Apple on Tuesday stopped signing iOS 26.2, preventing iPhone users who have updated to iOS 26.2.1 from downgrading to the previous version. Apple released iOS 26.2.1 last week, adding support for the second-generation AirTags (AirTags 2).
Software “signing” means that it has passed the server-side verification check that Apple performs when a user downloads a new version of iOS on an iPhone. An update can’t be installed unless it passes the verification check.
Apple does not show users earlier versions of iOS once an upgrade has come out, but when software is still signed, it is possible to downgrade using the macOS Finder on a Mac or the Apple Devices app on a Windows PC. Until today, users would have been able to downgrade from iOS 26.2.1 to iOS 26.2 if desired for some reason.
Unsigning software prevents Apple customers from installing outdated, less secure versions of iOS, and Apple typically stops signing an update a week or so after new software comes out.
MacDailyNews Take: Nobody wanted plain old iOS 26.2 anyway. 😉
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