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User profile for user: nellis003
nellis003 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Can an iOS 16 backup be restored to an iPhone 6s?

This is an oddball one, but I thought I'd try...


I finally upgraded from my iPhone 6s to an SE a couple weeks ago, and updated the SE to iOS 16. I like the SE, but the home button started acting wonky and then I dropped it and cracked the screen. I'm thinking that, until I can get the SE sorted out, I'd like to go back to my 6s.


The problem is, when I try to restore the 6s from one of the SE backups, I'm told that the backup isn't compatible because it's an iOS that isn't supported on the 6s. And now the 6s backups are outdated - I'd lose a lot of texts I'd like to keep.


I then figured I'd revert the SE back to 15 so I could create a backup that would be compatible with the 6s, but the previous versions of the iOS are no longer signed by Apple and can no longer be installed.


So, is there any way to restore the info (text messages, mail, etc) to my 6s? Thanks for any guidance.

iPhone 6s

Posted on Sep 29, 2022 7:11 PM

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User profile for user: IdrisSeabright
IdrisSeabright
User level: Level 10
168,785 points

Posted on Sep 29, 2022 7:18 PM

No, you can't. You can use a backup made on an older version of iOS on a newer version but not the other way around.


If any of your information was synced to iCloud, you should be able to get that information on all of your devices that are logged in under the same Apple ID. If you have iCloud syncing for Messages enabled, you shouldn't have any problems. Can you still access the SE to check (or enable it if it's not)?


Set up iCloud for Messages on all your devices - Apple Support


ETA: If iCloud for Messages was already enabled, your messages will not even be a part of your backup.

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User profile for user: IdrisSeabright
IdrisSeabright
User level: Level 10
168,785 points

Sep 29, 2022 7:18 PM in response to nellis003

No, you can't. You can use a backup made on an older version of iOS on a newer version but not the other way around.


If any of your information was synced to iCloud, you should be able to get that information on all of your devices that are logged in under the same Apple ID. If you have iCloud syncing for Messages enabled, you shouldn't have any problems. Can you still access the SE to check (or enable it if it's not)?


Set up iCloud for Messages on all your devices - Apple Support


ETA: If iCloud for Messages was already enabled, your messages will not even be a part of your backup.

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Can an iOS 16 backup be restored to an iPhone 6s?

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