How to Get Rid of iOS 8.0.1, Restore iOS 8

If you lost cellular service or the ability to use Touch ID after updating to iOS 8.0.1 yesterday, you were probably pretty irritated — and rightfully so. Thankfully, Apple has released a workaround that will correct the problem, and promised an iOS 8.0.2 update soon.

Apple said it is "preparing iOS 8.0.2 with a fix for the issue, and will release it as soon as it's ready in the next few days." In the meantime, Apple detailed on its support page how affected users can downgrade using iTunes.

Cupertino pulled iOS 8.0.1 within an hour of its release yesterday after a number of users reported that it disabled their cellular reception and Touch ID. Affected individuals are seeing a dreaded "No Service" banner after downloading the update, and powering the phone off and on does not correct the issue.

It appears that the iOS 8.0.1 problems only affected those on iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, as those are the only two iPhones mentioned by Apple on its support page. MacRumors said that those with an iPhone 4s, 5, 5s, or 5c did not report problems.

If you're among those affected, follow these steps to reinstall iOS 8.

• Check that you're using the latest version of iTunes.
• Connect your iPhone to iTunes.
• Back up your iPhone in iTunes on your Mac or PC. iCloud backups won't restore to earlier versions, including iOS 8.0.
• Download the file below that corresponds to your device:
  iPhone 6
  iPhone 6 Plus
• Select the file you just downloaded by doing one of these in iTunes:
  Mac: Press the Option key and click Check for Update.
  Windows: Press the Shift key and click Check for Update.
• Press Update to install iOS 8 on your iPhone.

Note that the Health app will not work in iOS 8 after these steps; Apple said this will be fixed in its upcoming iOS 8.0.2 update.

For more, see PCMag's review of Apple iOS 8 and the slideshow above. Also check out 3 Features You Should Enable in iOS 8, as well as Before and After iOS 8: What's Different?