Apple Stops Signing iOS 10.3.2 Ahead Of iOS 11’s Release This Fall

Apple is no longer allowing users to access iOS 10.3.2 from its servers. The Cupertino giant has decided to stop signing the mobile operating system this week as it prepares for the worldwide launch of iOS 11 later this fall.

On Wednesday, MacRumors learned that Apple has actually terminated code signing for iOS 10.3.2. This means users whose devices are running iOS 10.3.3 can no longer downgrade to iOS 10.3.2. In a similar fashion, iPhones, iPads and iPod touch devices that are running an older firmware can no longer upgrade to iOS 10.3.2 and will instead jump directly to iOS 10.3.3.

Apple has many reasons to stop supporting iOS 10.3.2. However, 9To5Mac believes that the main one has to do with Apple’s desire to ensure that its users only have access to a more secure version and one that has all of the latest features.

ALSO READ: Apple ditches iCloud Messages in iOS 11 beta 5; other features revealed

Another reason that the publication pointed out has to do with the tech giant’s efforts to thwart jailbreaking. Apparently, every time Apple ceases code signing for a firmware, it also closes the vulnerabilities that allow jailbreaks. Besides Apple usually closes the signing window for a specific operating system when a more secure version has become available.

Apple’s move to stop signing the older version of iOS 10.3 is not new at all. The company routinely does this for older software updates, so as to encourage users to update their devices to the latest available operating systems.

What’s interesting about Apple’s latest move to terminate code support for iOS 10.3.2 is the fact that this only came three weeks after a newer version was launched. The iPone 8 maker usually ceases code signing for older iOS builds at least a month after a new version is released, as pointed out by Apple Insider.

ALSO READ: New iOS 11 feature automatically mutes notification sounds

Starting today, only iOS 10.3.3 is available to download from Apple’s servers. After the iOS 10.3 builds, Apple is expected to introduce iOS 11, its operating system for the upcoming iPhones and other iOS-powered devices that are scheduled for release this fall.

This week, Apple seeded iOS 11 beta 5 to developers, and it unfortunately did not come with iCloud Messages — a new feature that will allow iMessages to store text messages in the iCloud so as not to consume space on the device’s memory. Apple will not be re-introducing the feature in future iOS 11 betas, but it will launch iCloud Messages as part of an update for the official version of iOS 11.

According to TechCrunch, iOS 11 is going to be a remarkable update especially for Apple’s iPad tablets. The new OS will feel like a brand new software platform for the device, since it will come with new features that will transform the iPad into a more capable tablet. To learn more about the new features for the iPad, visit Apple’s preview page for iOS 11 here.

There’s no official release date for iOS 11 yet. However, it is expected to become available to the general public a week after the introduction of the new iPhone lineup this September.