How to Downgrade from iOS 12/12.1 to iOS 11 Step By Step

Apple introduced the new versions of its iOS operating system – iOS 12 and iOS 12.1, brings plenty of new features, like ARKit 2.0, new digital health feature, grouped notifications, etc. Available for both developer and public.

However, while iOS 12 is worth installing, on the other hand, it is also along with some bugs and flaws, such as cannot connect to App Store, personal hotspot feature not working, etc. And this is why some of you may like to remove iOS 12 or iOS 12.1 from your device.

Luckily, Apple offers the way to downgrade iOS software update. And in this post, we are here to share you the way to downgrade from iOS 12 to iOS 11 step by step, and tell somethings you should note before iOS 12/12.1 downgrade.

Part 1. 4 Things You Should Know Before iOS 12 or iOS 12.1 Downgrade

1. Since downgrade from iOS 12/12.1 to iOS 11 will wipe everything on device, you’re suppose to make a full backup of your iPhone iPad firstly. In this way, you can easily get lost data back once the downgrade process failed.
2. It is important to have a backup in iTunes that you created prior to installing the iOS 12 or iOS 12.1. And the backup should be compatible with iOS 11 before downgrading, as the iOS 12 or iOS 12.1 backups are not compatible with iOS 11 or earlier version.
3. If you only have a backup for iOS 12 or iOS 12.1, then downgrading to iOS 11 (iOS 11.4) may need you to update to iOS 12/12.1 again in order to restore from that iOS 12/12.1 backup. But don’t worry, some professional iOS data recovery tools can help you get back lost files from iTunes and iCloud backup after the downgrade process. You can jump to the Part 3 to get the detail on data recovery.
4. Following the official release of iOS 12 or iOS 12.1, Apple usually stops signing iOS 11.4, iOS 11.4.1 and other previous releases after a week. That’s to say, downgrade from iOS 12/12.1 to iOS 11 won’t be available long.

Share these 4 things people should know before iOS 12/12.1 downgrade and tell them how to downgrade from iOS 12/12.1 to iOS 11 step by step. Or just comment your opinion on Twitter.

Part 2. How to Downgrade from iOS 12/12.1 to iOS 11 (iOS 11.4) Step by Step

If you accidentally lost important data after downgrading from iOS 12/12.1 to iOS 11 (iOS 11.4), or fail to restore from your iTunes backup after the process, refer to Part 3 to retrieve your lost data easily.

Step 1 Go to ipsw.me to download the IPSW file for your device firstly > Go to Settings on your iPhone/iPad > iCloud > Turn off Find My iPhone or Find My iPad.

Step 2 Connect your device to a computer > Open iTunes > Click on Device icon > Choose Summary on the left panel.

Step 3 Put your device into recovery mode:

iPhone X, 8, or 8 Plus: Press and release the Volume Up button > Press and release the Volume Down button > Press and hold the Side button until the “iTunes” screen appears.

iPhone 7 or 7 Plus: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake and Volume Down buttons at the same time until the “iTunes” screen appears.

iPhone 6S or older: Press and hold both the Home and the Sleep/Wake buttons at the same time until the “iTunes” screen appears.

Step 4 Click on Okay button to restore your device > Select Restore and Update option on the next popup. Your device should be restored successfully to iOS 11.4 when you see the white welcome screen.

Step 5 Restore your iPhone or iPad from the iTunes backup you made before to get the lost back.

Part 3. Lost Data After Downgrade iOS 12/12.1? How to Recover without Backup?

To recover lost data after downgraded from iOS 12/12.1, you can restore from the backups you created in iOS 11. But if you have no backup, the only available way for you is using some best iPhone data recovery software. And here we highly recommend the top 1 – PhoneRescue iOS data recovery, which has win a good reputation among iOS users and it has helped over 6,100,000 users recover deleted or lost data.

More than anything, unlike traditional iTunes recovery way, it allows you to view the backup details and selectively recover the files you wanted most, not a full restore. Also, PhoneRescue for iOS offers 3 different recovery modes to ensure the highest successfully: from iTunes backup, from iCloud backup and from iDevice directly (without backup).

In other words, you have more options and choices to get back your lost files with PhoneRescue. Now, let’s check how to recover lost data from iTunes backup after iOS 12/12.1 downgrade.

Step 1 Free Download PhoneRescue for iOS on your Mac/PC computer.

Step 2 Connect your iPhone X to the computer via its USB cable > Click Recover from iTunes Backup mode > Click Right Arrow on the bottom right.

Step 3 Choose the backup contains the files you want to restore and click Right Arrow > Check the file categories you prefer > Click OK button to scan the backup files.

Step 4 Preview and select the data you want to restore > Click To iOS Device button to restore the selected files to your iPhone/iPad now. Or you can click To Computer button to store them on your Mac/PC computer.

The Bottom Line

There’s still time for you to downgrade from iOS 12/12.1 to iOS 11.4, but it won’t be available for long. When iOS 12 is released to the public in September, Apple will stop signing iOS 11.4 or other prior releases, and then you will no longer be able to downgrade to iOS 11.