[GUIDE] How to update to iOS 15.7.2 for iPhone 8/X/XR/XS/11/SE2/12/13/SE3

FOREWORD

You may have heard that iOS 15.7.2 is not available for devices that can be upgraded to iOS 16.

Well, actually that's not quite true, Apple developed 15.7.2 for the iPhone 8 and later, and asked people to test those firmwares, but changed that plan when it was finally released.

So, there's 15.7.2 firmware out there, it's just hard for you to get it because of Apple's restrictions. in this guide I will show you how to bypass these restrictions and install iOS 15.7.2 on your iPhone.

This guidance is time-sensitive and if you reading it after March 12, 2023 (12/3/2023), it must have expired. If you're reading it after February 2023 (2/2023), it's probably dead and you'll need to test it yourself, Check the time and don't read outdated content.

AVAILABILITY

This guide applies to all devices that can only get iOS 16.2 and not iOS 15.7.2, including iPhone 8 series, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS series, iPhone 11 series, iPhone SE 2020, iPhone 12 series, iPhone 13 series and iPhone SE 2022.

For devices currently running between iOS 14.5 and 15.7.1, the update method is easiest there.

For devices from before iOS 14.5 or already on iOS 16, you must be in the 14.5-15.7.1 version range to get the update, the reason is that in versions prior to 14.5, Apple has not added the option to choose to update, so there will only be iOS 16 instead of 15 and 16. for iOS 16, obviously, you have to downgrade to a lower version to update to 15.7.2, because 15.7.2 just an OTA update, so it doesn't have ipsw for you to downgrade. you can read the later part of this guide, there are related steps on how to update to iOS 15.6 RC1 (19G69) first to get the OTA update of 15.7.2.

The guidance was originally expected to expire in March 12, 2023 (12/3/2023), which is the 90-day delay Apple allowed. But considering that the iOS 15 beta profile may expire on January 31, 2023 (31/1/2023), this means that you will most likely not be able to update to 15.7.2 after January 31.

For iOS releases outside of 14.5 and 15.7.1, the expiration date there will be harder to predict, as the only currently available entry into this range is iOS 15.6 RC1 (19G69), which is long overdue to stop signing, so Apple can stop signing this version at any time, If Apple does this next second, then you lose your chance to upgrade to 15.7.2.

PREREQUISITES

- This guide has not expired

- A macOS or a Windows computer

- iPhone

- A USB cable to connect your iPhone to your computer

HOW TO DO

Before I start I want to quickly explain the steps:

- Prepare profiles for Delayed OTA and iOS 15 beta

- Put your iPhone in supervised mode

- Import profiles and update to iOS 15.7.2


For iOS versions that are not in the supported range (before iOS 14.5 or on iOS 16.x), you must first update to iOS 15.6 RC1 (19G69) (currently available) and then follow the steps above.

For devices that have been jailbroken, the warning to you is that you have to do a full restore, i.e. put the iPhone in recovery mode, then restore your iPhone using the iOS 15.6 RC1 (19G69) restore ipsw, since 15.7.2, since 15.7.2 doesn't have ipsw available for restore on these devices, any jailbreak leftover files will not be able to be removed after this upgrade.



PREPARE CONFIGURATION PROFILES

We need two profiles, one for Delayed OTA and one for Beta, the former takes you back to the day when 15.7.2 RC was available, and Beta profile allows you to get RC through the beta channel.


- Delayed OTA Profiles

The first is the Delayed OTA profile, which is an XML file that can be made with any text editor. iOS 15.7.2 RC is released on December 7th, 2022 (7/12/2022) and fully available on December 8th (8/12/2022), we need to calculate the time difference between Today and December 8th, and then make a delayed ota profile suitable for today, so that your iPhone can go back to December 8th and get the ota update available that day.

Here's how:

An attachment is provided at the bottom of this thread. It is a Delayed OTA profile template that has been made. Download it, modify line 21 <integer>7</integer>, and change the number to your calculated time difference. For today (December 15th), that is 7 days.

Remove the .txt in the filename, then you'll have the Delayed OTA profile ready.


- iOS 15 Beta Profile

You'll also need the iOS 15 beta profile, which I can't provide you or tell you how to get it because it's against the forum rules.

This file is also an XML file, the difference is that it must be signed by Apple to be valid, only members of the Apple Beta Software Program can legally obtain the profile, distributing it is against Apple and forum rules, so I can't help you further.

If you are missing the Delayed OTA profile but have the Beta profile, then you can get 15.7.2, you can download it, but it cannot be installed because it is no longer signed.

If you are missing the Beta profile but have the Delayed OTA profile, you can go back in time, but only get the public channel version available back in the day, probably 15.7.1.

When you combine two profiles, you get everything to work.



PUT IPHONE IN SUPERVISED MODE

This step assumes that you have prepared two profiles.

The delayed OTA profile we made works only in supervision mode. this mode is provided by Apple to organizations to strengthen the organization's control over the Apple products they own. many advanced controls on the iPhone can be activated in this mode, one of which is the delayed update we use, which allows organizations to update to a version of firmware 90 days after Apple no longer signs it, or for organizations, they get an additional 90-day signature period.


To put an iPhone into supervised mode, there are three popular software that can do it, you can choose the one that suits you:

- Apple Configurator 2

Apple Configurator 2 is officially provided by Apple, it is free and recommended, but the software can only be used on macOS.

- iMazing

iMazing is paid software and you can use it on Windows and macOS.

- iBackupBot from supervise me

iBackupBot, the software reported by other members in this thread (#30), is free and works on Windows and older versions of macOS.


When putting your iPhone into supervised mode using Apple Configurator 2 or iMazing you will be asked to erase all data on the iPhone, this is because only brand new devices can join the organization, make a backup before that.

iBackupBot uses a special method to put your device into supervised mode without erasing your iPhone, it requires you to restore a specially edited backup into the iPhone, a member of this thread reported that this operation has the potential to cause data loss (#39), so make a backup before you do. another member reported (#49) that the software may not work on newer iPhones, you'll have to test it yourself.


- How to use Apple Configurator 2

The following steps are modified partly from the MobileGuardian (I'm too lazy to rewrite all):

1. Connect your iPhone to macOS with a USB cable, then trust that computer
2. You need to use the Finder to backup your iPhone, as all data on the iPhone will be erased after completion
3. Open Apple Configurator 2
4. Click on Apple Configurator 2 tab at the top left-hand corner and go to Preferences
5. Select the Organization tab from the preferences box and click on the "+" symbol to create a new Organization, Skip the Apple ID sign in
6. Just fill in the organization name, feel free to fill it in, it will only show up on your iPhone
7. Select "Generate a new supervision identity" and click "Done"
8. Close the preferences box. Right-click on your iPhone and select prepare
9. In the new box with the heading "Prepare Devices" please select "Manual Configuration" and untick all boxes except "Supervise devices" and "Allow devices to pair with other computers" and then click Next
10. On the next screen with the heading "Enroll in MDM Server" in the "Server" drop-down menu select "Do not enroll in MDM" and click next
11. On the next screen with the heading "Assign to Organization" select the organization we created earlier from the drop-down menu
12. You can now choose the steps you want to be presented within the Setup Assistant and click "Prepare"
13. Then you will be asked to erase your iPhone, and your iPhone has been supervised after entering the iPhone home screen

Click to expand...

- How to use iMazing

The following steps are modified partly from the iMazing (I'm too lazy to rewrite all):

1. Connect your iPhone to computer with a USB cable, then trust that computer
2. You need to use the Finder (macOS) or iTunes (Windows) to backup your iPhone, as all data on the iPhone will be erased after completion
3. Open iMazing
4. Scroll down in the Actions list and click Supervision
5. Click the Organization and click on the "+" symbol to create a new Organization
6. Just fill in the organization name, feel free to fill it in, it will only show up on your iPhone
7. Once you have at least one organization in your library, select one and click Choose
8. Please select "Allow pairing without supervision identity" and "Disable USB Restricted Mode" then click Next
9. Then you will be asked to erase your iPhone, and your iPhone has been supervised after entering the iPhone home screen

Click to expand...

- How to use iBackupBot

Since this software may not work on the latest version of macOS, it is recommended that all macOS users use the official Apple Configurator 2, so the following steps take Windows as an example, and some steps are modified partly from the supervise me (I'm too lazy to rewrite all):

1. Connect your iPhone to computer with a USB cable, then trust that computer
2. You need to use the iTunes to backup your iPhone, although iBackupBot claims not to erase data, a member accidentally erased all data, so, just in case
3. Open the Supervise backup and extract the .zip
4. On the device itself, disable "Find My"
5. Open iBackupBot
6. In iBackupBot, click "file", "open" and select the folder where the extacted supervise backup is located
7. When the backup is imported, click "+" by Add Supervision, then click "System Files"
8. Search for "config", then right click on "ConfigurationProfiles" and select "restore selected items to device"
9. Enter the password "1111" and then click on "restore"
10. Now the supervise backup will restore onto your device. Once done, you will now be supervised

Click to expand...

IMPORT PROFILES AND UPDATE TO IOS 15.7.2

- Import and install configuration profiles

The last step is to import the configuration profiles to the iPhone and then check for updates, there are three ways to import, Mail app, Safari app or direct import through the computer, Safari is more difficult, I will not introduce.

- Mail App

Login to your email in iPhone's Mail App, then send two profiles to the email, and click the email attachment to import them.


Only Apple Configurator 2 and iMazing allow you to import profiles directly from your computer to your iPhone:

- Apple Configurator 2

Connect your iPhone to macOS via USB and open Apple Configurator, Right-click on your iPhone in Apple Configurator, then select "Add > Profiles", select the profiles you prepared before.

- iMazing

Connect your iPhone to macOS or Windows via USB and open iMazing, click the Profiles icon, drag and drop the profiles you prepared to iMazing.


Then go to iPhone's Settings App, go to "General > VPN and Device Management" to enable your profiles one by one.

- Update and restore your data

Finally you can check for updates at "General > Software Update" and you should receive the update for iOS 15.7.2 and it will install normally.

After the update, if you put your iPhone in supervised mode using Apple Configurator 2 or iMazing, you will need to erase your iPhone to exit supervised mode. the way is: open the iPhone's Settings app, go to "General > Transfer or Reset iPhone", then tap "Erase All Content and Settings", after erasing, you can restore your iPhone using the backup you created earlier.

I haven't used iBackupBot, but members have reported that after the update, supervision mode is automatically exited, and all profiles are automatically deleted, but your app data and settings are preserved.


At this point, this guide is COMPLETE for you. Enjoy the holidays with your iPhone on iOS 15.7.2 🥳

If your upgrade succeeded or failed, you can reply to this thread to let us know or help you. please let us know your pre-upgrade iOS version and the model you are using when replying.


ADDITIONAL STEPS

These additional steps only applies to unsupported version range (before iOS 14.5 or on iOS 16.x) or jailbroken devices. but it can also be followed if you plan to do a clean restore before upgrading to 15.7.2.

As mentioned earlier, iOS 15.6 RC1 (19G69) is still signed and this is currently the only and last iOS 15 restore firmware available for these devices.

If your iOS is on a version prior to iOS 14.5, you will not be able to see the iOS 15.7.2 update if you follow the above steps, as the optional upgrade feature has not been added to iOS prior to 14.5, you need to update to iOS 15.6 RC1 (19G69) first.

If you're using iOS 16, now is your last chance to downgrade to iOS 15 via 15.6 RC1 (19G69).

If you are using a device that is already jailbroken then you need to be aware that updating to iOS 15.7.2 may not jailbreak your device and since there is no restore firmware available for 15.7.2, OTA updates won't help you remove those leftover jailbreak modifications, so you'll have to restore to iOS 15.6 RC1 (19G69) first to make sure your system files don't contain any unofficial modifications.

Also, since no signed restore firmware exists for iOS 15.7.2 on these devices, the only option for those who want to do a DFU restore with ipsw is to restore with 15.6 RC1 (19G69) and then update with OTA to 15.7.2.

These are all reasons to restore with iOS 15.6 RC1 (19G69), but it needs to be emphasized that Apple usually unsigns the previous firmware a week after the next firmware release, iOS 15.6 RC1 is an unusual special case, they either forget to unsign, or signed but for a special purpose, there's no reliable explanation there anyway, but what we do know for sure is that Apple could unsign this firmware the next second without notifying you, and then then there's no chance for you to restore to 15.6 RC1 (19G69), which means, for unsupported version range, you won't be able to update to 15.7.2.


- How to restore to iOS 15.6 RC1 (19G69)

1. Search for "Your iPhone + iOS 15.6 RC1 (19G69) + iPhone Wiki" to get and download the ipsw download links for restoration
2. Connect your iPhone to the computer and trust the computer
3. Back up your iPhone with Finder (macOS) or iTunes (Windows)
4. Put your iPhone into recovery mode or DFU mode (you can search how to put your iPhone into recovery/DFU mode to learn how to do this)
5. For Finder, press and hold the Option key to select "Restore iPhone", and select the 15.6 RC1 ipsw you downloaded to restore, for Windows, you can hold the Shift key to do the same restore operation in iTunes
6. Follow the steps in this guide to update from 15.6 RC1 to iOS 15.7.2 after the restore is complete

Click to expand...

FAQs

Why update to 15.7.2?

iOS 15.7.2 and 16.2 were released at the same time, both of which aim to fix bugs in previous versions, including a large number of security fixes, especially the fix for the notorious zero-day vulnerability CVE-2022-42856.

Of course, if you're just tired of upgrading to iOS 16, which may not yet be stable, or your device has been around for a while and you're worried about battery or performance issues after the update, it's all about staying on iOS 15 and getting the latest security updates available reason.

Click to expand...

What is the difference between the RC (Release Candidate) release and the final/official release?

For iOS 15.7.2 (build number 19H218) there is no difference, they are the same files, just released on different channels.

Apple will first release the firmware in the beta channel, polish it until there are no known problems, and then push it to all users in the public channel.

And 15.7.2 RC (19H218) was not pushed in the public channel (or only for a few hours), but in the beta channel with a longer signature period, that's why we got it from the beta channel. For firmware obtained from the beta channel, we are used to calling it RC, although in some cases they are exactly the same as the public channel release.

The build number is an easy way to verify that they are the same.

Click to expand...

What if Apple Configurator asks to update my iPhone to the latest version?

You can simply ignore.

Can iOS 15.7.2 be Jailbroken?

It depends on the device you are using, and the vulnerabilities currently available.

For iPhones with A8 to A11 processors, there is a hardware-level vulnerability that is not fixable through software, and it has been actively exploited by the jailbreak community. For this guide, the iPhone 8 series and iPhone X with A11 processors are currently the only ones Jailbroken devices are available on iOS 15.7.2. In the future, the jailbreak community may discover and exploit software vulnerabilities that exist in iOS 15.7.2, but it is only speculation, and there is no exact time to confirm.

Click to expand...

Can I follow this guide to upgrade my iPad to iPadOS 15.7.2?

No, any iPad that can get 16.2 can choose 15.7.2 or 16.2, so Apple already has an option there for iPads to upgrade to 15.7.2, you don't need to follow this guide. but if your iPad has already been updated to iPadOS 16, you can indeed restore to iPadOS 15 through the currently still-signing iPadOS 15.6 RC1 (19G69), and then just upgrade to iPadOS 15.7.2 normally.

Can I upgrade my iPhone 14 to iOS 15.7.2?

No, the iPhone 14 launched with iOS 16, so there's no chance of a downgrade there.

Can you tell me where I can find the iOS 15 beta profiles?

No, only members of the Apple Beta Software Program can legally obtain the profiles, distributing them is against Apple's rules, and forum rules don't allow me to do so, so I can't help you further.

Why does the time difference have to be December 8th and not December 7th?

Apple has a habit of releasing iOS in the afternoon Pacific time, so 15.7.2 may not be available on the morning of December 7th. don't go back too early, or you will have to wait.

I'm using a jailbroken iPhone, can I update it with a tweak that can enter supervised mode?

Technically yes, but it's not recommended, although you can get iOS 15.7.2, and install it normally, but as explained above, all the leftover files of the jailbreak will be kept on the system. so just follow this guide for a clean update from 15.6 RC1.

Can this method be used to upgrade to iOS 15.7.3 in the future?

In my personal opinion, Apple has already killed plans to continue to get iOS 15 on these devices when 15.7.2 was released, so there will likely not be an iOS 15.7.3 at all for these devices in the future. using software to make hardware obsolete is a consistent practice in this walled garden.

Why is the iOS 15.7.2 firmware larger than 4GB?

That's because when you go from the public channel to the beta channel, Apple doesn't prepare you for incremental OTA updates that are usually only a few hundred MB, but instead provides you with full OTA updates to completely update your iPhone.

Where can I find restore ipsw for iOS 15.7.2 for Recovery/DFU mode restore?

As of iOS 15.7.1, Apple no longer provides ipsw for restore for these devices for which this guide applies. Only OTA upgrades are available there, and OTA firmware cannot be used for restore. In fact in 15.7.1 Apple did prepare ipsw for these devices, but they were never signed, these firmwares can only be used by authorized people who can obtain Apple's signature.

If you are doing a restore read the additional steps above to restore using 15.6 RC1 (19G69).

What should I do if iOS 15.6 RC1 (19G69) is no longer signed?

There is nothing I can do about it.

I'm late, I just saw this guide after it expired, how do I upgrade to iOS 15.7.2?

There is nothing I can do about it.

THANKS & CREDITS

Apple, developed the softwares and allow businesses to use the method to upgrade to firmware that is no longer signed.

Github user dhinakg (aka Dhinak G), for contributions in the Delayed OTA profiles, from whom the original profiles template for this guide came from.

MacRumors, without original discussion of iOS 15.7.2 by members of this forum I would never have thought of taking advantage of the delayed ota upgrade to this version, and of course without this forum, this guide would not have been published.

Moderators, since I'm new to the forum and every time I edit it gets put in pending mode, they helped to review it in a timely manner and make this guide compliant with the forum rules.

@iosgino, @vladstarr, @TheNukie, @arw, @logicstudiouser, @RetiredDinosaur and more for corrected or clarified some mistakes in this guide, help others and share their experiences in this thread.

@Bogdan, provided a more concise latency OTA profile template (#8), which is the version used by the current guide.

@TheNukie, shared a new way to put the iPhone in supervised mode.

@ulama, provided a tip for updating to this version via 15.6 RC1 (19G69) in the original discussion.

If you have experience please share it in this thread, feel free to share this guide to help more people, you are free to modify, copy and distribute it, and you own all rights (if a specified license is required, then it is public domain).

Thanks for reading ☺️