Restoring old firmware. How to return an old update to Android and when is it possible?

Sooner or later every user mobile devices from Apple is faced with the idea that it might be worth bringing back the old iOS version. There may be many factors for this - a new unusual interface that came with the next update, errors in the new version associated with shortcomings or poor compatibility with a specific device.

The company itself has never welcomed the return of previous versions of software to the device and, strictly speaking, neither the iPhone nor the iPad support the installation of older versions of iOS. However, after the release of the latest iteration operating system, users have a couple of weeks to properly study the new version, make a choice and, if desired, do the so-called firmware rollback to the previous version.

With the release of iOS 9, this issue has again become relevant for some users, and therefore we want to remind you in these instructions how to return the old version of iOS.

Necessary preparation

First of all, we recommend that you make a full backup of your device both in iTunes on your computer and in cloud storage iCloud. The procedure for returning a previous firmware version itself involves completely erasing information from your device and restoring absolutely clean software. Accordingly, you should have a backup copy from which you can restore all your personal information and files.

It is advisable to do the copying using both of these methods at once, since on some versions of iOS it was impossible to recover data from backup copy, made on more recent firmware.

After this, in your device, be sure to follow the path Settings > iCloud > Find iPhone or iPad and disable this feature. This is done temporarily in order to remove protection from software your device and after restoring the firmware, the function will be enabled again automatically.

How to return the old version of iOS

To start restoring the previous version, you need to download the firmware file itself, and to carry out the procedure for installing it on an iPhone or iPad, you will need a computer, the most latest version iTunes software and USB cable.

Go to getios.com.
In field YOUR DEVICE select the Apple mobile gadget on which you are going to restore the old version of the software.
In field THE MODEL indicate the model of your device.
In field iOS VERSION select the version of iOS you want to restore. Keep in mind that Apple only supports going back one firmware version and only for a few weeks after the new version is released.
Click the button DOWNLOAD and wait until the firmware file is completely downloaded.

Now you can proceed to the recovery process itself:

Open iTunes. When performing any operations with firmware, it is advisable to use only the latest version of iTunes, so before starting the procedure, check for updates and install them if necessary.
Connect your device to your computer with a cable and wait until iTunes recognizes your device.
Open your device's management page in iTunes.
While holding down the Shift button on your keyboard (or Alt if you're using a Mac computer), click the Update button in the device management window.
In the Explorer window that opens (or Finder if you are using a Mac computer), select the firmware file you downloaded in the previous step.
Confirm your intention to install an older version of the iOS operating system.
After this, the firmware recovery process will start. You can monitor its progress at the top of the iTunes window.

During the process of installing the firmware into the device, you cannot disconnect it from the computer and it is advisable not to press anything until a white screen with a welcome message appears. It will mean that the process has been completed successfully and the device can be activated.

After updating to a new version of iOS, you may notice that you do not like the firmware. In this case, there is an excellent solution - roll back the software to the optimal version, in your opinion. That is, if you updated to, for example, IOS 10, then you can easily install IOS 8 on your device using the instructions below.

When is it necessary to rollback iOS?

Reasons to install more old version operating system may become the following circumstances:

With new firmware versions, the design changes, and not all users may like the new design.
The most common reason is the appearance of freezes and glitches. Such problems happen for two reasons: either a new version of the firmware has become available to users in a too crude form, with errors in the code and shortcomings, or the device that was updated has become outdated for the loads created by new version IOS.

Please note that it is not possible to roll back any device to any version; you can view detailed information about which device to which firmware version can be rolled back to on the following website - http://appstudio.org/shsh. All data is located in table format.

How to roll back iOS to a specific version on an Apple device

Before you begin the process, you need to prepare the following things:

iTunes installed on your computer and updated to the latest version.
The version of the software you selected, in IPSW format, is downloaded to an easily accessible folder. You can download it from trusted websites that distribute IOS firmware for free, for example, using the following link - http://appstudio.org/ios. Download the firmware strictly for your device model, otherwise problems will arise during installation.
A USB adapter that will connect your device to your computer.

If you have met all the above conditions, then the next step is to prepare the device itself for the rollback process.

Saving important data

Please note that when you roll back your device, all data, applications and media files from it are permanently erased, so it’s worth taking care of them. There is an option that allows you to delete files from the device, it will be discussed later in the article, but it is no less stable. You can save everything you need using a backup copy created as follows:

Disable password

Another important point is to disable the password and Touch ID, if it is supported and enabled on your device.

Deactivating Find My iPhone

Before any actions with the device’s firmware, you must disable the “Find iPhone” function, since, otherwise, iTunes simply will not allow you to perform any actions:

Firmware rollback

If all previous preparatory work have been carried out, then you can begin the rollback itself. It doesn't matter which device you're downgrading from, or from which version of iOS you're downgrading to.

Connect the device to the computer using a USB adapter.
Log in to the system.
Go to your device's settings by clicking on the icon that looks like a phone or tablet.
Hold down the Shift button on your keyboard if you're using Windows, or the Option button if you're using Mac OS. Without releasing the key, click on the “Restore” button.
A window with folders will open; you need to specify the path to the firmware that you downloaded earlier.
Wait while iTunes extracts the software from the firmware and installs it. The process can last from five minutes to half an hour, do not disconnect the device from the computer or interrupt the process with any actions, otherwise the device may enter endless recovery mode.

Rollback without data loss

This rollback option also exists; it allows you to rollback without losing the data on the device. To do this, in point 4 of the “Rolling Back Firmware” section, you need to click on the “Restore” button and the “Update” button. All other steps are completely the same. The only thing worth considering is that performing a full recovery, that is, resetting the system and installing it from scratch, is safer, since the chance that any elements will remain from the previous version is much lower.

Video tutorial: How to downgrade iOS version

Third party rollback programs

If for some reason the iTunes method does not suit you, then you can use the third-party program RedSnow. It is distributed free of charge for both Windows and Mac OS on the official website of the developer - http://redsnow.ru.

After downloading and opening the program, select the Extras section.
Click on the Even More button.
In the menu that opens, go to the Restore block.
Click the IPSW button to specify the path to the previously downloaded firmware.
The notification that appears will ask you whether to cancel the modem upgrade or not. Click on the “Yes” option.
A window will open in which you will be warned that the device will now need to be put into recovery mode, close it.
Connect the device to the computer using a USB adapter and enter it into DFU Mode. How to do this is described step by step in the program itself.
If you have not previously performed such rollback operations with this program, then click on the Remote button so that it will automatically find the necessary hashes on its servers.
Done, now all you have to do is wait for the process to finish. The device will automatically update to the version you downloaded and turn on, after which you will have to go through the initial setup process.

Is it possible to roll back individual applications?

If the purpose of your system rollback is to install older versions of applications, then you should not do it, since there is a better option - use the special App Admin program. You can download it directly from App Store for free. Thanks to this application, you can view all available versions of applications installed on your phone and roll back to them. To use the program, just select the applications to roll back and enter the unique version number to which you want to roll back the selected application.

So, installing an older version of software is possible on all Apple devices, but you can not roll back to any version, but only to those that have the SHSH signature. The process can be completed either through the official iTunes application or through third party programs. The main thing is to download correct version firmware and do not interrupt the update process until it is fully completed.

Despite the fact that the firmware update is Lenovo smartphone up to version 4.4 KitKat is a step forward in the development of devices, however, not everyone liked it and there are a number of dissatisfied users who would like to “roll back” to the old firmware. In this article we will try to figure out how realistic it is to return everything to its original state and enjoy it again quality work your phone.

Attention! This article is for informational purposes only and everything you do after reading it is at your own peril and risk.

During flashing, all information stored in internal memory phone will be lost: photos, videos, contacts, etc.

One of the most popular and affordable smartphones at the moment remains, using its example, we will try to figure out how to return the old Android firmware.

1. Installing drivers for PC

The first thing you need to do is install the firmware drivers on your PC. To do this, connect the phone via a microUSB cable to the computer and install the drivers. After installing the drivers, the phone must be disconnected from the computer.

You can download the driver for Lenovo P780

2. Search required firmware for phone

Depending on your phone model, you need to find an archive with the firmware of interest, download it to your PC and unpack it.

Official Lenovo firmware P780_ROW_S124_140403 (smartphone with 4GB built-in memory) Android versions 4.2.1 can be downloaded . This firmware was the last one after updating to version 4.4 KitKat.

3. Install the SP program Flash Tool

SP Flash Tool allows you to download firmware to your phone (Please note that each smartphone requires its own firmware). Usually this program located in the archive with the downloaded firmware.

4. Phone firmware from computer

Turn off the phone
Launch the SP Flash Tool program
Fill in the Download Agent and Scatter-loading File fields

NECESSARILY check the box next to DA DL All With Check Sum

After all the settings are installed, you can click Fimware -> Upgrade

We connect the switched off phone to the computer using a microUSB cable.
With the correct preliminary settings, after connecting the smartphone to the PC, different colored bars should begin to appear alternately at the bottom of the SP FlashTool, signaling that the firmware is being uploaded to your phone, and eventually a window with a light green circle will appear, indicating the end of the work.

After that, disconnect the phone from the cable and turn it on. Due to the upload of new firmware, the first boot will take much longer than usual, as new parameters are applied and the device is initially configured.