Recently, I needed to test the behavior of something during the upgrade process of an iOS device. The device was running the latest version of iOS so I needed to use an ipsw to load a specific version of the OS. Usually I use Configurator for running a lot of updates, but I didn’t want to restore the device, so I used iTunes. After I backed up the device, here’s what I did:
- Download the ipsw file from Apple for that specific device
- Connect the device (make sure Configurator isn’t open, enter a passcode if needed and then launch iTunes
- Click on the device in iTunes (You might need to show sidebar if you don’t initially see it)
- Click on the Summary tab
- Option-Click on Check for Update (Alt-Click on Windows)
- Select the ipsw previously downloaded
- When prompted, click Update
- When the device reboots, wait for the status bar and you should be all done
Good luck!