Want to roll your iPhone back to iOS 9.3? Here's how.
iOS 10 is brand-spanking new, flush with new features and new ways to do stuff with old features. But if you need to downgrade your device back to iOS 9.3, that's fine. What's more, downgrading is easy: All you need is an archived backup of your device pre-iOS 10, iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC, and to follow the steps below!
Note: If you're reading this article on the iPhone or iPad you want to revert, either print it out first or open it on another iPhone, iPad, or computer so that you can read along as you go.
- How to put your iPhone and iPad into recovery mode
- How to downgrade to iOS 9.3 on your iPhone or iPad
- How to restore your archived iOS 9.3 backup to your iPhone or iPad
How to put your iPhone and iPad into recovery mode
There's no button tap to revert your device back to iOS 9.3. So, to get started, you'll need to put your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch into recovery mode. That lets iTunes take over.
- Turn off your iPhone or iPad. (Hold down the Sleep/Wake button until Slide to power off appears, the slide.)
- Plug your USB to Lightning cable (or USB to 30-pin Dock cable for older devices) into your computer.
- Hold down—and keep holding down—the Home button on your iPhone or iPad.
- Plug your USB to Lightning cable (or USB to 30-pin Dock cable for older devices) into your iPhone or iPad.
- Continue holding down the Home button until the connect to iTunes screen comes up.

If, for some reason, Recovery Mode doesn't work, you can also try putting your iPhone or iPad into DFU mode. Device Firmware Update mode is a little trickier to get into, but will often force a restore even when nothing else works.
How to downgrade to iOS 9.3 on your iPhone or iPad
If iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC doesn't launch automatically, launch it manually. iTunes will detect your device in recovery mode and ask you what you want to do.
- Click Restore on the iTunes popup.
- Click Restore and Update to confirm.

- Click Next on the iOS 9.3 Software Updater.
- Click Agree to accept the Terms and Conditions and start downloading iOS 9.3.

If your device reboots to iOS 10 before the download is complete, simply repeat the steps above and put it back into Recovery Mode. Once the download is complete, iTunes will restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to iOS 9.3.
How to restore your archived iOS 9.3 backup to your iPhone or iPad
Once your device is restored, it'll have a clean copy of iOS 9.3. To get your data back, you'll need to restore from a previous backup. If you've been running iOS 10 for more than a day, your standard iCloud or iTunes backup will likely be iOS 10-based and may not restore properly to an iOS 9.3 device. That's where the archived backup you made prior to installing iOS 10 comes in.
- Select Restore from this backup in iTunes.
- Choose the archived backup you made before installing iOS 10.
Once the restore is completed, your iPhone or iPad should be back to where it was before you installed iOS 10. If you've made any major changes since then, and they don't sync back some other way, you may have to repeat them to get back to exactly where you were before downgrading.
If you run into any trouble or have any questions, ask away in the comments!

Reader comments
How to downgrade your iPhone or iPad from iOS 10 back to iOS 9.3
Do you have to delete the profile used to download the beta as well after downgrading or is that taken care off when the restore is finished?
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The restore should wipe it.
Cool thank you! One more question as this is my first time running a developer beta. Once the public release comes around do I have to do anything differently to get it? Would I just get it OTA like everyone else? Thanks in advance!
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Instead of having to plug in your iPhone to iTunes, from iOS 10 beta couldn't you just erase all the data on the phone to set it to factory settings? And then when you erase all the data and go back on, won't there be an option to set it back to the last iCloud back up (which would be iOS 9)??? Please respond! I'm so curious
I tried that on my iphone 6s with iOS 10 Beta 1. Absolutlety does not work.
Hey, a question on this. The restore wipes it however still get prompted every hour to install the new beta as it seems the restore didn't wipe the profile in its entirety. I can't visibly see the profile in Settings>General but am prompted to download the latest beta. Thoughts?
Serenity, what about watchOS? I read that we cannot do it ourselves (downgrade from OS 3 to 2).
That's sadly correct. Currently, you'd have to send the watch back to Apple to get it downgraded. Not worth it.
I am assuming that is where the tiny port inside the lock for the bands comes in handy for Apple.
My iTunes is giving me an error code 1671 saying: "The iPhone software update server could not be contacted. Any idea why it is saying this and what I could do to fix it?
I bought the phone from someone else and it already had iOS 10 beta installed. Is it possible that this is causing the issue?
May also be server overload.
I backed up my iPhone on iOS 9.3.2 using iCloud and iTunes (Windows) and updated to iOS 10 public beta. I got some important iMessages from family after the update. So, I made an icloud backup when on iOS 10. Now, I want to go back to 9.3.1. How can I restore so my important iMessages are also back on my iPhone?
This is tricky, sadly, because of the way that Messages are encrypted. I would probably just save those messages using a tool like PhoneView: http://www.ecamm.com/mac/phoneview/
Thank you. After I revert to 9.3.2, can I not restore from the most recent backup I made on iOS 10?
Sadly, no, because the backup is signed to that operating system version.
I made a back up on iCloud BEFORE I moved over to iOS 10 Beta. I assume I can follow all of the above instructions and restore from iCloud correct?
To get watchO3 beta I had to get ios10....so if I downgrade ios10 on my iPhone will my watch on watchOS3 still work?
Ummm... This worked perfectly fine when I just simply clicked the "update" button. No need for restore, lol??
...
Just because it works for you doesn't mean it works for everyone else
How do you stop getting the install/notifications for the beta?
I downgraded from the developer beta, then tried the public beta and downgraded again from that. I also unenrolled from the beta program and deleted the Apple developer profile on my iPhone, but I'm still getting the developer beta 2 show up in software updates and my phone continues to periodically notify me to update (or I can choose later).
It's not that big of a deal, because I can decline to update, but it is a little annoying. Anyone know how to get rid of this completely?
Thanks,
Robert
Great article! It was super easy to go back to 9.3 after the archived restore. Love the new features in iOS 10, and it was fun using them for a bit, but I'll just wait until it's fully ready in a few months.
im with iphone 6 and im on ios 10 beta 7, is there a methond that works for to get back to ios 9.3.2 or even 9.3??? please i need some help!
Can you downgrade without the backup of iOS 9? I did a backup before upgrading to 10, but for some reason it's not even on my computer now. I've followed the steps, but it just keeps taking me back to iOS 10.
Same problem.
Unfortunately, you have to have an archived backup of iOS 9 stored in iTunes. A basic backup will be overridden after a day or so.
It went through all the steps the first time but took like 5 minutes and nothing happened, it only said "this phone is installing to software" or something like that so I waited and waited and waited so long I needed my charged so I went to get it and everything came unplugged so I redid everything, three times, and now it's saying "Make sure your network settings are correct and your network connect is active, or try again later" and I'm really not understanding at all??
I tried my internet connect like four times and it's not that at all.
Your issue is different, but try following these steps. You can force your iPhone into Recovery Mode by pressing and holding the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button at the same time. Don't let go of the buttons when the Apple logo appears. Keep holding them down until you see an illustration of a Lightning cable being connected to iTunes. Then, follow the steps in this post: http://www.imore.com/what-do-if-ios-10-bricks-your-device
So, I have an issue with iOS 10, I have a backup from the beta in iCloud, when down to 9.3.1, and this morning I installed the public release of 10, my question is , will restoring from the iCloud backup of 10 be signed as a beta or public release. I only ask this because the Genius Bar will not service my phone if it has the beta or any remanence of the beta on it. Please help I scheduled an appointment for tomorrow.
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Try this: http://www.imore.com/how-update-ios-10-beta-official-release
So I have tried to downgrade my phone to 9.3.1 3 times now. Every time I have waited and waited and then my phone comes back on and it deletes any progress. Any suggestions?
So I attempted to do this and it didn't work. I lost absolutely everything on my phone. I don't know if it killed my iCloud backup or what but I couldn't get my iCloud to back up through iTunes anymore, it had said there never was one even though it regularly backed up.
Wow, thanks! This was just what I needed - and fool proof enough for me to handle - cheers!
I had bought an ipadPro to use as a white board while lecturing in class, and when I said I wanted to restore a copy of my ipadAir onto it, I got the message I couldn't because the Pro was on 9.2 and needed to be updated first. However, the only option in iTunes was to update to iOS10. Then I thought: ok, I'll just leave it like that and slowly get used to the new system on this, for the time being, secondary unit. Imagine the cold shower I got, arriving at school and noticing that the click share-app we have installed refused to communicate with this new iOS. Oh well, I guess now I'll leave the seed stage to others =)
I did restore my iphone just now.but its still ios 10!I want 9 please tell me how to get it backkk!!
I've did everything this article said and when I go to click restore and update, the IOS 10 pops up instead of IOS 9. what am i doing wrong??