How to Downgrade iOS 16 to iOS 15 without iTunes [2 Methods]

Installed iOS 16 or iPadOS 16 on your iPhone or iPad and now want to downgrade back to iOS 15?

You can downgrade the iOS to previous iOS version when Apple keeps signning the previous iOS versions. But in the early time, Apple has closed the download channel of iOS 15 earlier versions. That’s to say, you are only allowed to downgrade iOS 16 to iOS 15.5 now.

iTunes is an essential part when it comes to iOS downgrade. However, errors always occur when we try to downgrade iOS with iTunes. Don't fret, this article can help you downgrade iOS 16 without iTunes.

1. What You Need Know Before Downgrading iOS without iTunes

The most important thing you should take into consideration is to back up the iPhone data before the downgrade process. As you know, all the data on the device will be wiped off when you install the old iOS version of our iPhone. You can back up the iPhone via iCloud and Finder.

Back Up iPhone with iCloud

iCloud is a free tool for you. It offers a free 5GB cloud storage for iOS users to back up the iPhone data to iCloud. Below are the steps to back up iPhone with iCloud.

• First of all, ensure that your iPhone is connected to a stable WiFi network.
• Open the Settings app, click your name and select "iCloud" options.
• Select "iCloud Backup" and click "Backup Now", then all of the iPhone data will be backed up to the iCloud.

Back Up iPhone with iTunes

• Run iTunes and connect the iPhone to computer via USB cable.
• When "Trust This Computer" pops up on your iPhone, just click on this option.
• Click the device icon on iTunes and tap "Back Up Now".
• When the backup process is done, you will find the backup folder on your computer.

2. How to Downgrade iOS 16 to iOS 15 without iTunes

Though Apple officials say that it is almost impossible to downgrade iOS without using iTunes, there are still chances in doing that. Let's check out.

Method 1. Downgrade iOS 16 to iOS 15 via FoneGeek

As an alternative to iTunes, FoneGeek iOS System Recovery is always a great program to upgrade, downgrade or restore iOS system for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Besides, what makes it better than iTunes is that it can not only restore or downgrade iOS version, but also acts as a repair tool to fix all iPhone or iPad issues.

Any iOS problems coming large and small can be resolved in one click, including iPhone won't turn on, iPhone stuck in boot loop, iPhone stuck in black screen, Apple logo, recovery/DFU mode, iPhone is frozen or disabled, etc. This tool is fully compatible with the newest iOS 16 and iPhone 13/12.

It allows you to downgrade iOS 16 to iOS 15 without iTunes in a safe way. Your data is 100% secured, not data will get erased or lost during or after the downgrade process.

Step 1. After downloading and installing FoneGeek iOS repair tool on your Windows or Mac computer, run the program and choose "Standard Mode".

Step 2. Now using a good quality USB cable to connect your iPhone to computer, click on "Next" and the device will be detected by the repair program.

If your iPhone is not detected by the program, you can follow the on-screen instructions to put the device into recovery or DFU mode.

Step 3. Different iOS firmware packages will be displayed. Since that you are trying to downgrade iOS 16 to lower iOS versions, you can choose an older iOS version, such as iOS 15.5, then click "Download" button.

Step 4. When the download is complete, you can click on "Fix Now" to begin the downgrade process. The iOS 15.5 firmware package will be installed on your iPhone.

Method 2. Downgrade iOS 16 to iOS 15 with TinyUmbrella

The 2nd way is to jailbreak your iPhone to downgrade iOS. However, there is one issue that your iPhone warranty will be in no avail after jailbreaking the device. And the whole process is very complicated. Here are the steps to downgrade iOS 16 to iOS 15 without iTunes using TinyUmbrella.

Step 1. Copy the url http://www.ijailbreak.com/ijailbreak-downloads-section/ to download Tiny Umbrella first.

Step 2. Run this tool and get the device connected to PC. The device will be automatically contected.

Step 3. Tap on "Save SHSH" and "Start TSS Server" option.

Step 4. Right click on your device button and select "Exit Recovery" option.

Step 5. Click on "Advanced" option and uncheck the Set Hosts to Cydia on Exit option. Click on "Save SHSH" and the downgrade process will get started.

3. Bonus Tips about Downloading from iOS 16 to iOS 15

Q1. How do I Restore iPhone Data from Backup after Downgrading

After downgrading your iPhone, you may need to restore iPhone from iCloud backup.

• Enter iCloud.com on the browser and enter the iCloud account & password.
• On the home interface of the iCloud backup, if you want to restore photos, you can click on "Photos" first, choose the target photo and click on "Download" to download them to computer.

Q2. Can you downgrade iOS without a computer?

NO, it’s impossible to downgrade iOS without a computer. Whether you use iTunes or the tools introduced above to carry out the iOS downgrade, you will need a computer.

Q3. What to do if the iOS downgrade gets stuck?

If you are trying to downgrade iOS 16 with iTunes and finally encounter the stuck issue, what will you do? To handle this kind of stuck issue, we recommend you to read the tips in this article to solve this problem. To avoid this problem from the root, FoneGeek iOS System Recovery can be used to downgrade iOS without iTunes or fix all iOS issues.

Wrap Up

You should have a clear idea of how to downgrade iOS 16 to iOS 15 without iTunes after going through the methods provided in this article. FoneGeek iOS System Recovery is a simple and amazing program allowing you to downgrade from iOS without any data loss. And it will only take a short time for the downgrade process to complete.