Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

andrewhl

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 5, 2014
29
30
I absolutely hate ios 7 and ios 8... If I buy a sealed iPhone 5 from Best Buy (and considering that the iPhone 5 was dropped from the device portfolio in favor of the 5S and 5C last year) is there any way it would be running ios 6?
 

C DM

macrumors Sandy Bridge
Oct 17, 2011
51,392
19,459
It's quite unlikely that any new device would be running that these days. If you can find a discontinued new phone somewhere, then it's possible it might have that on it, but it's hard to say for sure, and hard to say if such phones can really be found easily.

Alternatively you can probably look for some sort of eBay/CraigsList/Swappa deals where someone might be selling a (possibly new or lightly used) iPhone with iOS 6 on it.
 
Last edited:

DoctorKrabs

macrumors 6502a
Jul 12, 2013
689
882
If you buy an iPhone 5 that has never been opened, it will have iOS 6.
It was never produced after iOS 7 came out, so none came with it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MacFather

dbg427

macrumors newbie
Nov 10, 2014
2
0
Used to be, any refurbished iOS device bought directly from the Apple Store came with the iOS version that the device had when first released; don't know if that's still true or not. Alternatively, PowerMax [sic] in Oregon often has a good selection of used and refurb iPhones (call to confirm), and Gazelle recently announced their reseller store.
 

na1577

macrumors 6502a
Jan 20, 2008
899
88
Used to be, any refurbished iOS device bought directly from the Apple Store came with the iOS version that the device had when first released; don't know if that's still true or not.

When I bought my refurbished iPad mini in December 2013 (three months after iOS 7 was released), it came with iOS 6. But I recently bought a refurbished 4th gen iPod touch and it came with iOS 6.1.6, the most recent version for that device.

I doubt the current refurbished stock will come with iOS 6, but it is worth a shot! If you turn it on and it has iOS 7, just return it to Apple for a full refund. An unopened iPhone 5 or 'slate' iPod touch/iPad mini is guaranteed to have iOS 6 because they never shipped with iOS 7.
 

logicstudiouser

macrumors 6502a
Feb 4, 2010
533
1,071
I absolutely hate ios 7 and ios 8... If I buy a sealed iPhone 5 from Best Buy (and considering that the iPhone 5 was dropped from the device portfolio in favor of the 5S and 5C last year) is there any way it would be running ios 6?

At this point, ebay or amazon are your best bets. I ran into very good luck on ebay 2 months ago with a reputable seller that was selling new iPhone 5 devices. Just came with device and accessories, no box.
I was very specific with what I wanted: 6.1.4 (the latest for iPhone 5), 64gb capacity, AWS compatible for T-mobile and regional networks (a1428 models released after April 2013) and factory unlocked. White was my preference and I was lucky that is what I got, but I would have taken black if white was not available. They had 1 left. Battery has been amazing.
You may recall, lots of battery issues on early iPhone 5 devices, they fixed this issue on their later iphone 5 models.
As an extra bonus, I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered also that shockingly it had limited warranty until Feburary 2015.
Don't give up, it may take time, but you are bound to run into luck eventually. If i were you, looking for an iOS 6 device for the long term, I would be looking for the latest firmware of iOS 6 (6.1.3 on 4S or 6.1.4 on 5).

IMPORTANT - not all sellers show iOS 6 or the firmware in the title. You have to go through several listings to run into luck and contact many sellers. Keep in mind any auctions with ios 6 or 6.1.4 in the title will get lots of hits and will likely sell for a higher price.

Best of luck!
 

xlost6

macrumors 6502
Feb 28, 2011
487
102
I might go back to an iPhone 5 with iOS 6 myself. I'm just looking all over eBay with a good deal and I'm asking the sellers if they have iOS 6. Some say, yes.
 

goldencali

Suspended
Jan 17, 2015
13
0
The thing is generally they won't let you downgrade, but I read a blog before that you could downgrade from iOS 7 back to iOS6 though not sure if Apple has been blocking it now, so Ebay or Amazon are your safest bet. Good luck!
 

Delmar

macrumors 6502
May 10, 2012
308
11
Texas
A few months ago I bought my iPad 4th gen, like new condition, never updated from iOS 6.1.3 on swappa.com. I specifically searched for an iPad running iOS 6. It took a couple weeks but I found one. Have some patience & you will find what you're looking for.
 

TRDmanAE86

macrumors 6502
Jan 27, 2015
310
51
New England
The thing is generally they won't let you downgrade, but I read a blog before that you could downgrade from iOS 7 back to iOS6 though not sure if Apple has been blocking it now, so Ebay or Amazon are your safest bet. Good luck!

It is possible but, requires a jailbreak. :mad:

I would try Ebay or Amazon. Ensue that there is a screenshot of the device and, read the comments. I am looking for a 64 Gig iOS 6 4S this way
 

Nickpocalypse

macrumors regular
Aug 28, 2011
106
7
Vancouver, BC, CA
I was looking for a long time for a device with iOS 6 on it, and just today was able to buy a factory sealed black iPhone 5, which of course had it. Very pleased! Takes some patience, but they're possible to find. Good luck!
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.