How to Downgrade From Apple iOS 10.3 to iOS 10.2.1

By Amee Florence Payno, Christian Post Contributor Friday, March 31, 2017

Apple has officially launched iOS 10.3 for the iPhone, iPad as well as the iPod touch, introducing several amazing features and enhancements to improve Apple users' overall experience.

The latest iOS 10.3 comes with wider SiriKit support, a new Find My AirPods feature, a new file system, CarPlay updates and more.

While the prospect of running your smartphone and other devices with the latest software update is the common practice exercised by most users, there are also those who would very much prefer to revert to an earlier version of their device's software. For those who are part of the latter, Tech Times reports an opportunity to downgrade from the latest iOS 10.3 to iOS 10.2.1 starting Friday, March 31.

Users who want to downgrade the operating system of their devices will have a small window to do so while Apple is still signing iOS 10.2.1. As of this writing, Apple is still signing iOS 10.2.1 but the actual status before making any attempt to downgrade can be verified here.

Before downgrading, it is best to back up all the device's files and content because the process would wipe the gadget clean This can be done through iTunes or iCloud.

To downgrade from iOS 10.3 to iOS 10.2.1, download the IPSW file for iOS 10.2.1 based on the user's device model. It is very important that the right firmware is downloaded to the iOS device concerned.

The next thing to do is to start iTunes on the iOS device and connect it to a computer via a USB cable. If the Find My iPhone feature is activated on the gadget, navigate to Settings>iCloud>Find My iPhone and disable it.

In iTunes, locate the device at the top left corner, click it and select "Restore iPhone" while holding down the "Option" key on a Mac computer or the "Shift" key on a Windows PC. A pop-up window should appear on the iOS device. From here on, just select the iOS 10.2.1 IPSW firmware file that was downloaded earlier, and click "Restore and Update." An agreement about the iOS 10.2.1 installation will be prompted, to go past this, click "Next" and then select "Agree."

After several minutes, the white "Hello" welcome screen will show on the Apple device, which means that the downgrade was successful. All that remains is to set up the device and follow the on-screen instructions before restoring the backup contents.