After watching Apple’s WWDC 2024 keynote, you might be tempted to download the iOS 18 Beta now and try out all the new iPhone features, like customizing the home and lock screens, configuring Control Center, and exploring the redesigned Photos app. (Be sure to back up your data first!) System-wide Apple Intelligence technology will be available in beta later this fall. It’s exciting to have access to the latest technology months before most people see it.
But there’s a reason iOS 18 is still in beta: The bugs and performance bumps typical of pre-release software can disrupt your daily use, which is why you shouldn’t install it on your main iPhone. If you found the first version too fragile, you can follow the steps below to get back to the safety of iOS 17.
Reverting to a previous system version isn’t a matter of replacing a few key files here and there – you need to wipe the phone and install the current release version. That’s why it’s important to back up your iPhone before installing a beta version (or, let’s be honest, updating any version of iOS).
Note: If you got excited and skipped the backup step, you should still try to sync important data (such as contacts, photos, and notes) to iCloud. go settings, tap your name to view your Apple account, then tap iCloud. Select the categories of items stored in iCloud (such as “Mail” or “Drive”) and make sure they are set to sync. Note that this is different from iCloud backup, which contains more data.
Make sure your MacOS or Windows software is up to date
First, if you’re recovering from a Mac, make sure you’re running the latest version of MacOS:
- Click apple logo in the upper left corner and select system program.
- choose General in the sidebar.
- Click Software updates.
If the update is listed and you have a current backup, go ahead and install it.
Under Windows, open the Apple Devices application, which replaces iTunes as Apple’s conduit for managing its devices.
Turn off Find My
If you’ve enabled Find for this device, you’ll need to turn it off forward You will revert to iOS 17. Find My is the key to activating the Lockdown security feature, which requires the Apple ID and password of the person who set up the phone. After reinstalling iOS 17, you can turn it on again.
To turn off Find My, go to settingstap your name, then tap looking for mine. then click Find my iPhone and close it. (If this option is grayed out, you may need to disable Stolen Device Protection first.)
This screen indicates that the iPhone is in recovery mode.
Put iPhone into recovery mode
Next, perform the following button dance on your iPhone to enter recovery mode:
- Press and release quickly Increase the volume button.
- Press and release quickly Volume down button.
- Press and hold sleep/wake button and hold it until you see the Apple logo, until you see the recovery mode screen – a black background with a cable indicating the connection to the computer.
Restore iPhone back to iOS 17
The computer will ask you if you want to update or restore your iPhone; don’t panic if the dialog box sounds like there’s something wrong with your phone. Click recover. In the confirmation dialog that appears, click Restore and update.
Or, if you don’t see the dialog box, open a new Finder window (MacOS) or Apple Devices app (Windows) and select your phone in the sidebar. Click Restore iPhone and follow the instructions below.
The release version of iOS (currently 17.5.1) will be downloaded and installed on the iPhone.
If you’re willing to wait until iOS 18 is released in the fall, here’s everything you need to know about iOS 17 and how to change iOS 17’s most annoying features.
