HT203434: Restoring from an iTunes or iCloud backup when a later version of iOS is required

Learn about Restoring from an iTunes or iCloud backup when a later version of iOS is required
Lswd
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: How do I restore my iphone 5 backup from computer/iTunes (which had latest ios 8) onto iphone 4 which caps out at ios 7.1.2?

I backed up my iPhone 5 to my computer a week ago. The phone requires repair and I was instructed to ensure the device had the latest ios 8 and itunes upgraded at the time of backup, which I did. I now need to restore this backup to an iphone 4 handset.

 

I have deleted all content from the old iphone 4. I have reset and selected "new phone" in an attempt to update to version 8 however am told 7.1.2. is the highest software the iphone 4 can support. How do I get around this?!

 

I no longer have the iphone 5 as it is in for repair so cannot repeal software on the handset to make a new backup.

 

How do I restore my iphone 5 backup using (ios8) from itunes onto my old iphone 4 handset using ios 7.1.2?

 

This is my first time submitting a question to the community as I could not find any advice beyond installing the phone as new and updating the software.

Any help on the topic would be appreciated.

 

Many thanks.

iPhone 4, iOS 7.1.2

Posted on Aug 20, 2015 9:48 PM

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Lswd

Q: How do I restore my iphone 5 backup from computer/iTunes (which had latest ios 8) onto iphone 4 which caps out at ios 7.1.2?

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  • by mende1,

    mende1 mende1 Aug 20, 2015 9:50 PM in response to Lswd
    Level 10 (93,314 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 20, 2015 9:50 PM in response to Lswd

    Unfortunately, your iPhone 4 does not support iOS 8 and your iPhone 5 backup was made with iOS 8. Because of this, you cannot restore the iPhone 5 backup onto your iPhone 4 because you were running a newer iOS version than the one you are using on your iPhone 4, so you're out of luck.

     

    (Note that you would have serious issues with your iPhone if Apple let you restore the backup; something similar happens with Macs when you try restoring a backup made with a newer OS X version, and the result is a lot of unusable applications).

  • by Niel,

    Niel Niel Aug 20, 2015 9:51 PM in response to Lswd
    Level 10 (311,966 points)
    Aug 20, 2015 9:51 PM in response to Lswd

    You can't. If desired, use iPhone Backup Extractor to reveal the contents of the backup file, and then manually load them onto the iPhone 4.

     

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