You can no longer downgrade from iOS 11.4 as Apple stopped signing iOS 11.3.1 Firmware

by Haridas Gowra · Published June 9, 2018 · Updated June 9, 2018

Last week, Apple released iOS 11.4 and now the company has stopped signing the firmware of iOS 11.3.1. This means users cannot downgrade iOS 11.4 and if they tried to install iOS 11.3.1 using iTunes then they will get an error message. Apple decision to stop signing older firmware is not new and the company always do it to ensure users are running the latest and most secure iOS versions.

This news is not something the majority of users have to worry about. However, if you are one of the few users who jailbreak their iPhone or looking to jailbreak then this will possess a problem for you. Recently, a well-known security researcher Ian Beer from Google’s Project Zero has announced his plan to reveal an iOS 11.3.1 kernel exploit. This exploit is said to help hackers to jailbreak iOS 11.3.1.

Coolstar, a well-known iOS hacker, and developer had announced that he will release an update to Electra Jailbreak that will use the kernel exploit in iOS 11.3.1 – iOS 11.2. As Apple has patched the kernel exploit in the latest iOS release, the jailbreak will not work on iOS 11.4.

We expect Electra iOS 11.3.1 jailbreak to be a semi-untethered jailbreak. A semi-untethered jailbreak is similar to an untethered jailbreak, it gives the ability to reboot your iOS device on its own. On each boot, the iOS device startup sequence is unmodified and it boots into its original, non-jailbroken state. However, instead of needing to use a tool from a computer to re-jailbreak the iOS device again, like a tethered or semi-tethered cases, the user can re-jailbreak their device with the help of an app running on the iOS device.

With the imminent release of Electra iOS 11.3.1 jailbreak, the ability to downgrade would have been very useful. Moreover, users will also downgrade when they face problems after upgrading to the latest iOS software update.

Previously, Apple has reported that over 81 percent of iOS devices were running iOS 11. One of the reasons the company is able to garner such high adoption rates is because it stops signing older versions and prevents users from downgrading. By not signing older firmware Apple also prevents users from downgrading to an older iOS version that can be jailbroken.

The iOS 11.4 that is released last week brings many new features such as AirPlay 2, Messages in iCloud, and HomePod stereo and multi-room support. The update also includes bug fixes and performance improvements. Moreover, the company is currently beta testing both iOS 11.4.1 and iOS 12. We should expect the company to release iOS 11.4.1 to the public sooner rather than later, while iOS 12 will not be available until this fall and it may enable new NFC features in Apple iPhone.

Those of you who are on iOS 11.3.1, we will advise you to stick to that firmware as Electra jailbreak will soon be updated to support jailbreak on that firmware, complete with support for Cydia Installer and Substitute.