How to Downgrade to an Older Version of an iOS App

2 min readOct 15, 2023

Introduction

Downgrading to a previous version of an app on iOS can be invaluable, especially when new updates introduce bugs or remove features you rely on. This article will guide you through the process in two main steps: first downloading the older IPA file, and then installing it on your device.

Step 1: Download the Older IPA File

Using IPATool-py

To get an older version of an app’s IPA, you can use IPATool-py.

GitHub - NyaMisty/ipatool-py: IPATool-py: download ipa easily

IPATool-py: download ipa easily. Contribute to NyaMisty/ipatool-py development by creating an account on GitHub.

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This Python script automates the process.

Prerequisites

Since my account uses 2FA, I choose “Manually way”
The app ID can be found in the URL. For example, the ID for whatsapp is 310633997.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/whatsapp-messenger/id310633997

Retrieve Historical Versions:

To get the list of historical versions, you will need to enter your password. For 2FA login, append the verification code to your password.

The last ones in array are the latest versions


python main.py lookup -i 310633997 -c JP historyver -e xxxxxx.me.com -p password**XXXXXX**

[20:40:40] INFO     Got available version ids [810966964, 811508437, 811605107, 811665391, 811697870,       main.py:228
                    811896671, 812709507, 813540747, 813542080, 813600295, 813611378, 813746665, 813855082,
                    813881213, 813927122, 813930071, 813933695, 813948592, 814406518, 814411283, 814515271,
                    814515313, 814725427, 814924234, 814927723, 815221534, 816643134, 817730183, 819320471,
                    819639646, 820315902, 822522903, 823798838, 824265044, 827442043, 829151210, 834089469,
                    834300079, 839081156, 842420281, 847978960, 848278804, 857236394, 860456971, 860475885,
                    860668745]

To download a specific version:

python main.py lookup -i 310633997 -c JP download -s http://127.0.0.1:9000 --appVerId 860668745

Step 2: Install the IPA File

Once the IPA file is downloaded, you can easily install it through iTunes. Simply drag and drop the file into iTunes (Music App).

iTunes 安装ipa的方法_itunes安装ipa文件-CSDN博客

iTunes 安装ipa的方法1. 连接2. 拖拽安装3. 安装完成1. 连接使用原装数据线连接上mac电脑，打开iTunes，并在iTunes上选择你的设备，如下图:2. 拖拽安装3…

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Troubleshooting: If iPhone Content Cannot be Read

If you encounter an issue where Finder is unable to read your iPhone’s content, you can resolve it using mobile file management software like iTools. Connect your iPhone, navigate to iTunes_Control > iTunes, and delete the file named iTunesCDB.