Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

Good news: You can still roll back to iOS 7.1.2 if you hate iOS 8

Published Sep 22nd, 2014 2:05PM EDT
iOS 8 Downgrade to iOS 7.1.2
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

Apple released iOS 8 last week, and while the operating system brings several interesting features to iPhone and iPad, some users may simply not be thrilled by the new OS, especially those iPhone 4S and iPad 2 owners that might not enjoy iOS 8 on their older devices. Luckily, OS X Daily reports that, for a limited time, people will be able to downgrade back to iOS 7.1.2, the version that was previously installed on their devices.

FROM EARLIER: Don’t install iOS 8 on your iPhone 4S or iPad 2 yet

Because iOS 8 has just been released, Apple still supports the last iOS 7 version before it, in this case iOS 7.1.2. This means any iOS device users who want to switch back to iOS 7.1.2 can do so immediately, without any hassles or tricky procedures.

As the publication explains though, the downgrade window is limited, because Apple will surely close its iOS 7.1.2 support in the very near future.

It should go without saying the downgrade procedure can’t be performed on iPhone 6 devices that come with iOS 8 preinstalled – and one shouldn’t have any reason to do so in the first place. Furthermore, iPhone and iPad users need to know that a computer with iTunes on it is required to force the iOS 7.1.2 install on the phone. There’s no way to downgrade an iOS device without using iTunes.

That said, the full guide on how to download iOS 7.1.2 and install it on a pre-2014 iOS device that was recently updated to iOS 8 is available at the source link.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.