Apple’s stopped signing iOS 14.6 after releasing iOS 14.7. That means that, if you’ve upgraded to the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, it’s too late to turn back. (Although, to be fair, why would you want to?)
iOS 14.7, released last Monday, added support for Apple’s new MagSafe Battery Pack, reverse wireless charging updates, promised improvements to Apple Card, and more.
Apple usually stops signing code for previous software versions soon after it releases the latest version. The goal of this is to prompt as many people as possible to use the latest version — which should be faster, more stable, less error-prone, and more secure than the version it replaced. It also means that as many people as possible have access to the latest features, which Apple often rolls out with new iOS updates.
Apple doesn’t cut off downgrades immediately so as to protect against the possibility that a problem is discovered with an upgrade. Once it’s sure this is not the case, it stops signing the old code to stop people heading in the wrong direction.
iOS is now reaching the end of its lifecycle, likely making iOS 14.7 one of the final upgrades iOS 14 will receive. The company has yet to release an iOS 14.8 beta. Apple showed off iOS 15 at WWDC last month. It will arrive alongside the iPhone 13 in September. According to the latest Mixpanel data, 91.78% of iOS users are currently running iOS 14.
Are you excited at the prospect of iOS 15? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
