How do I downgrade from iOS26? I accidentally updated my iPhone 16 pro max to iOS 26 after it did an automatic update
[Edited by Moderator]
To remove the iOS beta, follow the steps below:
This method only works for downgrading from a beta version, not for downgrading between two official versions.
That’s because beta profiles can be removed and Apple still signs the latest public iOS, allowing you to restore to it.
Reference:
How to uninstall iOS or iPadOS beta software - Apple Support
[Edited by Moderator]
That is unfortunate, because Apple does not support downgrading the iOS on the iPhone / iPad
518Victoria wrote:
How?????
How what? Downgrade? There are 7 pages in this thread and on EVERY page, it's been answered that you CAN'T downgrade.
ziyotov_ruslan wrote:
iOS 26 deletes iOS 18.6 download
The three usual choices for reverting from iOS 26 to iOS 18 are to reset and restore your backup from iOS 18 (some data loss), or reset and revert to iOS 18 without a backup (more data loss), or continue with the iOS 28 beta until release.
How to uninstall iOS or iPadOS beta software - Apple Support
leela48 wrote:
remove iOS 26
The three usual choices are to reset and restore your backup from iOS 18 (some data loss), or reset and revert to iOS 18 without a backup (more data loss), or continue with the iOS 28 beta until release.
How to uninstall iOS or iPadOS beta software - Apple Support
Given the timing, staying on the iOS 26 beta is going to be less work, and less likely to lose local data.
Reverting will lose local data, and the longer the beta has been in use, the larger the local data loss.
iOS 26 is being released tomorrow, September 15th.
Aishajxo wrote:
Hey so!….im not a developer yet it’s on my phone and my boyfriend’s phone and I don’t know how to remove it it seems you know more than Apple itself so why don’t you help everyone by giving us better instructions please!
You posted on an old thread and replied to a post about the beta software back in June. At that time developers could download the beta and also remove it to return to the latest shipping release.
Fast forward to today, and now you have the latest shipping release, which is iOS 26, and there is no option to remove it. Sorry, but there are no instructions to give you.
See the reply from Kurtosis 12.
Hopefully, you made an Archive backup of your phone while it was still on iOS 18.....before....you installed the beta software.
If you did not.....and you remove the beta software....you will lose all of the data on your phone. It will look just like it did when it was new and you will have to manually add everything back to your phone.
Probably better to tough it out with iOS 26 than lose everything on your phone if you did not make an Archive backup of your phone on a Mac or PC....before....you installed the beta software.
Not possible.
I accidentally updated my iPhone 16 pro max to iOS 26
You would have "accidentally" gone through numerous steps to do this.
Hopefully, you did make an "Archive" backup on a Mac or PC......before you accidentally updated your iPhone, so you can use that backup to restore when you revert to iOS 18.
So actually, this is completely untrue as I’m a registered developer(free to do and for everyone), and I have not received any information on how to downgrade. Also, it’s very much possible to accidentally download the update as he/she could’ve had automatic updates on and most likely is a developer if they have access to the beta, which means they have used beta before, meaning beta updates are on. He/she could’ve not wanted iOS 26 because of all the bugs there are right now and probably wanted to wait till a later time where it isn’t as buggy to download it. So please refrain from making false statements as it confuses the people who need help.
violetfromsouthbridge wrote:
How can I download iOS 26 on my iPhone 16 plus
You’ll want an iPhone you don’t need to work reliably, with third-party apps such as banking and games that you don’t need to work, and with iCloud data you don’t need available and consistent.
If you have that and a spare Apple Account, you can enroll in the beta.
Have a backup before loading the beta, as that’s the only way to revert to iOS 18 with only partial data loss.
Otherwise, you’re either losing all of your data when you want or need to revert, or are going to be staying with the beta until its release later this year, with your testing successfully or with issues or corruptions or otherwise.
Well, you have posted in an iPhone forum here. iPadOS 26 cannot be "taken off". No one here works for Apple either and even they cannot "take it off". If you have specific issues with how your iPad works with iPadOS 26, then go to the iPad forum and post a question about the issues you are experiencing and what troubleshooting you have tried and someone should respond and give you some troubleshooting steps.
after it did an automatic update
Rubbish, your phone did not "automatically update" to iOS 26.
kahlil295 wrote:
I don’t went ios26 I was trying to do 18 so help me out
Read and follow the Top Ranking Reply at the top of this page that you must have missed when you linked to this thread.
You can wait it out. Make sure you turn off beta updates so you do not continue to get those.
kumby272 wrote:
Downgrade from ios 26 to ios 18,5
Apple doesn’t support iOS downgrades, and iOS 26 is the current version for iPhone 11, iPhone SE 2nd, and newer.
How do I downgrade from iOS 26?
