iPad Air 2 (Cellular)
Unsigned iPadOS

iPadOS 8.3 (12F69)

iPad Air 2 (Cellular)

iPad5,4_8.3_12F69_Restore.ipsw
Device
iPad Air 2 (Cellular)
Identifier
iPad5,4
OS
iPadOS
Version
8.3
Build
12F69
Release Date
2015-04-08
Upload Date
2015-04-01
Size
1.94 GB
Status
Unsigned
SHA1
c4dbf3a9b9ce882e1c46a2d0a0f61c55f20e5484
SHA256
39d21d67d9987f7ab8a714048f901fc65ad6a5cb4406bca3c540511c9770b4b7
MD5
83e3fc2ba8f1c57949c039a60ba340fe

iPadOS 8.3 Release Notes

This release includes improved performance, bug fixes, and a redesigned Emoji keyboard. Changes include:

Improved performance for:

  • App launch
  • App responsiveness
  • Messages
  • Wi-Fi
  • Control Center
  • Safari tabs
  • 3rd-party keyboards
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Simplified Chinese keyboard

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth fixes

  • Fixes an issue where you could be continuously prompted for login credentials
  • Addresses an issue where some devices disconnect intermittently from Wi-Fi networks
  • Fixes an issue where hands-free phone calls could become disconnected
  • Fixes an issue where audio playback could stop working with some bluetooth speakers

Orientation and rotation fixes

  • Addresses an issue that sometimes prevented rotating back to portrait after having rotated to landscape
  • Improves performance and stability issues that occurred when rotating the device between portrait and landscape
  • Fixes an issue where device orientation appeared upside down after pulling the iPhone 6 Plus from your pocket
  • Resolves an issue that sometimes prevented apps from rotating to correct orientation after switching apps in multitasking

Messages fixes

  • Addresses issues that caused group messages to sometimes split
  • Fixes an issue that sometimes removed the ability to forward or delete individual messages
  • Resolves an issue that sometimes prevented a preview from appearing when taking a photo in Messages
  • Adds the ability to report junk messages directly from the Messages app
  • Adds the ability to filter out iMessages that are not sent by your contacts

Family Sharing fixes

  • Fixes a bug where certain apps would not launch or update on family members’ devices
  • Fixes a bug that prevented family members from downloading certain free apps
  • Increased reliability for Ask to Buy notifications

CarPlay fixes

  • Fixes an issue where Maps could come up as a black screen
  • Fixes an issue where the UI could be incorrectly rotated
  • Fixes an issue where the keyboard could appear on the CarPlay screen when it shouldn't

Enterprise fixes

  • Improves reliability of installing and updating enterprise apps
  • Corrects the time zone of Calendar events created in IBM Notes
  • Fixes a problem that could cause web clip icons to become generic after restarting
  • Improves reliability of saving the password for a web proxy
  • Exchange out-of-office message can now be edited separately for external replies
  • Improves recovery of Exchange accounts from temporary connection problems
  • Improves compatibility of VPN and web proxy solutions
  • Allows use of physical keyboards to log into Safari web sheets, such as for joining a public Wi-Fi network
  • Fixes an issue that caused Exchange meetings with long notes to be truncated

Accessibility fixes

  • Fixes an issue where using the back button in Safari causes VoiceOver gestures to not respond
  • Fixes an issue where VoiceOver focus becomes unreliable in draft Mail messages
  • Fixes an issue where Braille Screen Input cannot be used to type text in forms on webpages
  • Fixes an issue where toggling Quick Nav on a Braille Display announces that Quick Nav is off
  • Fixes an issue keeping app icons from being moveable on home screen when VoiceOver is enabled
  • Fixes an issue in Speak Screen where speech will not start again after pausing

Other improvements and bug fixes

  • Introduces a redesigned Emoji keyboard with over 300 new characters
  • iCloud Photo Library has been optimized to work with the new Photos app on OS X 10.10.3 and is now out of beta
  • Improves the pronunciation of street names during turn-by-turn navigation in Maps
  • Includes support for Baum VarioUltra 20 and VarioUltra 40 braille displays
  • Improves the display of Spotlight results when Reduce Transparency is turned on
  • Adds Italic and Underline format options for iPhone 6 Plus landscape keyboard
  • Adds the ability to remove shipping and billing addresses used with Apple Pay
  • Additional language and country support for Siri: English (India, New Zealand), Danish (Denmark), Dutch (Netherlands), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian (Russia), Swedish (Sweden), Thai (Thailand), Turkish (Turkey)
  • Additional dictation languages: Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates) and Hebrew (Israel)
  • Improves stability for Phone, Mail, Bluetooth connectivity, Photos, Safari tabs, Settings, Weather and Genius Playlists in Music
  • Addresses an issue where Slide to Unlock could fail to work on certain devices
  • Addresses an issue that sometimes prevented swiping to answer a phone call on the Lock screen
  • Addresses an issue that prevented opening links in Safari PDFs
  • Fixes an issue where selecting Clear History and Website Data in Safari Settings did not clear all data
  • Fixes an issue that prevented autocorrecting "FYI"
  • Addresses an issue where contextual predictions did not appear in Quick Reply
  • Fixes an issue where Maps did not enter night mode from hybrid mode
  • Resolves an issue that prevented initiating FaceTime calls from a browser or 3rd-party app using FaceTime URLs
  • Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented photos from properly exporting to Digital Camera Image folders on Windows
  • Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented an iPad backup from completing with iTunes
  • Fixes an issue that could cause Podcast downloads to stall when switching from Wi-Fi to cellular networks
  • Fixes an issue where remaining time on timer would sometimes incorrectly display as 00:00 on Lock screen
  • Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented adjusting call volume
  • Fixes an issue that caused the status bar to sometimes appear when it shouldn’t

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

How to Restore iPadOS 8.3 IPSW

🖥

iTunes (Windows / macOS Mojave and older) & Finder (macOS Catalina+)

  1. Download the iPad5,4_8.3_12F69_Restore.ipsw file to your computer.
  2. Connect your iPad Air 2 (Cellular) to your computer with a USB cable.
  3. Open Finder (macOS Catalina+) or iTunes (Windows / older macOS) and select your device.
  4. To Update (keeps data): hold Option (Mac) or Shift (Windows) and click Check for Update.
  5. To Restore (erases data): hold Option (Mac) or Shift (Windows) and click Restore iPhone/iPad.
  6. Navigate to and select the downloaded .ipsw file, then confirm.
  7. Wait for the process to complete — do not disconnect the device.
⚠️ Note: This firmware is no longer signed by Apple. iTunes/Finder may reject the restore. Use a tool like futurerestore if you have saved blobs.
⌨️

idevicerestore (Command Line)

An open-source command-line tool that restores IPSW files without needing iTunes. Useful for advanced users, automation, and custom restore workflows.

  1. Install via Homebrew: brew install idevicerestore
  2. Connect your device and put it into DFU mode.
  3. Run the restore command:
idevicerestore -t iPad5,4_8.3_12F69_Restore.ipsw
Common flags:
-eErase restore (factory reset) -uUpdate restore (keep data) -dEnable debug output -nDry-run — don't actually restore
🔓

futurerestore (Saved Blobs / Downgrade)

futurerestore allows restoring to unsigned firmware like this one when you have saved APTickets (blobs) from a tool like TSSSaver or shsh.host.

  1. Download futurerestore from github.com/futurerestore/futurerestore.
  2. Ensure you have a saved .shsh2 blob for iPadOS 8.3 (12F69) on your iPad Air 2 (Cellular).
  3. Put your device into DFU mode and run:
futurerestore -t your_blob.shsh2 --latest-sep --latest-baseband iPad5,4_8.3_12F69_Restore.ipsw
Warning: Using --latest-sep requires the latest SEP to be compatible with iPadOS 8.3. Always verify compatibility before restoring to avoid a bricked device.
📲

Entering DFU Mode

DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode is required for most manual restores. The button combination varies by device:

iPhone 8 / X and later / iPad with Face ID
Press & release Volume Up → press & release Volume Down → hold Side button until screen goes black → hold Side + Volume Down for 5 s → release Side but keep Volume Down for 10 s.
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
Hold Side + Volume Down for 8 s → release Side but keep Volume Down for 10 s.
iPhone 6s and earlier / iPad with Home button
Hold Home + Sleep/Wake for 8 s → release Sleep/Wake but keep Home for 10 s.

💡 Tip: In DFU mode the screen stays completely black. If you see the Apple logo or a "Connect to iTunes" screen, you entered Recovery mode instead — try again.

⇓ Download IPSW Firmware (1.94 GB)
iPad Air 2 (Cellular)
Other Signed iPadOS Versions
1 items iPadOS 8.3 (12F69)