dinanja Author

Level 1

42 points

How do I downgrade my iPhone from iOS 26 to iOS 18.5?

Ios 26 update downgrade to ios 18.5 ios 26 is not satisfactory

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: ios 26 downgrade to 18.5

Posted on Jun 18, 2025 10:47 PM

Top-ranking reply

linobrendler

Level 1

8 points

Posted on Oct 14, 2025 2:12 PM

Unfortunately, you can’t downgrade an iPhone to iOS 18.5 once it’s been updated to iOS 26.

Apple only allows installing versions of iOS that are still being signed — and older versions like iOS 18.5 are no longer signed by Apple’s servers. That means even if you have an IPSW file, the installation will fail because the signature check won’t pass.

If iOS 26 feels unsatisfactory, the best thing you can do is:

Submit feedback to Apple here: https://apple.com/feedback/ – this helps improve future releases.
Check for upcoming updates under Settings › General › Software Update – Apple often fixes issues quickly with minor updates.
Restore your iPhone via Finder or iTunes if you think something went wrong during the update. This can sometimes improve performance.

Once Apple stops signing iOS 26 and releases a new version (like iOS 26.1), you can only move forward, not back.

If you just want your phone to feel faster or more stable again, a clean restore from backup usually helps a lot!

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128 replies

LD150

Level 10

99,469 points

Oct 2, 2025 5:53 AM in response to vrobad

vrobad wrote:

I've updated around 2 weeks ago and my battery still dies much faster than on iOS 18, I have iPhone 15 pro max. So it's not about "indexing" unfotrunately, it's about new glass animations which eats battery and heats your iPhone as crazy. There are lots of youtube videos with real tests which demonstrate this.

There is also a youtube going viral which shows thatvthe glassy option uses less than the Reduce Transparency option. That is dubious too.

Jaysanja

Level 1

8 points

Oct 4, 2025 7:50 AM in response to dinanja

After upgraded ios 26, battery drain very fast. Need to recharge full 3 times in a day. Earlier it was only single charge for full day. Not expected from apple this kind of glitch.

apple should think about seriously and provide option for switch to last version.

Mac Jim ID

Level 9

59,216 points

Nov 5, 2025 4:14 PM in response to mattedp

mattedp wrote:

First time in 18 years that the new iOS is worse, much worse than the previous version. This is alarming from Apple.

I like it and currently have it installed on 3 devices where there has not been any issues. While the new 26.1 update gives the option to use a Tinted UI instead of the full Liquid Glass, I prefer the Liquid Glass look. If you want to let Apple know how you feel, you can do that here:

Product Feedback - Apple

Katana-San

Level 10

80,887 points

Nov 13, 2025 3:25 AM in response to Servant of Cats

Servant of Cats wrote:

gajendra129 wrote:

iOS iOS 18.7 update remove iOS 26

What did you learn by reading the eight pages of answers to other people who wanted to downgrade iOS?

Hello~ You have used that pesky word…”reading.”

~Katana-San~

Dec 3, 2025 1:33 PM in response to dinanja

I want to downgrade from ios 26 to ios 18 on my ipad too.

I dislike Apple which does not allow the users to choose which ios to use, but keep pushing us to upgrade. Ios 26 is so bad, the best ios so far is ios 17.

Mac Jim ID

Level 9

59,216 points

Dec 3, 2025 1:55 PM in response to azakcramed78

VeryHateIOS26 wrote:

Do you have a link about ios feedback?

For the Feedback, choose your device and then under Feedback Type, choose either Feature Request or Other and under Comments is where you explain the issue you would like to address. With iOS, the device would only be an iPhone so that is what you would want to choose. It does not ask you what iPhone you are using for feedback, just what iOS version you are using.