Apple stopped signing iOS 16.0.2 with the launch of iOS 16.0.3 last week, thus an iPhone can no longer be downgraded to iOS 16.0.2. Only the iOS 16.0.3 and iOS 16.1 beta versions of iOS 16 are still being signed.
Over time, Apple regularly stops signing older iOS versions to prevent users from upgrading to an out-of-date software version.
The release of iOS 16.0.2 on September 22 included a number of bug fixes and security updates. A few problems that were impacting the iPhone 14 Pro models were resolved by the update, including the back camera shaking while shooting with particular third-party apps and the display becoming completely black during device setup. Additionally, iOS 16.0.2 fixed a problem that resulted in some users receiving an excessive number of copy-and-paste permission requests.
Apple has previously provided users with the option to continue using an older iOS version. Customers had the option of staying on iOS 14 as Apple continued to deliver security upgrades for it after iOS 15 was introduced last year. However, the company dropped this choice a few months later. How long iOS 15.7 will be available as an option to iOS 16 is uncertain.
