Apple stops signing iOS 15.1.1, leaving people stuck with iOS 15.2 or later

News
By Oliver Haslam
published

Iphone 12 Pro Ios 15 Work Focus
Iphone 12 Pro Ios 15 Work Focus (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple has stopped signing iOS 15.1.1.
  • iOS 15.2 is now the only version that iPhone users can install.
  • iOS 15.3 is already being tested by developers as well as those who are part of the public beta program.

A week after making iOS 15.2 available to the world, Apple has now made a change that ensures that is the only version of iOS available to iPhone users moving forward. Until iOS 15.3 is released, that is. As of now, Apple is no longer signing iOS 15.1.1 — a move that prevents anyone from downgrading from iOS 15.2

Apple routinely stops signing old versions of iOS for a variety of reasons. Sometimes that's to prevent people from downgrading to allow a particular jailbreak to be used and others it's a case of ensuring an important security patch is running on as many devices as possible. Another facet of that is to prevent people from downgrading to a less secure release to allow them to break their way through security measures. Other times Apple simply wants to make sure that people are using devices with the latest features and APIs available.

Ios 15 Focus Hero

Ios 15 Focus Hero (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)

Whatever the case this time around, November's iOS 15.1.1 update is now dead in the water and only those who already have it installed will be able to use it.

The newer iOS 15.2 update does have plenty going for it, however. A new parts and service history feature was added to show when displays, batteries, and more have been replaced. Locked iPhones can now also be reset without a computer for the first time, too.

As always, the best iPhone is an iPhone running the latest version of iOS and this latest move ensures that more people are in that position. Now we await the arrival of iOS 15.3 and the cessation of iOS 15.2 signing that will surely shortly follow.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.