Tag Archives: beta

Downgrading from iOS 14 beta to iOS 13

I’ve spent several hours on this (restoring from an old computer), so here’s how I was able to restore iOS 13 (the current, non-beta iOS release). First things first, I backed up my iPhone to my computer before installing iOS 14 beta 6.

First attempt (did not work)

My iPhone backup was under iOS 13.6. Version 13.6.1 had been released, but I did not update my phone to it. I installed iOS 14 beta 6 using Apple’s profile.

Once I decided to downgrade to iOS 13, I removed the beta profile on my phone in Settings. I tried to follow Apple’s guide for removing the developer beta. The instructions for putting your device in recovery mode was confusing. I found that I had to hold the Side button for a long time.

After plugging in my phone, I think I clicked “Restore Backup”. iTunes told me that it had to download 13.6.1 first. I clicked through the notice and assumed that iTunes was going to restore my 13.6 backup and update my phone to 13.6.1. Sure, ok, iTunes do the thing.

3 hours later, my phone was restored, but it was still on the latest iOS 14 beta.

Second attempt (success)

iOS 13.7 had just come out. So I downloaded the 13.7 .ipsw file at https://developer.apple.com/download/release/#ios-restore-images-iphone-new. Also, I logged out of Find My (iPhone).

After connecting my phone to my computer, I opened iTunes and shift-clicked (PC) on “Restore iPhone…”. Warning: this wipes your iPhone. I found my downloaded .ipsw file for iOS 13.7 and let iTunes format my phone.

With my phone on 13.7, I went back to iTunes to “Restore Backup” using my 13.6 backup. 3 hours later, my phone is back on iOS 13!

How to install iOS 13 beta (for developers)

With an Apple developer account, you can install the iOS 13 beta. Warning: you should backup your existing device before installing the iOS 13 beta, and “install only on systems you are prepared to erase if necessary.”

From the Apple Developer Download page, you can find the Restore Images. Find your device among the list at https://developer.apple.com/download/#ios-restore-images-iphone-new to download the .ipsw

Next use iTunes & follow Apple’s guide (Installation Using the Restore Image)

  • Make sure you are running the latest version of iTunes on your Mac.
  • Open iTunes on your Mac.
  • Connect your iOS device to your computer with the cable that came with your device.
  • If you’re prompted for your device passcode or to Trust This Computer, follow the onscreen steps. If you forget your passcode, help is available.
  • Select your iOS device when it appears in iTunes.
  • In the Summary panel, hold the Option key and click the Check for Update button.
  • Select the iOS beta software restore image and click Open to start the installation.
  • After installing the beta, your device will reboot and will require a network connection to complete activation.

Follow the on screen instructions and you’ll have iOS 13 beta running on your device.

Note: I ran into an error “Can’t install the software because it is not currently available from the Software Update server”. I waited for my iPhone to fully boot up and I’m able to use iOS 13 beta (despite that error message).

Overall, the experience wasn’t too bad. This is a developer beta and not intended for widespread public distribution. If you are interested in the public beta for iOS 13, you can sign up here https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/

Reader Link Returns

Whoohoo! This is a good thing.

Gmail screenshot

Three Gmail things to note (from top left, clockwise):

  1. The Favicon Google Labs option is smart design.
  2. The Google Reader link is back! This deserves more exclamation marks.
  3. I’ve had the BETA tag on since it came out in Google Labs.

Regarding #2, people may say RSS is dead, but RSS is still an amazing, useful technology.