Apple Stops Signing iOS 17.5, Downgrading No Longer an Option

Apple today stopped signing iOS 17.5, preventing iPhone users from downgrading to that version of iOS. The update is no longer being signed after the May 20 release of iOS 17.5.1.

iOS 17
It is not unusual for Apple to stop signing an older version of iOS, and it typically happens a week or two after a new version of iOS comes out. When an update is no longer signed, it means it is no longer able to be installed on an ‌iPhone‌ per a server side software verification check.

Apple prevents users from installing older versions of iOS to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date with the latest security improvements.

iOS 17.5.1 addressed a corruption bug that could cause deleted photos to reappear on an iPhone. The update is now the only publicly released version of iOS available.

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
Apple Maps 2024

Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads

Sunday February 16, 2025 7:22 am PST by
Apple is "exploring" the idea of showing search ads in the Apple Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Back in 2022, Gurman said software engineering was "already underway" to display ads in the Apple Maps app, but Apple did not move forward with the idea at the time. Today, he said Apple is "giving this notion more thought" again. This time around, he said Apple has yet to...
Tim Cook Apple Park

10+ Announcements Apple Could Have Rolled Into a February Event

Saturday February 15, 2025 8:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have enough upcoming product announcements to justify a full event this month, yet all signs indicate these reveals will be handled through a series of press releases instead. There are a multitude of rumors from reliable sources about specific announcements in the coming weeks, so here's everything that Apple could have feasibly included in a hypothetical February event: ...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

Two of Apple's Oldest Products Are Finally Getting Updated This Year

Friday February 14, 2025 6:03 am PST by
Apple released the HomePod mini in November 2020, followed by the AirTag in May 2021, and both still remain first-generation products. Fortunately, rumors suggest that both the HomePod mini and the AirTag will finally be updated at some point this year. Below, we recap rumors about the HomePod mini 2 and AirTag 2. HomePod mini 2 In January 2025, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple is ...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: Apple Teases Its Next Major Product Launch

Friday February 14, 2025 9:38 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the imminent Apple product "launch" that is widely expected to be the fourth-generation iPhone SE. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos In a social media post on Thursday, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of...

Top Rated Comments

lkrupp Avatar
10 months ago

I wanted to do the same, I figured they might un-sign it at any moment once they got back into the office from the long weekend so I installed it yesterday on a secondary device. Fortunately/unfortunately nothing seems to have happened so far.
Well then maybe you should believe Apple when they say the bug is extremely rare and affected a very small number of people. Why is it always Reddit that MacRumors gleans its reports from? I spend a lot of time on the Apple Support Communities forums and this issue was reported by maybe two or three users there. No big surge of outrage or hundreds of me-too posts like some issues, mostly crickets on this subject.

And then there’s the undisputed fact that the internet amplifies everything negative. All it takes is two or three people commiserating their similar issues to start the ball rolling, along with counting Google hits. Bingo, you have another -gate making the rounds.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
phenste Avatar
10 months ago
since nobody seems capable of saying it in a non-irritating way- good on Apple to stop signing this so quickly, the .1 update was more-than-necessary. glad they were able to provide a thorough explanation of what caused the bug and, most importantly, fix it in a relatively timely manner.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Alp3r Avatar
10 months ago
I don’t understand why they stop signing certificates, what a insecure company.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Populus Avatar
10 months ago
Wow, that was fast! I guess I won’t be able to test the resurrecting photos’ bug by myself…
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Samu25 Avatar
10 months ago
Good riddance! I doubt anyone would wanna downgrade to that disaster of an update!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Paddle1 Avatar
10 months ago

Is 17.6 in the pipeline? What sort of things need to be addressed?
They should fix the voice message bug, though that probably doesn't call for a full 17.6.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)