Apple Stops Signing iOS 16.2 Following iOS 16.3 Launch, Downgrading No Longer Possible

Following the launch of iOS 16.3 on January 23, Apple is no longer signing iOS 16.2, the previously available version of iOS. Now that Apple has stopped signing iOS 16.2, it is no longer possible to downgrade to that version of iOS after installing the iOS 16.3 update.

iOS 16
Apple routinely stops signing older versions of iOS after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date, so it is not unusual that the iOS 16.2 update is no longer being signed.

iOS 16.2 was a significant update that added Apple Music Sing, the Freeform app, Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, and more. iOS 16.3 introduces Security Keys for Apple ID, changes to Emergency SOS, and it adds support for the new HomePod model.

Apple is expected to release the first beta of iOS 16.4 in the near future, but as of now, iOS 16.3 is the only available version of iOS 16. Apple has also stopped signing iOS 15.7.2 and iOS 12.5.6 following the release of iOS 15.7.3 and iOS 12.5.7 security updates earlier in January.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
macbook pro blue green

When Will Apple Release the M5 MacBook Pro?

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:53 pm PDT by
Apple regularly refreshes the MacBook Pro models, and a new version that uses M5 series chips is in the works. Apple just finished refreshing most of the Mac lineup with M4 chips, and now it's time for the M5. Rumors suggest that we could see the first M5 MacBook Pro models this fall. Design There have been no rumors of a design update for the M5 MacBook Pro models that are coming this...
Apple Lumon Terminal Pro

Apple's Mac Site Features Fictional 'Lumon Terminal Pro'

Wednesday March 26, 2025 12:19 pm PDT by
Apple is going all out with promotions for the popular Severance Apple TV+ show today, and as of right now, you'll find a new "Lumon Terminal Pro" listed on Apple's Mac site. The Lumon Terminal Pro is designed to look similar to the machines that Severance employees like Mark S. and Helly R. use for macrodata refinement. The Terminal features a blue keyboard, a small display with wide...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Tuesday March 25, 2025 6:45 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.4 to the general public as soon as next week, following more than a month of beta testing. Apple's website says some iOS 18.4 features will be released in "early April," so the update should be out as early as Tuesday, April 1. Apple this week seeded the iOS 18.4 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, barring the discovery of any...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Supports 8K Video Recording, Suggests Leaker [Updated]

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:06 am PDT by
Update 7:25 pm: Based on comments from our forums, it appears the original Weibo post may have been mistranslated and "8K" actually refers to the high price of the device rather than 8K video recording capabilities. The iPhone 16 Pro currently starts at 7,999 yuan in China. Our original article follows below. Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17 Pro models are capable of shooting 8K video, up...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

'iPhone Fold' to Feature Metallic Glass Hinge That Resists Deformation

Thursday March 27, 2025 4:21 am PDT by
Last week, we covered a report claiming that Apple's book-style foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold," as we are provisionally calling it here) will use liquid metal hinges to improve durability and help minimize screen creasing. Today, a Chinese leaker provided more details on the properties of this hinge material that help to clarify why Apple chose it for its first foldable device. According...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

Gurman: Jon Prosser's iOS 19 Mockups 'Aren't Representative' of Redesign

Tuesday March 25, 2025 4:47 pm PDT by
The iOS 19 mockup images that leaker Jon Prosser shared today are not representative of the actual iOS 19 design, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on social media. According to Gurman, the images that are "floating around" are based on "very old builds" or "vague descriptions," and are lacking key features. Gurman says that we can "expect more from Apple in June." Gurman made the same comment ...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk

Thursday March 20, 2025 12:01 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. The new perk is the ability to create invitations in the Apple Invites app for the iPhone, which launched in the App Store last month. In the Apple Invites app, iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations for any occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, and more. Anyone ...

Top Rated Comments

thejadedmonkey Avatar
28 months ago
16.2, 16.3, doesn't matter, they all have the same horrid backgrounds. Gimme 15-point-whatever back, I want my backgrounds that animate on press.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sorgo † Avatar
28 months ago

It's still hot and steaming, give it a minute.
A turd is a turd...
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
1557750 Avatar
28 months ago
I wish I could quit signing things.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Skyscraperfan Avatar
28 months ago
The word "downgrading" implies that you go back to something worse. If you are a Windows user, you know though that sometimes upgrades feel more like downgrades. That also is true for Instagram apps for example that get worse and worse with every version. Imagine after months you discover something that got really worse and you can't go back to the previous version. Resetting to the version your phone came with should always be possible, because that is the phone you bought and paid for.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Johnny Jackhammer Avatar
28 months ago
I always want to downgrade once I realize my iPhone feels far slower than it was when I purchased it. Wish I could compare the latest iOS it to the original OS. Apple has made sure we can’t do that. Bundling security updates with every iOS upgrade - genius. Apple just keeps figuring out ways to keep those sales going.

Love the MacRumors disclaimer normalizing the practice. “Nothing to see here folks”
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Razorpit Avatar
28 months ago
Still on 15 after reading all the issues with 16. With age comes wisdom and patience. ?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)