When it comes to the "rule" of waiting 18 months since your last card approval to apply for a new card, does a downgrade from one card to another count as being "approved" for a new card?

In other words, my Citi AA Amex annual fee showed up, but for some reason, i could not get a retention offer for the life of me. I went ahead and agreed to downgrade to the no-fee Citi AA Bronze card. I was about to apply for another card in about 6 months, but now with the downgrade, do i have to wait another 18 months? Thanks.