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Roll back the application. How to roll back an Android update? Saving important data

Due to constant bugs in new versions of iOS, even those users who have an iPhone as a “dialer” have begun to become interested in the process of rolling back (downgrading) the firmware. For open assemblies it is easy, but for closed ones it is impossible. But this applies exclusively to the mobile OS; with applications, things are much better. Without jailbreak, encyclopedic knowledge and a lot of time, you can easily downgrade an App Store item to the desired version. You just need to download the correct assistant program and follow the instructions below.

The most popular reasons for a rollback are increasing the required OS version (as an option, switching from iOS 6 to iOS 7) and deliberately cutting out certain functions for developers. It was precisely the second point that forced us to write this material. The editors of AppStudio speak warmly about the affordable and, at the same time, functional fitness bracelets Xiaomi Mi Band 1s, the proprietary application of which, from the second version, lost the smart alarm clock that gets you out of bed in the fast phase of sleep - a serious loss, because some people only bought the gadget for a comfortable awakening! In such a situation, you can either wait for the upcoming update or do a downgrade, which is what we will do.

First of all, download the application Charles. This is an excellent HTTP monitor and proxy that allows you to monitor any requests between the client and server, as well as make your own adjustments to them. The program is paid, but there is a trial period of use, albeit with periodic pop-up waiting windows and termination of work every half hour, so be careful.

Launch iTunes and set the desired application to download. We decided to take Moves (2.7.10) as an example.

We return to Charles and look at the left window - a line should appear there that contains the word “buy”. Right-click on it and click on “Enable SSL Proxying”. Visually nothing will happen, we will simply activate SSL request redirection.

Go to iTunes again and kill the download: click on the arrow icon in the upper right corner, click on the downloadable application, and then hold down the FN key and press Backspace 2 times until the object disappears. At the same time, it doesn’t interfere with emptying the trash.

Now we type Moves into the search again (or click on the large application icon) and start downloading again.

We go into Charles again and see that a second line has appeared with the inscription “buy”. Therefore, we kill the download to iTunes in the same way.

In Charles, in the list on the left, expand the second line where it says “buy”, including the WebObjects folder. There we will find the file buyProduct. Right-click on it, select Export from the context menu and specify the save location (the easiest way is to put the Desktop). It is better to choose the format XML Summary File, whatever name you like.

Open the saved file with any text editor (we use Coda 2), scroll down and look for lines similar to these:

6940998
10969069
11758907
12262840
12679839

Let's return to Charles. Click on buyProduct and select Edit.

Click on the Text button in the right field. The fourth line contains tags :

appExtVrsId

And under them are tags and the key value of the current version of the application.

816441851

Replace the number between these tags those that were copied in the step above when counting the correct version. Click Execute at the bottom.

To ensure that the downloaded version is correct, click on the Response tab and scroll through the text to the tags labeled bundleShortVersionString, under which the current version will be located. As you can see, the marking “0.9” indicates the success of the experiment. But that is not all.

Right-click on buyProduct and select Breakpoints.

We go to iTunes, type the application into the search and download it. Almost immediately the download will pause, and a window like this will appear on the screen.

Click on Edit Request, selecting XML Text just below.

In the fifth line, between tags , you need to paste the version that you have already copied and to which you want to roll back. Now we put pressure on Execute.

Another window will appear - click again Execute.

The download to iTunes should continue. As a result, an old version of the application will appear in the media library. To check it, go to My Programs, find the desired object there, right-click on it and select Details. The current numbers will be displayed there, which should please you;)

Be sure to remove the latest version from your iPhone/iPad before syncing, and it would also be a good idea to disable automatic program updates in iOS settings. Without unnecessary need, you can part with Charles. That's probably all. Good luck with your downgrades;)

Google and software developers for Android smartphones or tablets are constantly developing updates, trying to make them better and fix bugs.

Moreover, if you do not disable them, they will be installed automatically, although the system usually asks if you want to update.

Only sometimes the process may not go according to plan and problems will arise. What to do then? Those who have already dealt with the computer will, of course, try to rollback.

But Android is not Windows and it does not provide such a function as in a computer.

For example, your Asus or Samsung phone had Android 4.4 when you bought it, and over time the system was updated to Android 5.1, but you were not satisfied with this firmware.

Before this you had Android 5.0, 4.4.2. Is it possible to automatically rollback to 5.0 or 4.4.2 No, you can’t, only to 4.4, just like you can’t roll back an Android system for a week or a month, like on a computer or laptop.

This is just an example to show you that you can only rollback to the version that was installed at the factory.

Still, there are some nuances. Let's look at them - if you're not in a hurry, read about them below.

How to roll back the system on Android to the previous version

So, after updating the firmware, you are not happy with the operation of your smartphone or tablet, which means we will roll back to the previous version, or rather to the factory firmware.

NOTE: if you need the previous firmware, then you can only install it, so to speak, reflash it yourself, after downloading it first.

IMPORTANT: if you roll back the system update to the factory firmware, you will lose all data, including contacts, photo programs, and so on, except for those stored on the memory card.

Therefore, think carefully, perhaps it is better to correct something in the currently installed version of Android and continue to use it.

If you still decide to do a rollback, turn off your smartphone or tablet and use the following key combination:

Most often you need to press and hold two buttons: power and volume down.
on Samsung, press and hold power and volume up;
on Sony switch on, volume down and camera;
On LG, press and hold the power button, volume down and home screen. When the logo appears, release the power button and hold the rest until recovery appears;
on Huawei, press and hold the power button, volume down and volume up;
on HTC - press and hold the volume down button, then briefly press the power button. When the recovery menu appears, release the Volume Down button. Find “Clear Storage”, select it by clicking on the power button and confirm the action with the volume down button.

When you perform the steps described above, you will be taken to “Android system recovery”. There you will see several options.

highlight – will move you through the menu;
select – selecting a specific menu item;
“wipe data / factory reset” - rollback the phone to the factory one (after clicking, you need to confirm).

After selecting “wipe data / factory reset” in the new menu, go down to the action confirmation sub-item and select it.

Now wait for the reboot, after which you will get the Android firmware that was installed at the factory. For those who understand little of what is written above - .

How to rollback settings on Android

To roll back Android settings in all versions of smartphones or tablets, the first thing you need to do is open the settings.

Further actions depend slightly on the Android version. I will show you pictures from a Samsung Galaxy smartphone with Android 6.0.1.

First, select “Settings” and click on the “backup and reset” option.

Now we just click on the stock: “Reset settings” and wait for the result. If you need to confirm, we will confirm.

How to roll back app updates on Android

Android has an automatic application update function. This is how Google takes care of the users of its OS.

Only sometimes it happens the other way around - instead of benefit, there is trouble. Then it is not at all necessary to delete them - you can simply roll back the updated applications to the previous version.

To do this you will need a program – “AppWereRabbit”. You can download it on the play market. After installation, the program will make backups of applications until the update, after which you can rollback at any time.

After launching, click on any application and you will be shown a list of actions. Then you can restore the old version.

In addition to rolling back applications, the program can clear the cache, search for installation files and several other useful things.

There are also disadvantages - the lack of Russian language and the program does not work with versions below Android 4.0. Good luck.

After updating to a new version of iOS, you may notice that you do not like the firmware. In this case, there is an excellent solution - roll back the software to the optimal version, in your opinion. That is, if you updated to, for example, IOS 10, then you can easily install IOS 8 on your device using the instructions below.

When is it necessary to rollback iOS?

The reasons for installing an older version of the operating system may be the following circumstances:

With new firmware versions, the design changes, and not all users may like the new design.
The most common reason is the appearance of freezes and glitches. Such problems happen for two reasons: either a new version of the firmware has become available to users in a too crude form, with errors in the code and shortcomings, or the device that was updated has become outdated for the loads created by the new version of IOS.

Please note that it is not possible to roll back any device to any version; you can view detailed information about which device to which firmware version can be rolled back to on the following website - http://appstudio.org/shsh. All data is located in table format.

How to roll back iOS to a specific version on an Apple device

Before you begin the process, you need to prepare the following things:

iTunes installed on your computer and updated to the latest version.
The version of the software you selected, in IPSW format, is downloaded to an easily accessible folder. You can download it from trusted websites that distribute IOS firmware for free, for example, using the following link - http://appstudio.org/ios. Download the firmware strictly for your device model, otherwise problems will arise during installation.
A USB adapter that will connect your device to your computer.

If you have met all the above conditions, then the next step is to prepare the device itself for the rollback process.

Saving important data

Please note that when you roll back your device, all data, applications and media files from it are permanently erased, so it’s worth taking care of them. There is an option that allows you to delete files from the device, it will be discussed later in the article, but it is no less stable. You can save everything you need using a backup copy created as follows:

Disable password

Another important point is to disable the password and Touch ID, if it is supported and enabled on your device.

Deactivating Find My iPhone

Before any actions with the device’s firmware, you must disable the “Find iPhone” function, since, otherwise, iTunes simply will not allow you to perform any actions:

Firmware rollback

If all previous preparatory work has been carried out, then you can begin the rollback itself. It doesn't matter which device you're downgrading from, or from which version of iOS you're downgrading to.

Connect the device to the computer using a USB adapter.
Log in to the system.
Go to your device's settings by clicking on the icon that looks like a phone or tablet.
Hold down the Shift button on your keyboard if you're using Windows, or the Option button if you're using Mac OS. Without releasing the key, click on the “Restore” button.
A window with folders will open; you need to specify the path to the firmware that you downloaded earlier.
Wait while iTunes extracts the software from the firmware and installs it. The process can last from five minutes to half an hour, do not disconnect the device from the computer or interrupt the process with any actions, otherwise the device may enter endless recovery mode.

Rollback without data loss

This rollback option also exists; it allows you to rollback without losing the data on the device. To do this, in point 4 of the “Rolling Back Firmware” section, you need to click on the “Restore” button and the “Update” button. All other steps are completely the same. The only thing worth considering is that performing a full recovery, that is, resetting the system and installing it from scratch, is safer, since the chance that any elements will remain from the previous version is much lower.

Video tutorial: How to downgrade iOS version

Third party rollback programs

If for some reason the iTunes method does not suit you, then you can use the third-party program RedSnow. It is distributed free of charge for both Windows and Mac OS on the official website of the developer - http://redsnow.ru.

After downloading and opening the program, select the Extras section.
Click on the Even More button.
In the menu that opens, go to the Restore block.
Click the IPSW button to specify the path to the previously downloaded firmware.
The notification that appears will ask you whether to cancel the modem upgrade or not. Click on the “Yes” option.
A window will open in which you will be warned that the device will now need to be put into recovery mode, close it.
Connect the device to the computer using a USB adapter and enter it into DFU Mode. How to do this is described step by step in the program itself.
If you have not performed such rollback operations with this program before, click on the Remote button so that it will automatically find the necessary hashes on its servers.
Done, now all you have to do is wait for the process to finish. The device will automatically update to the version you downloaded and turn on, after which you will have to go through the initial setup process.

Is it possible to roll back individual applications?

If the purpose of your system rollback is to install older versions of applications, then you should not do it, since there is a better option - use the special App Admin program. You can download it directly from the App Store for free. Thanks to this application, you can view all available versions of applications installed on your phone and roll back to them. To use the program, just select the applications to roll back and enter the unique version number to which you want to roll back the selected application.

So, installing an older version of software is possible on all Apple devices, but you can not roll back to any version, but only to those that have the SHSH signature. The process can be performed either through the official iTunes application or through third-party programs. The main thing is to download the correct firmware version and not interrupt the update process until it is fully completed.

Recently, Apple has opened access to all versions of mobile programs for iOS. Charles Proxy is a useful tool for Mac and Windows that allows you to download older versions of games and applications from the App Store.

In what situations might this be useful? The need to roll back from the latest releases may be due to the appearance of software restrictions in updates (such as deleting the VKontakte music section) or various types of glitches.

Below are instructions on how to downgrade applications on iPhone and iPad:

Step 1: Download, install and run Charles from this link. On a Mac, click the Grant Privileges button and enter your administrator password.

Step 2: Launch iTunes and download the app you want to downgrade from the store.

Step 3: In the Charles window you will see several servers that iTunes connects to, you need to find the one that has the word “buy” in it. Right click on it and select Enable SSL Proxying.

Step 4: Go back to iTunes and stop downloading the app.

Step 5: Search for this app in iTunes search again and click the Download button.

Step 6: Go back to Charles and look for lines with the word "buy". In the program window you will see a second object labeled “buy”. That's what we need. Go back to iTunes and stop downloading.

Step 7: In the Charles application, expand the branch with the word “buy” to the end and find the buyProduct line. Right click, then Export and select your desktop as the location to save the file.

Step 8: You will have a new XML file on your desktop. Open it in any text editor and find the field:

softwareVersionExternalIdentifiers

Below you will see lines like:

1862841
1998707
2486624
2515121
2549327
2592648
2644032
2767414

These are the different versions of your application, starting from the oldest to the newest. Copy the desired version number to the clipboard (at random).

Step 9: Return to Charles, right click on buyProduct and select Edit.

Step 10: Click at the bottom of Text and find the following line at the top of the page:

At the top between the XXXX keys you will see the value. Replace it with the one you copied in step 8. After that, click Execute at the bottom.

Step 11: Scroll down on the Response tab to bundleShortVersionString . Below you will see the numerical value of the application version. If this is not the version you need, repeat the procedure starting from step 8, copying a different value to the clipboard.

Step 12: Right click on buyProduct again, but this time select Breakpoints.

Step 13: Switch to iTunes, find your application and refresh the page. Click the Download button.

Step 14: Return to Charles, select the object with the word “buy”, and on the right side of the window switch to Edit Request –> XML Text. Here, in the XXX field, paste the code copied in step 8 from the clipboard. Click the Execute button.

Step 15: When you see Breakpoint, click Execute again.

Step 16: Return to iTunes and the download should continue.

Step 17: Look at the My Programs tab, where the program will be downloaded. Find it in the list and right-click – Details. Pay attention to the version field: this must be the old build of the program.

Step 18: Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer and transfer the application icon to your device. Before syncing your gadget, make sure you remove the newer application from your device. After synchronization is complete, your gadget will have the old version of the program.

Step 19: Close and remove Charles.

Below you can watch video instructions for downgrading from iDB:

While the Internet is buzzing with news on the topic of bypassing Telegram blocking and related problems with hosting companies, I had a more serious problem - the Innologica company has updated the Inoreader application for iOS to version 6.

On a quiet weekday evening, the application on the phone was accidentally updated to the latest version, because... Usually there were no signs of trouble. A couple of days later during the trip, the program was launched to read the news and I began to worry seriously.

You can compare how it was and how it became in two examples:

Of course, the taste and color and the owners of the iPhone X were clearly happy with the optimization for amoled screens, but it was this update that prompted them to look for solutions to roll back the application, which the AppStore does not allow to do by default.

Previously, getting the ipa file of the application was a matter of 2 minutes, it was enough to go to apptrackr and download, but it stopped working and no other similar resources were found that would honestly download the ipa file (but what if you know such ones?).

The following methods remain to obtain the old version of the application:

You have an old backup of applications from your phone in iTunes and then you can simply copy the application back (but I didn’t have this).
Use a method quickly described by someone on the Internet using software called Charles. This method is described on resources like 4dpa and copied by many people without understanding what is written there, however, without additional >100 grams it is difficult to understand this writing.

Perhaps I will do this more fully, with pictures and in a simpler, understandable form. In general, to download the old version of software from the AppStore it will take about 5 minutes, and in my case, Mac OS X. The method will obviously work on Windows, too. There is also a Charles app for this system.

All your torment will begin even before you download Charles. The fact is that if you update iTunes on a Mac, you will not be able to install applications starting from version 12.7. To get it back, you need to install version 12.6.4 back.

Short: download the application via the AppStore in iTunes, then enable the proxy, then download again, edit the request, send the request, get the old version, install.

Details: After launching Charles, you need to install application certificates on your Mac. This is done through the menu Help → SSL Proxying → Install Charles Root Cetrificate. The certificate then needs to be switched to Always Trust status in Keychain Access. If you do not install it, there will be errors and the method will not work.

In iTunes, look for the Inoreader application (this is suitable for any application, but at that moment I was only interested in it), launch Charles and click Download in the application installation window:

In the Charles window you see a similar line with the word “buy” in the address, associated with the apple server:

For information, please note that the size of the downloaded file is 20.4 MB:

Then you need to turn on SSL Proxying to intercept and edit requests:

Since, most likely, you have fast Internet and the application has already been loaded into the application library, you need to remove it from there.

We check once again that SSL Proxying is enabled and proceed to re-download the application from the AppStore; in this case, you need to pause the download so that you have time for the next steps. After clicking on Download, another line will appear in the Charles window in the apple server, containing the word “buy”. Expanding this line you need to find buyProduct:

On the right side of the window, click on Contents and select below XML Text. Scroll down until we find softwareVersionExternalIdentifiers with a list of incomprehensible numbers.

These numbers act as application versions. Accordingly, the lower the number, the older the application version. How do I know which version of the application will be downloaded? For example, I randomly took the value 823964615 from the end of the list:

Now we need to check the application version. To do this, we go to “buyProduct” and select from the menu Compose and on the right side of the window is the Text view.

At the very top of the field there will be a familiar set of numbers after the parameter appExtVrsId. This set of numbers is the current version of the application.

Instead of these numbers we substitute the 823964615 copied above and it should turn out like this:

and we do Execute. The program will give you a window and select the display mode XML Text we can find the bundleShortVersionString parameter below and see that the value we selected corresponds to version 5.4.4, which in my case is what is needed, because This version is almost the latest before updating to 6.0

One step left. You need to download this whole thing. To do this, in our last edited request buyProduct with the received version 5.4.4, select in the menu Breakpoints.

Again, go to the AppStore to download the Inoreader application (if the application has already been downloaded to the library and you did not have time to stop it, then simply delete it so that you can download it again).

As soon as you click download in iTunes, the Charles window will pop up, where you will need to click on Edit Request and in the already familiar appExtVrsId parameter, correct the version to 823964615, click Execute, and then again at Execute.

As a result, the application will start loading and you will see that the application size has changed downward:

A program icon with an Update shortcut will appear in the iTunes application library. This will mean that you did everything right. You can do Get Info application and it will be written: