your iPhone back to iOS 13.5, you can jailbreak it using Unc0ver. To make the most out of your jailbroken iPhone, make sure to check out some of the best jailbreak tweaks and sources.
Update: Apple has stopped signing iOS 13.5 meaning you can no longer downgrade your iPhone to it from iOS 13.5.1.
