- Local time
- 2:43 PM
- Posts
- 8,693
- OS
- Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.
So I decided to test the IOS26 Beta and updated from IOS18.6 having checked I could downgrade again.
I decided to return to IOS 18.6, downloading the IOS 18.6 update file on pc. I had backed up the iphone using devices app.
I used devices app, pressed shift+restore and selected the IOS 18.6 file.
At first all seemed to go smoothly, but to my horror, the update failed and phone just stayed there with a (pretty useless) failure message.
I managed to get to recovery mode but it failed again
I then downladed IOS 18.5 update, got to recovery mode again (after several attempts), and that failed as well.
I was slightly panicking as I though I had bricked the phone.
Did some googling and it turns out there is a deeper recovery method (DFU - Device Firmware Update) which not only recovers software but also updates the firmware.
I decided to risk it despite warnings phone could be bricked, and then the next hurdle arose.
Getting into DFU mode (How to Put iPhone 14/15/16 in DFU Mode and Restore It? Real Fix!) is trickier than it looks. After several goes, I finally got into DFU mode and did a restore to factory conditions. After 20 mins of "nail biting", it finally got there and installed IOS 18.5 and phone worked again (Phew!!). I then updated to IOS 18.6 (not without some hassle) as by backups were made on IOS 18.6).
Now came the final horror (more of an annoyance) - as the pc was reset to factory conditions, when I went to restore my backup, the restore option was greyed out DESPITE the backup folders being in place. After a bit of googling, it seems this is a common issue and there does not seem to be any way of reinstating "orphaned" backups.
I then decided to simply restore my apps manually (taken about 3 hours to do all the main ones).
In this respect, Android Smartswitch is far superior - you can reset pc to factory conditions and select any backup with no problems!
As an aside, IOS26 Beta seemed to be heavier on the battery use - I hope it gets sorted for actual release!
I decided to return to IOS 18.6, downloading the IOS 18.6 update file on pc. I had backed up the iphone using devices app.
I used devices app, pressed shift+restore and selected the IOS 18.6 file.
At first all seemed to go smoothly, but to my horror, the update failed and phone just stayed there with a (pretty useless) failure message.
I managed to get to recovery mode but it failed again
I then downladed IOS 18.5 update, got to recovery mode again (after several attempts), and that failed as well.
I was slightly panicking as I though I had bricked the phone.
Did some googling and it turns out there is a deeper recovery method (DFU - Device Firmware Update) which not only recovers software but also updates the firmware.
I decided to risk it despite warnings phone could be bricked, and then the next hurdle arose.
Getting into DFU mode (How to Put iPhone 14/15/16 in DFU Mode and Restore It? Real Fix!) is trickier than it looks. After several goes, I finally got into DFU mode and did a restore to factory conditions. After 20 mins of "nail biting", it finally got there and installed IOS 18.5 and phone worked again (Phew!!). I then updated to IOS 18.6 (not without some hassle) as by backups were made on IOS 18.6).
Now came the final horror (more of an annoyance) - as the pc was reset to factory conditions, when I went to restore my backup, the restore option was greyed out DESPITE the backup folders being in place. After a bit of googling, it seems this is a common issue and there does not seem to be any way of reinstating "orphaned" backups.
I then decided to simply restore my apps manually (taken about 3 hours to do all the main ones).
In this respect, Android Smartswitch is far superior - you can reset pc to factory conditions and select any backup with no problems!
As an aside, IOS26 Beta seemed to be heavier on the battery use - I hope it gets sorted for actual release!
My Computer
At a glance
Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ16 GB solderedIntegrated Intel Iris XE
- OS
- Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.
- Computer type
- Laptop
- Manufacturer/Model
- ASUS Zenbook 14
- CPU
- I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ
- Motherboard
- Yep, Laptop has one.
- Memory
- 16 GB soldered
- Graphics Card(s)
- Integrated Intel Iris XE
- Sound Card
- Realtek built in
- Monitor(s) Displays
- laptop OLED screen
- Screen Resolution
- 2880x1800 touchscreen
- Hard Drives
- 1 TB NVME SSD (only weakness is only one slot)
- PSU
- Internal + 65W thunderbolt USB4 charger
- Case
- Yep, got one
- Cooling
- Stella Artois (UK pint cans - 568 ml) - extra cost.
- Keyboard
- Built in UK keybd
- Mouse
- Bluetooth , wireless dongled, wired
- Internet Speed
- 900 mbs (ethernet), wifi 6 typical 350-450 mb/s both up and down
- Browser
- Edge
- Antivirus
- Defender
- Other Info
- TPM 2.0, 2xUSB4 thunderbolt, 1xUsb3 (usb a), 1xUsb-c, hdmi out, 3.5 mm audio out/in combo, ASUS backlit trackpad (inc. switchable number pad)
Macrium Reflect Home V8
Office 365 Family (6 users each 1TB onedrive space)
Hyper-V (a vm runs almost as fast as my older laptop)
