Apple is no longer signing iOS 26, iPadOS 26, as well as iOS 18.7 for iPhone and iPad, stopping downgrades completely.
You Can No Longer Downgrade from iOS 26.0.1 to iOS 26 on iPhone and iPad as Apple Stops Signing the Initial Firmware Release
As long as Apple is signing a particular firmware version, you can downgrade, or upgrade, straight to it.
At the time of writing, Apple has stopped signing the initial release of iOS 26 and iPadOS 26, which means you can no longer downgrade from iOS 26.0.1 and iPadOS 26.0.1.
Apart from that, Apple is no longer signing the iOS 18.7 firmware as well, which means downgrade from iOS 26.0.1 to the older firmware is no longer possible as well.
Apple no longer signing iOS 18.7 does not come as a surprise at all because Apple gave everyone plenty of time to decide whether they want to stick around with the older firmware or the new one.
Apple will most likely release more updates to the iOS 18.7 firmware as we go forward, ensuring everyone has the latest security fixes and improvements, but if you mistakenly upgraded to iOS 26.x, you’re now living the Liquid Glass life for good.
It’s highly recommended that you go ahead and install iOS 26.0.1 and iPadOS 26.0.1 instead. It is packed with a ton of bug fixes, especially if you have an iPhone Air or one of the iPhone 17 smartphones.
Sure, Liquid Glass might be a polarizing update, but it is Apple’s best work so far, and I absolutely love how many improvements it brings to the iPhone and iPad, both visually and in terms of technology.
