Apple is no longer signing iOS 18.5, which means iPhone users who have upgraded to iOS 18.6 can no longer downgrade to the prior version of iOS. iOS 18.6 was released a little over a week ago.

“Signing” is a server-side verification check that Apple does when a new version of iOS is downloaded on an ‌iPhone‌. An update can’t be downloaded and installed unless it passes the verification check, and the unsigning process prevents customers from installing outdated versions of iOS that are less secure.

Apple usually stops signing older software about a week after releasing an update, and doing so ensures that customers have the latest security improvements and are not vulnerable to known attacks.

iOS 18.6 was focused on security updates, and it addressed more than 20 vulnerabilities.

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