Remove iOS 10 beta and return to iOS 9

If you regret installing the iOS 10 public beta, David Price reveals how to go back to iOS 9

If you’ve taken the plunge and installed the iOS 10 public beta, and then regretted it, you’re probably wondering how to delete iOS 10 and go back to the comforting embrace of iOS 9. This is easy, if a little long-winded. We explain how.

Downgrade from iOS 10

Let’s deal with the early birds first – the ones who have installed iOS early, be it via the public beta or developer preview. You’re the lucky

ones when it comes to downgrading, because iOS 9.3.2 is still the newest and current officially supported operating system and will therefore be the software your iPhone or iPad will be restored to if you select the iTunes option to Restore and Update. But we’ll get into that in a moment.

The only issue is that you’ll have to restore from a pre-iOS 10 backup, so any data or preferences you’ve saved since then will be lost – and if you haven’t got an archived backup from your iOS 9 days, you won’t be able to restore your data at all. In that case all your data will be lost and you’ll have to go back to a factory-default ‘new iPhone’ or ‘new iPad’ setup. Something to consider.

Removing the iOS 10 public beta is simple:

Enter Recovery mode by turning off your iPhone or iPad, then holding its Home button.

When it says ‘Connect to iTunes’, do exactly that – plug it into your Mac or PC and open up iTunes.

iTunes will tell you that it’s detected an iPhone or iPad in Recovery Mode, and that this needs to be restored - click OK to agree to this, and then Restore iPhone or Restore iPad (as appropriate). Finally, choose the option to Restore and Update. iTunes will download the latest version of iOS 9 and install it on your Apple device.

Once iTunes has reinstalled a fresh version of iOS 9, you have a choice of either restoring from an old backup (remember, your iOS 10 back up won’t work) or setting it up as a brand new iPhone. Simply select your preferred option, follow the on-screen prompts and viola! You’re back on good old iOS 9.