How to Check IPSW Signing Status
Whether or not an IPSW firmware file is signed determines whether or not you can use that IPSW to update iOS or whether or not you can downgrade iOS to a prior version. Put simply, if an IPSW firmware file is not being signed by Apple through their servers, it can not be used to place onto an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
This leads to a fairly obvious question; how do you know if a particular IPSW iOS version is being signed by Apple or not?
By far the easiest way to check if an IPSW file is being signed is to check with a website like iNeal TSS (and yes you can do it yourself through Terminal but it’s a cumbersome process beyond what most users are interested in engaging with when just looking at a website gives you the same answer).
How to Check IPSW Firmware Signing Status
Here’s what you’ll want to do:
- First you’ll want to identify the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple TV, get the identifier product ID for the device so that you can check it against the list
- Head to the iNeal API TSS site or ipsw.me (these are both unofficial sites) and locate the device you are looking to check IPSW signing status for*
- Now find the build number or iOS version release that coincides with what you wish to check, if the “signing” column says “YES” and is in green you can still use the IPSW, if it says “NO” it is no longer being signed and is unusable
- If the IPSW is being signed, find a download link for the firmware in question so that you can use it, we typically post IPSW download links and link them here as they become available for each new iOS release
Pretty straight forward, right?
It’s important to remember that using IPSW files is considered advanced, and the vast majority of iPhone and iPad users are better off updating their devices from iTunes or with the Software Update option in Settings app.
Attempting to use the wrong IPSW for a mismatched device will not work, and obviously neither will using an IPSW file that is no longer signed by Apple.
Thus, if you ever decide to go this route, check to make sure the IPSW is being signed, and check to make sure you are getting the proper firmware file for the device you intend to use.
* Third party sites that check IPSW signing status may change over time. Apple does not currently provide official firmware signing information, thus why third party sites are used for this purpose instead.
Things have changed a bit since this article was written. Nowadays iNeal’s website is completely dead. The only current solution seems to be iDevice Central’s Signing Status which is real-time: https://idevicecentral.com/ios-signing-status/
iDevice Signing Status comes with a lot’s of ads, like 15+.
This is a better Real-Time Signing Status Tool for iPhone and iPad: https://onejailbreak.com/ios-signing-status/
MacOS has “About This Mac” to get detailed info about the iMac etc… What does iPad have to do that?
Reason I ask is that I would like to download the correct IPSW files all at once, then use them to update all the various iPads that my family has from the correct files. I have and still use various “Flavors/Generations” of the different devices -iPad Mini, a version of iPad 1, several iPad 3’s, 3 or 4 iPad Pro’s.
I have used a Program called iMazing that allows this to be done but when downloading from apple servers it takes a really long time. If I had the correct IPSW files in a directory I could do all of them relatively quickly. Thanks for your help – Doug
The iPad can check what iOS version is installed in Settings > General > About
https://osxdaily.com/2019/02/18/find-what-ios-version-iphone-ipad/
You can find list of all available iOS versions with IPSW files here:
https://osxdaily.com/tag/ipsw/
Hope that helps!
I don’t see 5.3 for the ATV2 listed here, does anyone have any info on this one? Have 2 JB units that I did last year but SeasonPass on a 3rd one that I got last week isn’t working.
11 just hurts my eyes and gives me a headache with all the zooming and flying in and out. Looks like they tried to make it look like water. Disgusting!
I looked at the page you gave a link to. It says “YES” for iOS 10.3.3 for iphone5, (no specific for 5s like mine), in green! This means Apple still signs for this iOS, right?
Does that mean we can still downgrade to it from the much hated iOS 11?
Also, I don’t have a backed up version from before the up grade. If all else fails, can I downgrade to 10.3 still? I don’t mind losing anything on the phone. I can start anew. I just want that operating system.
Thank you.
can you use any ipsw to downgrade your device that is signing ios 9
could you use any ipsw that is signing ios 9 to downgrade any of your devicce ?
can you still downgrade if you still have a signed ipsw file you downloaded before?
Lorenzo
The ipsw files themselves are not signed. The signing status is centralized at Apple and once Apple cut the signing then there is no return.
Previously in the older days with jailbreaking and a software called tinyumbrella and some other tools one could bake the signing inside an ipsw file and with the help with special “blobs” files one could revert to an older iOS version even when Apple has stopped the signing
if you already have an downloaded ipsw file that was already signed by apple and later on you check the website and they unsigned it, can you still downgrade whether still you downloaded a signed ipsw file before?
No, if the IPSW is not actively being signed by Apple you can not use it to downgrade.
There is no exception to this, though rarely Apple will start signing an old IPSW sometimes for an unknown reason. Without digital signing, it is not usable.
what happens if you already downloaded a signed ipsw file and you look back on the website and they unsigned it , will this affect the downgrading process on my device ?
Yes, you can download any IPSW even unsigned versions. However, only signed versions can be used.
so now can I downgrade to 9.3.3 cuz my phone “signing” column says “YES”
Satya, if you read the instructions you will see how to check if the IPSW version is signed, allowing downgrades and restores to that version. Check the firmware signing.
Apple should sign the previous iOS version for a year, not a few days like they do…
I agree. Personally I think Apple should sign all stable iOS releases indefinitely, but not support them. Yes that means some new apps might not work, but that is the users decision to manage. This way if you have to restore an old device to an old version, you can do so without being forced to update to a newer version which may not work well for the intended environment. The reality is sometimes old software is better on old hardware, that has been the case for years with every electronic device that has ever ran an operating system. Look at the earlier iPad models running Forstall’s OS version, the performance is clearly superior compared to the same hardware struggling to run an Ive OS.
At least to mitigate any potential security concerns Apple may have, they really should sign all firmware versions for any device that no longer receives updates (e.g. iPhone 4S and earlier).
What if it isn’t being signed? Is there some way you can set the clock to an earlier date or anything?
No, there is no way to downgrade if the IPSW of that iOS software is no longer being signed by Apple. This is why you can usually only downgrade a device for a limited time when a new release comes out, after which it is not possible.