What should I do with an .ipsw file?

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whsiii Author

Level 1

18 points

What should I do with an .ipsw file?

iPhone7,2_8.1_12B411_Restore.ipsw showed up in my downloads folder about the time I downloaded Yosemite

I've done some checking but really don't feel safe about this item because:

1. I don't know why its name includes "iPhone 7". I have an iPhone 6. There is no 7, yet

2. Internet searches lead me to NON-Apple websites where I can download other .ipsw's.

3. Why should I trust those 3rd party websites with what appears to be fundamental iPhone software?

4. I've found some instructions for applying the .ipsw using iTunes.

5. Why would 3rd parties be giving this info? Shouldn't it prominently come from Apple?

6. Why would a new iPhone 6 require this kind of update?

7. I found references to Apple Configurator and downloaded it. It appears to be for corporations who massively deploy iOS devices

8. I found iPhone Configuration Utility in my Applications/Utilities folder. It has some interesting information, but doesn't seem

to have to do with ipsw's.

9. Since I installed Yosemite, I have seen SO MANY WEIRD behaviors by the Mac OS and the App Store, that I'm losing my trust

Anybody got the information I need?

iPhone 6, iOS 8.1

Posted on Oct 31, 2014 2:55 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

sberman

Level 10

264,003 points

Oct 31, 2014 3:12 PM in response to whsiii

You've been doing some extraneous looking and downloading that you should not have done. For example, per (7) above, you downloaded Apple Configurator when that has nothing to do with your setup. So such extraneous downloads probably account for the .ipsw file in your downloads folder.

When obtaining a .ipsw file using standard methods, the file would not be in your downloads folder. So it's one of these extracurricular activities you embarked on that caused this behavior.

If you need to restore your iPhone 6, use iTunes and restore using the "Restore ..." button. You should never ever mess with .ipsw files directly.

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