iOS 10.3 is here, and it brings a solid number of new features and improvements. If you install the update you’ll find an improved SiriKit support, a new file system that will free up some of your internal storage (in most cases), CarPlay updates, a new way to find your lost AirPods, and more.
Now, most will be satisfied after installing the new update, but if you find the iOS 10.3 to perform worse than the previous version the good news is that you can downgrade to the iOS 10.2.1.
Now, in order to downgrade you have to have the iOS 10.3 installed, and also make sure top backup your data (via iTunes or iCloud) because downgrading will wipe all your data from the device. Last but not least, Apple allows downgrade, but only during a short time window which typically lasts for about a week after the new iOS version starts shipping. In order to check out whether a downgrade is still possible, visit this link.
Now, the downgrade process is fairly simple. The first thing you must do is download the IPSW file for iOS 10.2.1 based on your device model, just visit this link and follow instructions. Make sure to download the file for your model, since getting a wrong one will make the downgrade impossible. If you download a wrong file you’ll get an error message notifying you that your device isn’t eligible for the update. If that happens, download the right IPSW file and try downgrading again.
If you’re using Safari to download the file, make sure to disable the auto unzip feature.
Now that you downloaded the previous iOS version file, launch iTunes and connect your device to the computer. Before connecting the device to the computer make sure to disable Find My iPhone feature (Settings > iCloud > Find My iPhone).
Once inside iTunes find your device (It should be visible in the top left corner), select it and clock on Restore iPhone while simultaneously holding down the Option key on Mac or the Shift key on a Windows PC. After the pop-up window appears, select the iOS 10.2.1 IPSW firmware file and click on Select and Restore Update. After that click on next once the next window appears and Agree.
After that, iTunes will verify the firmware and install the iOS 10.2.1 Once the iTunes install the previous firmware a “Hello” screen will appear on your iOS device. A Hello screen means that the downgrade ended successfully. Just set up the device and restore your backup and that’s it!