How to Restore iPhone without Updating [All Models Available]

If your iPhone experiences issues, such as freezing or locking, the most direct solution may be to restore it. When you try to restore your iPhone, iTunes may ask you to update the iPhone. However, in most instances, updating would slow your iOS device down, eat up more storage, and so on. Therefore, you may not want to update your iPhone. Then you may wonder whether you can restore your iPhone without updating it.

In this article, we will show you 5 ways to accomplish that. You may learn the details about how to restore your iPhone without updating it.

One-Stop Way to Restore iPhone without Updating

When your iPhone is locked or gets stuck in recovery mode/DFU mode, the white screen of death, you may think of restoring the iPhone with iTunes. However, in addition to requiring you to update your iPhone, iTunes has other aspects that are not user-friendly.

• Its operation process is complicated.
• When stuck in recovery mode, iTunes will erase all settings and data, such as photos, phone numbers, and downloaded apps.
• When your iPhone data takes up a lot of space, it takes a long time to recover.

If you wish to avoid the above problems, then Passvers iOS System Recovery can be a better alternative to iTunes. It doesn't require you to update the system as iTunes does. It is your one-stop way to fix various iOS issues in minutes in a simple way. In most cases, you can keep your data intact. Better still, Passvers iOS System Recovery is more than an iOS repair tool.

Follow the way below to check whether it works for you.

STEP 1. Download and launch the program on your PC/Mac.

STEP 2. Click start. When detected, you can try Free Quick Fix Mode first to check problems with your phone. Or, you can try the other two modes if your iPhone is stuck or disabled.

• Free Quick Fix Mode: It is totally free and causes no data loss
• Standard Mode: Don't wipe your data
• Advanced Mode: All the data will be erased after recovery

STEP 3. Then, connect your iPhone to your computer. Follow the on-screen tutorial to put your device into recovery mode.

STEP 4. Check your device information and select a firmware to download. Then, the program will restore your iPhone and fix it to its normal status.

If you don't want to update to the newest iOS, you can choose the previous version in the list. But if Apple closes the entrance to get the previous iOS version, then the system will force an update, and you must update to the newest version at that time. On the other hand, you can download the firmware that you want to install on your iPhone from IPSW Downloads on your PC. Then, choose an IPSW in iOS System Recovery to restore your iPhone.

Restore iPhone without Updating via Factory Reset

Prerequisite: this method is applicable to the case that your phone operates normally but has faults, such as frequent lag after long hours of use, stopping response, crashes, and so on.

When you are troubled by the above problems, you need to factory reset your iPhone to restore it without updating. Note that the factory reset will erase all your data, such as photos, contacts, and in-app data. But don't worry, by backing up in advance, your data can be retrieved from Apps & Data. The steps are listed below.

Factory Reset iPhone Manually

Step 1. Back up your iPhone. Factory resetting iPhone will erase all data and settings on your device, so you are advised to back up the important data on your device first. You can back up your iPhone with iTunes or iCloud.

Step 2. Reset iPhone to factory settings. Go to Settings >General>Transfer or Reset iPhone>Erase all Content and Settings.

Step 3. Tap Continue. After tapping Erase all Content and Settings, the screen will inform you what will be erased on your iPhone. Some versions of iOS ask if you want to "Backup then Erase" or "Erase Now" in case you forget to back up.

Step 4. Enter your Apple ID password or unlock code. This confirms you want to restore your iPhone to its factory settings and reset it. Give it a few minutes to finish.

Restore iPhone after Factory Reset

After the factory reset, your iPhone returns to its original state. Then we have to reactivate the iPhone, log back into your Apple ID, and reset some features.

Step 1.Go through the initial setup process. After resetting your iPhone, you must go through the basic setup procedure. Generally speaking, you need to set up your language, area, passcode, or FaceID, etc.

Step 2. Select a method to restore your iPhone. When you get to the "Apps & Data" page, you will be given several options to restore your iPhone. If you have a backup saved to your iCloud, iTunes, or another device, you can restore your iPhone from your backup.

Step 3. Sign in with your Apple ID. Once you restore your iPhone, you have to sign in with your Apple ID, and enter the email address and password associated with your Apple ID.

• If you are asked to agree to the Terms & Conditions, tap Agree;
• If you are asked to enter the unlock code or password from another iPhone, iPad, or Mac, enter the password;

Step 4. Finish the initial setup process. Depending on your iPhone's model, you may be asked if you want to enable certain features. Tap Continue to set up that feature, or tap Set up Later in Settings to continue. After completing the initial setup process, your phone will be restored.

Restore iPhone without Updating with iTunes Backup

Prerequisite: this method is applicable to the case that you have a previous iTunes backup saved on your computer.

When your iPhone needs to be restored, and you use iTunes frequently for backup. Luckily, here is a way to restore your phone by iTunes backup. The steps are as follows.

Step 1. Back up your iPhone. If you restore your iPhone from a prior backup, you may lose some of your current data. Make a backup of your iPhone before continuing with iCloud or iTunes.

Step 2. Turn off Find My iPhone. In order to restore your iPhone using a previous iTunes backup, you need to turn off Find My iPhone. Use the following steps to turn off Find My iPhone:

• Tap Settings >Apple ID >Find My> Find My iPhone
• Enter Apple ID password
• Tap Turn Off in the upper-right corner

Step 3. Plug your iPhone into the computer using a USB cable and open iTunes.

Step 4. Locate and select the iPhone in the iTunes window and tap Summary.

Step 5.Click Restore Backup under the Backups section. Pick the most recent backup file when a popup appears and hit Restore.

Restore iPhone without Updating in Recovery Mode

Prerequisite: this method is applicable to the following situations:

• Your computer doesn't recognize your device or says it's in recovery mode;
• If your screen is stuck on the Apple logo for several minutes with no progress bar;
• You see the “Connect to iTunes” screen;

All of these issues mean your iPhone isn’t functioning correctly and it will take more than a simple restart to get it back in working order. Below, you’ll find the steps to put your iPhone in Recovery Mode. Let’s see how to turn off your iPhone and get it into recovery mode.

Step 1. Back up your iPhone. Go to Settings> iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups. All of your phone's data will be deleted while restoring your iPhone. You can back up your iPhone by utilizing iTunes or iCloud.

Step 2. Put your iPhone in recovery mode before restoring your iPhone.

Here is how to set your phone in recovery mode for different phone models.

Step 3. Plug your iPhone into the computer using a USB cable.

Step 4. Open iTunes to recognize your iPhone, and then click the device icon in the upper left corner of the iTunes interface.

Step 5. Click "Restore". The iTunes interface will prompt the option of "Restore" or "Update". Choose "Restore". This restores your iPhone to its factory settings. After a few minutes, your iPhone will be restored.

Restore Jailbroken iPhone without Updating via Cydia

Prerequisite: this method is applicable to the case that you have jailbroken your iPhone and you don't want to lose the jailbroken data after restoring.

The jailbroken iPhone cannot be restored through factory reset, because this will cause the iPhone to be stuck on the white Apple logo. In this case, you have to turn to Cydia. It is developed for jailbroken iOS devices, and is an alternative to the App Store, but you are able to download apps limited by Apple. Through Cydia, you can download iLEX RAT to restore your phone, which helps you restore jailbroken iPhone.

You can follow the steps below to restore your jailbreak iPhone without updating.

STEP 1. Back up your important data. The first thing that you want to do is to make a backup of all your data.

STEP 2. Open Cydia on your device and click Sources. It will display all the repositories Cydia can find packages from.

STEP 3. Tap Edit and then Add to make a new repository.

STEP 4. Copy and paste the following link when the input field appears. http://cydia.myrepospace.com/ilexinfo/

STEP 5. Tap Add Source and search the “iLEX RAT” in Cydia. Choose the iLEX R.A.T option.

STEP 6. Install and Launch it from your Home screen.

STEP 7. Choose iLEX Restore and then tap Confirm. Then, your jailbroken iPhone will start restoring without updating the iOS.

Conclusion

That's all for those who want to restore their iPhones but don't want to update them. Hopefully, the solutions in this article can help you successfully restore your iPhone without updating. Make sure you go through all the methods again and choose the most reliable option.

Most importantly, don't forget to back up the data on your iPhone.