Apple Stops Signing iOS 16.3 Following iOS 16.3.1 Launch, Downgrading No Longer Possible

Following the launch of iOS 16.3.1 on February 13, Apple is no longer signing iOS 16.3, the previously available version of iOS. Now that Apple has stopped signing iOS 16.3, it is no longer possible to downgrade to that version of iOS after installing the iOS 16.3.1 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 16.3 update is no longer being signed.

iOS 16.3 was a relatively minor update that introduced support for physical security keys for Apple IDs, expanded Advanced Data Protection globally, added support for the second-generation HomePod, and more.

While iOS 16.3.1 remains the current public version of iOS, Apple released the first beta of iOS 16.4 last week with support for new emoji characters, web push notifications, and more.

(Thanks, Aaron!)

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 ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
ipad pro 2024

Gurman: New iPad Pro and MacBook Pro Models With M5 Chips to Launch Later This Year

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:06 am PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPad Pro models with the M5 chip will "launch this year," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new iPad Pro models have progressed to an "advanced testing" stage, and he expects mass production of the devices to begin in the second half of this year. If that timeframe is met, the new iPad Pro models could launch...
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...

Top Rated Comments

fromgophonetoiphone Avatar
28 months ago

Makes no sense since 16.3.1 is hot garbage
It's fine for millions of users.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fromgophonetoiphone Avatar
28 months ago

One death is a tragedy, one million deaths is a statistic.

If you're the one person affected by the bug introduced in the newest OS, the newest OS is hot garbage in your eyes.

I don't like how Apple refuses to allow downgrades, especially when their upgrade screws something up.
The issue is most people are horrendously bad at diagnosing complex issues. It's easy to blame 16.3.1 when it could be a whole host of issues. I worked on the Android ROM Development side of things and it was hilarious how people would blame bugs on nightly builds despite no commits in the past 48 hours. And then when there are commits, it's frequently translation updates only and all of a sudden you get battery posts about how the latest build makes a night and day difference.


* An update usually is accompanied by a reboot so all sorts of things can change even with a reboot (see this whole android ROM development scene story above... I suspect 99% of people seeing battery issues would see battery life change with a reboot whether or not they update their OS or not)
* 99% of blaming new builds never tries to revert to an older build to compare the difference. New York Times addresses this as confirmation bias ('https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/07/03/upshot/a-quick-puzzle-to-test-your-problem-solving.html') which is a huge problem in almost all problem solving. Everyone likes to claim how they can "reproduce the bug," which is fine, but if you claim to know what causes the bug the you in theory can also turn off that bug. Most people, even some of the brightest engineers probably at Apple are capable of showing what causes the bug, but since it takes time to run a new experiment to see how you can turn OFF the bug, most people skip that and assume they have a solution (see NYT problem)
* People facing bugs typically blame the wrong thing (update) when you can likely reproduce their issues on another build as well.

I'm not trying to diminish anyone's problems with their devices, but I do feel that "latest version bug bias" is a real placebo effect.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SFjohn Avatar
28 months ago
It was a security patch for an active vulnerability, it’s no wonder Apple has prevented reverting so soon! ??
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
28 months ago

That was quick, not even Apple wants people on 16.3 for a Kentucky minute!
At this point, I’m ready for iOS 17.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mousse Avatar
28 months ago

It's fine for millions of users.
One death is a tragedy, one million deaths is a statistic.

If you're the one person affected by the bug introduced in the newest OS, the newest OS is hot garbage in your eyes.

I don't like how Apple refuses to allow downgrades, especially when their upgrade screws something up.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
redbeard331 Avatar
28 months ago
That was quick, not even Apple wants people on 16.3 for a Kentucky minute!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)