Is it possible to roll back from iOS 14.5 to an earlier version so I can export my data from an app which is not supported by 14.5 and which the developed no longer supports?

I have exactly this problem. I've tried to restore the phone from an iCloud backup only a few days old, which works OK, except that it it keeps updating the iOS to 14.5 as part of the process.

Distinctly unhelpful behaviour, especially as it was done with no warning.

Well, it’s the way it has worked for 13 years, and it isn’t likely to change now. As Apple does not issue security patches, the only way to keep your phone secure is to install the latest version of iOS. And 14.5.1 fixes a very serious vulnerability.

Yes, I appreciate the need for updates, but equally I hadn't anticipated that it would be impossible to step back (as is relatively simple in OSX, for example). But there we are - thanks for contributing, anyway.

Regards

Bizarrely, my unsupported app, which produced the error message 'this app needs to be updated to work with iOS 14.5' has now started working under the same OS! (And without any change to the app.)

All I did was to erase the iPhone, then restore it from an iCloud backup from just before the upgrade to 14.5. During the restore process, the phone kept upgrading the OS to 14.5 and I couldn't find a way to stop it, despite trying the process three times.

I then gave up, erased the phone again in case I had introduced problems by tampering, then restored from a backup made after the OS upgrade. When this had completed fully, I tried the app again and it opened properly.

My problem is solved (I don't know how or why) and I report the story in case it's any help to anyone else. Good luck.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I, too, have an app with the same message. I have a lot of information stored on my iPad, so am reluctant to erase it all but the information in the app is irreplaceable.

When I restarted the phone, there was an option to "restore from backup". When i selected this, there were three backups shown: two for before and one after the day I did the upgrade. I just selected one from before the upgrade. I was surprised there were only three, though - I expected more.

STCav wrote:

When I restarted the phone, there was an option to "restore from backup". When i selected this, there were three backups shown: two for before and one after the day I did the upgrade. I just selected one from before the upgrade. I was surprised there were only three, though - I expected more.

A backup does not contain iOS, only data. And for a given version there is only one backup that is updated incrementally each time you back up (unless you archive a backup). Each time you update the next backup will be a complete backup, and the one made with the previous version will be kept.

If you have a Mac that you back up to you can go to Manage Backups, Devices pane, right click on a backup and archive it.

With iOS version, you can only go up if your iPhone is compatible.

Downgrade is not supported.

So is our information gone forever? Would have been nice to know this before update

Thanks for the update!

Question...how were you able to select a back-up from before the iOS 14.5 upgrade?

That's really helpful, thank you.