Can I restore an iOS backup onto an iPhone running an older version of iOS?

Question

Level 1

4 points

Can I restore an iOS backup onto an iPhone running an older version of iOS?

Hello everyone,

I've encountered an issue with my iPhone 14 Pro Max (frequent lags while scrolling) and have decided to return it, as I purchased it just a week ago. In the meantime, since I'm considering getting the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max I'd like to use my old iPhone 7, which I still have. However, I've realized that the iPhone 7 is running iOS 15, while my 14PM backup was made on iOS 16. I'm aware that there might be issues if I try to restore the backup onto a device with an older iOS version. Does anyone know how I can transfer my data to my iPhone 7 without causing any problems?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

iPhone 14 Pro Max

Posted on Sep 9, 2023 3:32 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

Axel Foley

Level 10

148,332 points

Sep 9, 2023 3:43 PM in response to Loru2

You are not going to be able to restore a backup created with iOS 16 on an iPhone that has iOS 15. As you already know, you cannot update your iPhone 7 to iOS 16. If you do not have a backup created with iOS 15 or a lower version, then you will not be able to restore it.

Axel F.

Reply

Can I restore an iOS backup onto an iPhone running an older version of iOS?

Similar questions