How to download the old version of the application. An easy way to install older versions of applications from the App Store. Copying data using iCloud
Hello, today I will tell you about a method to roll back any iOS applications using iTunes and Charles without jailbreaking.
Previously, I wrote an article about the method of rolling back to iOS 8.4.1 from version 9.3.5, and most users, including me, had a problem that many applications require a system version starting from 9, and the developer does not allow downloading an earlier version of the program , supporting the old version of the OS. Of these, I will highlight Google with their applications - Chrome and YouTube.
This method is suitable for absolutely any device on any version of iOS!
What you need:
- iTunes version 12.4.2 - the latest versions will not work with this method! Therefore, if you have the latest version of “tuna” installed, remove it and install the one indicated in the article.
- Charles latest version.
- The method is suitable for Mac and Windows
- Let's launch Charles.
Apple developers quite often publish new versions of the operating system. But the updated version will not always be better than the previous iOS. Luckily, if you want to downgrade to an earlier version, it's not that hard to do.
In updates, developers change the way some applications work, optimize programs, and fix bugs. But it happens that new opportunities are not to your liking, while the old ones are no longer available. Yes, and the occurrence of errors in the updated version is also possible, and it will take a lot of time before they are corrected. It is in these situations that a rollback to a previous version of iOS may come in handy.
There can be many reasons to roll back to a previous version of iOS.
The easiest way to roll back to the old version is the official one. But it has a number of limitations. Officially, you can “roll back” only to the previous version of the system and only for a short time after the update is released. Then developers block the rollback option, and users have to look for other ways.
Preparatory steps before downgrading to an earlier version of iOS
Before you begin the rollback process itself, you need to perform preparatory steps. To do this you need:
- create a backup copy of your files so as not to lose the data stored on your device;
- select and download the firmware - it is very important that the firmware is downloaded from a reliable source and does not contain errors;
- disable the Find My iPhone feature.
Backup
There are two ways to copy data from your Apple device: iCloud backup or copying data using iTunes.
Copying data using iCloud
Once the process of transferring data to iCloud is completed, it will be contained in cloud storage. To copy, do the following:
After this, the backup will be created. To avoid having to repeat manual steps on a regular basis, you can set up the entire process automatically. However, to create a copy before rolling back to the previous version, this is not necessary.
Copying Data Using iTunes
To create a backup using iTunes, you will need to install the media player on your computer. After that do the following:
You can get one of the latest firmware versions for your device on third-party sites. Read reviews beforehand to make sure the site can be trusted. Most likely, during the download process you will be asked to indicate which Apple device you use, specify the model and then select the proposed version from the list. After downloading the version you need, be sure to remember where you downloaded the file. You will need it later.
Disabling the Find My iPhone feature
If you did everything correctly, you will receive a message by email notifying you that the “Find iPhone” option has been turned off on your device.
Reverting to a previous version of the operating system
Firmware rollback is a safe function, and in any case you can return your device to its previous state. However, you still act at your own risk. Be careful and you won't have any problems.
To rollback, follow these steps:
This way you can go back to one of the previous versions of iOS. But is it possible to choose the old version? No, you will not be allowed to download it from the site. Even if you find it in third-party sources, the correct installation will not be carried out. These are restrictions from Apple, and nothing can be solved in an official way.
Officially, you can downgrade your iOS device to one of the previous versions Rolling back the iOS version using a special program
In addition to the ability to return the previous version using iTunes, there is another way. You can roll back your device using a special program. For example, a program called RedShow copes well with this task. But it is worth noting the following:
- this method is much more complicated and may require you to install a jailbreak (unless, of course, you have already installed it);
- if you want to rollback not only to the previous version, but also to earlier ones, you will need a SHSH certificate from the old version. Saving occurs automatically if jailbroken. Or you can save the data manually after each update using the TinyUmbrella program;
- The rollback option is not available for all devices. iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4G are ideal, and rollback is also available on iPad 2. Until recently, this feature was not available on other devices, but now the developers have added support for several more phones.
The rollback process itself using this program is done as follows:
Rolling back applications on iOS
We figured out how to roll back the operating system. But what if you need to roll back one of your installed applications? After all, unsuccessful updates happen there too. There is an official Charles Proxy tool for this. It allows you to access older versions of apps or games on your iPhone or iPad. Using this program is not very easy, so this is a topic for a separate article.
You can roll back apps on iOS to one of the previous versions Video: rollback iOS from any version to an older one
For most users, the option of officially returning to one of the latest versions of the device will be enough. The main thing is that this version is still supported by Apple. If you need to revert to an earlier version, you can use one of the unofficial methods. In any case, now, if you install an unsuccessful update, you know what to do.
Unfortunately, it turns out that iOS device users may require an older version of the application for various reasons. For example, an old device or a new version is unstable and does not meet user requirements. Unfortunately, installing an older version of the application on iOS is not so easy, but it is possible if you really need it.
Do you want to install an older version of the application? Follow these step-by-step instructions carefully:
Step 1: Download and install the Charles app. Launch it, click on tab Grant Priveleges if you are an OS X user and enter the administrator password.
Step 2: Download the application whose older version you want to install using iTunes on your computer and open the tab Structure in the Charles app. You should see the "buy" server.
Step 3: Right-click on “buy” and select Enable SSL Proxying.
Step 4: Stop downloading in iTunes.
Step 5: Find the app again by opening the description page. Start the download again and cancel it again.
Step 6: Open the "buy" server pop-up menu and select buyProduct.
Step 7: Click on Response, right click on buyProduct and select Export. Select Desktop as export location, select format XML and press Save.
Step 8: Open the XML file with a text editor and look for the following line:
Below this line you will see approximately the following information:
These are the versions of the application from older to newer. Copy the version number you want to install and close the text editor.
Step 9: Return to Charles and right click on buyProduct and select Edit.
Step 10: Select Text and find the following line:
Below this line you will see a number in the tag, replace it with the number you copied and click Execute.
Step 11: Scroll down to Response- and you will see bundleShortVersionString. Below it you will see the version of the application you selected.
Step 12: Right click on buyProduct in the list under the “buy” server and select Breakpoints.
Step 13: Find the app again in iTunes so that the program refreshes the page, and click on the download button again.
Step 14: Return to Charles and you will see a pop-up window. Click Edit Request, then XML Text and below the line
Step 15: You will need to click Execute again.
Step 16: Check iTunes. The download should start and complete.
Step 17: Open the My Apps tab in iTunes and you should see the app you downloaded. By right-clicking on it you can request additional information and make sure that you downloaded the old version.
Step 18: Connect your device to iTunes and install the app on your device.
Step 19: Close and remove Charles.
This is not an easy instruction, but in some cases you cannot do without it if you do not want to jailbreak your device, and you need the old version of the application like air.
Based on materials from iDownloadBlog
Recently, Apple has opened access to all versions of mobile programs for iOS. Charles Proxy is a useful tool for Mac and Windows that allows you to download older versions of games and applications from the App Store.
In what situations might this be useful? The need to roll back from the latest releases may be due to the appearance of software restrictions in updates (such as deleting the VKontakte music section) or various types of glitches.
Below are instructions on how to downgrade applications on iPhone and iPad:
Step 1: Download, install and run Charles from this link. On a Mac, click the Grant Privileges button and enter your administrator password.
Step 2: Launch iTunes and download the app you want to downgrade from the store.
Step 3: In the Charles window you will see several servers that iTunes connects to, you need to find the one that has the word “buy” in it. Right click on it and select Enable SSL Proxying.
Step 4: Go back to iTunes and stop downloading the app.
Step 5: Search for this app in iTunes search again and click the Download button.
Step 6: Go back to Charles and look for lines with the word "buy". In the program window you will see a second object labeled “buy”. That's what we need. Go back to iTunes and stop downloading.
Step 7: In the Charles application, expand the branch with the word “buy” to the end and find the buyProduct line. Right click, then Export and select your desktop as the location to save the file.
Step 8: You will have a new XML file on your desktop. Open it in any text editor and find the field:
softwareVersionExternalIdentifiers
Below you will see lines like:
1862841
1998707
2486624
2515121
2549327
2592648
2644032
2767414
These are the different versions of your application, starting from the oldest to the newest. Copy the desired version number to the clipboard (at random).
Step 9: Return to Charles, right click on buyProduct and select Edit.
Step 10: Click at the bottom of Text and find the following line at the top of the page:
At the top between the XXXX keys you will see the value. Replace it with the one you copied in step 8. After that, click Execute at the bottom.
Step 11: Scroll down on the Response tab to bundleShortVersionString . Below you will see the numerical value of the application version. If this is not the version you need, repeat the procedure starting from step 8, copying a different value to the clipboard.
Step 12: Right click on buyProduct again, but this time select Breakpoints.
Step 13: Switch to iTunes, find your application and refresh the page. Click the Download button.
Step 14: Return to Charles, select the object with the word “buy”, and on the right side of the window switch to Edit Request –> XML Text. Here, in the XXX field, paste the code copied in step 8 from the clipboard. Click the Execute button.
Step 15: When you see Breakpoint, click Execute again.
Step 16: Return to iTunes and the download should continue.
Step 17: Look at the My Programs tab, where the program will be downloaded. Find it in the list and right-click – Details. Pay attention to the version field: this must be the old build of the program.
Step 18: Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer and transfer the app icon to your device. Before syncing your gadget, make sure you remove the newer application from your device. After synchronization is complete, your gadget will have the old version of the program.
Step 19: Close and remove Charles.
Below you can watch video instructions for downgrading from iDB:
While the Internet is buzzing with news on the topic of bypassing Telegram blocking and related problems with hosting companies, I had a more serious problem - the Innologica company has updated the Inoreader application for iOS to version 6.
On a quiet weekday evening, the application on the phone was accidentally updated to the latest version, because... Usually there were no signs of trouble. A couple of days later during the trip, the program was launched to read the news and I began to worry seriously.
You can compare how it was and how it became in two examples:
Of course, the taste and color and the owners of the iPhone X were clearly happy with the optimization for amoled screens, but it was this update that prompted them to look for solutions to roll back the application, which the AppStore does not allow to do by default.
Previously, getting the ipa file of the application was a matter of 2 minutes, it was enough to go to apptrackr and download, but it stopped working and no other similar resources were found that would honestly download the ipa file (but what if you know such ones?).
The following methods remain to obtain the old version of the application:
- You have an old backup of applications from your phone in iTunes and then you can simply copy the application back (but I didn’t have this).
- Use a method quickly described by someone on the Internet using software called Charles. This method is described on resources like 4dpa and copied by many people without understanding what is written there, however, without additional >100 grams it is difficult to understand this writing.
All your torment will begin even before you download Charles. The fact is that if you update iTunes on a Mac, you will not be able to install applications starting from version 12.7. To get it back, you need to install version 12.6.4 back.
Short: download the application via the AppStore in iTunes, then enable the proxy, then download again, edit the request, send the request, get the old version, install.
Details: After launching Charles, you need to install application certificates on your Mac. This is done through the menu Help → SSL Proxying → Install Charles Root Cetrificate. The certificate then needs to be switched to Always Trust status in Keychain Access. If you do not install it, there will be errors and the method will not work.
In iTunes, look for the Inoreader application (this is suitable for any application, but at that moment I was only interested in it), launch Charles and click Download in the application installation window:
In the Charles window you see a similar line with the word “buy” in the address, associated with the apple server:
For information, please note that the size of the downloaded file is 20.4 MB:
Then you need to turn on SSL Proxying to intercept and edit requests:
Since, most likely, you have fast Internet and the application has already been downloaded to the application library, you need to remove it from there.
We check once again that SSL Proxying is enabled and proceed to re-download the application from the AppStore; in this case, you need to pause the download so that you have time for the next steps. After clicking on Download, another line will appear in the Charles window in the apple server, containing the word “buy”. Expanding this line you need to find buyProduct:
On the right side of the window, click on Contents and select below XML Text. Scroll down until we find softwareVersionExternalIdentifiers with a list of incomprehensible numbers.
These numbers act as application versions. Accordingly, the lower the number, the older the application version. How do I know which version of the application will be downloaded? For example, I randomly took the value 823964615 from the end of the list:
Now we need to check the application version. To do this, we go to “buyProduct” and select from the menu Compose and on the right side of the window is the Text view.
At the very top of the field there will be a familiar set of numbers after the parameter
Instead of these numbers we substitute the 823964615 copied above and it should turn out like this:
and we do Execute. The program will give you a window and select the display mode XML Text we can find the bundleShortVersionString parameter below and see that the value we selected corresponds to version 5.4.4, which in my case is what is needed, because This version is almost the latest before updating to 6.0
One step left. You need to download this whole thing. To do this, in our last edited request buyProduct with the received version 5.4.4, select in the menu Breakpoints.
Again, go to the AppStore to download the Inoreader application (if the application has already been downloaded to the library and you did not have time to stop it, then simply delete it so that you can download it again).
As soon as you click download in iTunes, the Charles window will pop up, where you will need to click on Edit Request and in the already familiar appExtVrsId parameter, correct the version to 823964615, click Execute, and then again at Execute.
As a result, you will start loading the application and you will see that the size of the application has changed downward:
A program icon with an Update shortcut will appear in the iTunes application library. This will mean that you did everything right. You can do Get Info application and it will be written:
Then we look at the application where it is located in the file system and save it for the future if you suddenly decide to update the application :)
Upon completion of the work, you should do in Charles Disable SSL Proxying by clicking on the server p30-buy.itunes.apple.com.
I must say that I managed to do this procedure 2 times.
I hope this will be as useful to someone as it was to me.