How can I downgrade from iOS 26 to iOS 18.5?

encocorsica wrote:

How would I get the things that I have synced with iCloud onto my phone after I revert to 18.5?

I'm assuming that my apple account won't be saved on my phone after I revert, but if it does, would the items synced remain along with my home screen layout/widgets?

After you restore your phone, you sign back in using the same Apple Account and Password, then open Settings > tap your name at the top, tap iCloud and turn on the switches for everything you had synced with iCloud.

You will need a computer. Ask a friend if you can use their laptop or take the phone to an authorized Apple service shop.

You can find a list of authorized service locations in your area using this link:

Find Locations

Koithahn01 wrote:

no computer to downgrade is there another way to do the change on the iPhone 16 Pro Max to Change to iOS 18.5 without having to have a computer. All I have is my iPhone.

And read this --> To Beta or Not to Beta - That is the Ques… - Apple Community

lefa128 wrote:

How can I downgrade my iPhone 15 pro max from iOS 26 beta back to iOS 18.5

If you have not been able to figure that out after reading the 7 pages in this discussion thread already, it's unlikely you're going to be able to do so.

Hi pavle216,

Good question!

as long as you backed your phone up to iTunes prior to the update to the beta you can format and restore that backup.

Instructions do state prior to installing beta to make sure you back up to iTunes.

If people give straight answers instead of posting the URL, that might be easier for the person asking the question.

Remember, not everyone reads the instructions before installing the beta; they want to try the new OS.

And Condescending remarks aren’t helpful ❤️

The post you replied to was from the 10th of June.

Not to mention the fact that the same thing you posted has been posted several dozen times in this thread alone.

There is absolutely no need to resurrect a dead topic with redundant information.

I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t like unfinished software that is in beta testing if I was trying to use it on my main phone either. That’s why I prefer to wait until the finished product is available. Read this thread. You will find lots of information about what to do to get back to the old version.

Because you don’t, it don’t look good in the iOS 18 Was Way better so I’m trying to get the one iOS 18 but I wanna get it back so how do you get it back cause iOS 18 is way better I don’t like this new future on the phone

I followed the directions and made a backup prior to installing the beta. My question is when the next update comes out, will I be able to update to the next available version ie iOS 19? Or will I only be able to continue getting beta updates? The iOS 26 doesn’t seem to be proper naming convention for me, maybe I missed that somewhere. Just looking for clarity if I should wait or just go through the process to revert anyway. I’m only having issues with CarPlay maps and Plex apps which I use heavily.

apex366 wrote:

I followed the directions and made a backup prior to installing the beta. My question is when the next update comes out, will I be able to update to the next available version ie iOS 19? Or will I only be able to continue getting beta updates? The iOS 26 doesn’t seem to be proper naming convention for me, maybe I missed that somewhere….

iOS 26 is the version for 2026, and will be arriving later this year. Same plans for iPadOS 26, and macOS 26.

apex366 wrote:

I followed the directions and made a backup prior to installing the beta. My question is when the next update comes out, will I be able to update to the next available version ie iOS 19? Or will I only be able to continue getting beta updates? The iOS 26 doesn’t seem to be proper naming convention for me, maybe I missed that somewhere. Just looking for clarity if I should wait or just go through the process to revert anyway. I’m only having issues with CarPlay maps and Plex apps which I use heavily.

There won't be an iOS 19. iOS 26 is the next version, which will be released about a week before the new iPhone's are revealed, likely in September, if history repeats. Apple has decided to just rename all the OS versions to 26, likely because it will correspond to the year of release for most new devices. For example, the next iPhone which we assume will be called iPhone 17, will the current model in 2026. With that assumption, when the next generation iPhone is announced next year for the 2027 models, iOS will likely follow suit and be iOS 27.

apex366 wrote:

I followed the directions and made a backup prior to installing the beta. My question is when the next update comes out, will I be able to update to the next available version ie iOS 19? Or will I only be able to continue getting beta updates? The iOS 26 doesn’t seem to be proper naming convention for me, maybe I missed that somewhere. Just looking for clarity if I should wait or just go through the process to revert anyway. I’m only having issues with CarPlay maps and Plex apps which I use heavily.

As mentioned by other contributors, Apple has re-aligned its identification of its various Operating Systems - from seemingly arbitrary/unrelated numbers to the same numeric-identifier. As such iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, macOS and visionOS will now carry the same year identifier - the next being identified as OS26.

Should you remain using the current beta, you will be able to directly update to the full production version when it is eventually released later this year. Alternatively, you still have opportunity to roll-back to the current production version using the process outlined elsewhere within this discussion thread.

There are answers for this on every page in this thread.

But, you should know that unless you made a special "Archive" backup on your Mac or PC....before you installed iOS 26.....that you are going to lose all of the data on your phone if you revert to iOS 18.

this offer is not available to the person who posted the question they don’t have a computer. <3

if a person restores their phone basically erasing it and setting it back up they’re still going to have the beta even if they turn off beta before erasing the phone.