Beta regrets? Here’s how to downgrade from iOS 14 to iOS 13

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Have you been testing out the new iPhone and iPad betas but you’re ready to head back the stable public iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 releases on a device? Read along for two different ways to downgrade from the iPadOS and iOS 14 beta to iOS 13.

Whether you took the risk to install the iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 beta on your primary iPhone or iPad or you’re just not ready to test out the in-progress software on a particular device, it’s relatively easy to downgrade back to iOS and iPadOS 13.

Below we’ll look at two ways to do this, the first option will put you back on the next available public release, likely iOS 13.6. The second option will immediately downgrade you from the iOS 14 beta to iOS 13.

How to downgrade from iOS 14 to iOS 13

Keep in mind that if you have already installed the watchOS 7 beta on a device connected to an iPhone running iOS 14, you won’t be able to use your wearable after downgrading.

Downgrade from iOS 14 to iOS 13 from iPhone and iPad settings

Head to Settings on your iPhone or iPad
Choose General, swipe down and choose Profile
Tap iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 Beta Software Profile
Tap Remove Profile, enter your passcode if required, choose Remove Profile again
Restart your device and keep an eye out for the next available public iOS release in Settings > General > Software Update

Keep in mind that you’ll remain on the beta until the next public iOS release hits. That should be iOS 13.6 which will hopefully arrive before long.

Here’s how the process looks:

Downgrade from iOS 14 to iOS 13 with a Mac

If you want to immediately downgrade from the iOS 14 developer beta, you’ll need to restore your iPhone or iPad. With this option, you typically won’t be able to restore from a backup done on iOS 14 when going back to iOS 13. But naturally, you can restore from a previous iOS 13 backup.

Step 1: Make sure you’re running the latest version of macOS ( > About This Mac > Software Update).

Step 2: Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac or PC with a Lightning or USB-C cable.

Step 3: Use the right method from the list below for your device to enter Recovery Mode (you’ll see a computer logo and Lightning cable when successful).

For iPad Pro with Face ID: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Press and hold the Top button until your device begins to restart. Continue holding the Top button until your device goes into Recovery Mode.
For iPhone 8 or later: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Then, press and hold the Side button until you see the recovery-mode screen.
For iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, or iPod touch (7th generation): Press and hold the Sleep/Wake and Volume Down buttons at the same time. Don’t release the buttons when you see the Apple logo. Continue to hold both buttons until you see the recovery mode screen.
For iPhone 6s and earlier, iPad with home button, or iPod touch (6th generation or earlier): Press and hold the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons at the same time. Don’t release the buttons when you see the Apple logo. Continue to hold both buttons until you see the recovery mode screen.

Step 4: When the Restore/Update option shows up on your Mac or PC, choose Restore (this will wipe your device and install the latest non-beta version of iOS).

Step 5: After the software restore has completed, you can restore a backup from iOS 13 with your Mac or iCloud (or set up your iPhone or iPad as a new device).

Read more about downgrading from the iOS 14 beta in Apple’s support document here.