iPhone not charging/syncing on Mac/PC - but charging/playing in iHome docks

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iPhone not charging/syncing on Mac/PC - but charging/playing in iHome docks

I have a 1st-gen 16GB iPhone that has been working fine. I performed a complete restore and upgrade to the 2.0 software pack when it was released (this was performed on a Windows XP Home laptop) and had no problems for the first few days. However, after a few days, my iPhone quit being recognized by my Mac Mini (running 10.5.4) at home. Whenever I would plug in the iPhone to my Mac Mini (using a cable I got from my iPod touch -- my iPhone cable is in Parts Unknown) nothing would happen: No charging, no beeps, nothing in System Profiler.

I then tried my wife's iPod nano cable thinking the cable was bad. I couldn't get it working with that cable either. Wondering if the cables were bad, I tried syncing my iPod touch with both cables -- both cables worked. Fearing that my iPhone's connector had gone bad, I rebooted both the PC and my Mac, I restarted the iPhone itself numerous times. Nothing worked -- at no point could I get the iPhone or the PC/Mac to do anything when it was connected by either cable.

At this point, on a desperate whim, I connected the iPhone to our iHome IH36W iPod dock. Lo and behold -- the iPhone starts charging! (I also tried it in our iHome iH6 alarm clock) The weird part is (even though the iPhone says these are unsupported accessories) if I hit play on the dock, it starts playing music from the iPhone through the speakers!

Seeing that the iHome docks can charge and read music through the connector tells me the connector is working in the iPhone. I would take this to an Apple Store, but the nearest Apple Store is 3 hours away. I have tried resetting the iPhone numerous times (hold both buttons in until you see the Apple logo) but I cannot get a connection. I can't restore the iPhone since I can't get it to be recognized by a PC or Mac. Even if iTunes 7.7 was corrupted, the device should be showing up in System Profiler, right?

If anyone has any suggestions, I'm willing to try them. Any thoughts at all?

Thanks in advance,
Josh Hogan

1st-gen iPhone 2.0, 1.5 Core Solo Mac Mini, WinXP Home, Mac OS X (10.5.4)

Posted on Jul 24, 2008 8:16 PM

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Answer 1

jpknox

Level 1

60 points

Jul 24, 2008 8:20 PM in response to Joshua Hogan

(using a cable I got from my iPod touch -- my iPhone cable is in Parts Unknown)

That is most likely the problem.

If anyone has any suggestions

Get a supported OEM cable from Apple.... 😉

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Answer 2

Joshua Hogan Author

Level 1

0 points

Jul 24, 2008 8:34 PM in response to jpknox

So the iPhone uses a non-standard cable that's different from all other 30-pin iPod cables?

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Answer 3

Jul 25, 2008 2:25 AM in response to Joshua Hogan

I seem to recall connecting my iPhone with my iPod cable at one time and it was OK but ****** if I can put my hands on my iPod cable right now since I haven't been using the iPod since I got my iPhone!

My Logitech MM50 speaker dock works perfectly fine with my iPhone as far as charging and playback and NO GSM noise but it's in work so I have never tried it for syncing.

Find your iPhone cable! Tsk tsk!

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Answer 4

jpknox

Level 1

60 points

Jul 25, 2008 6:15 AM in response to Joshua Hogan

yes. The cables look alike but are different. Some are FireWire 400, some are USB 1.1, some are USB 2.0

I think your phone will work better with an "official" Apple branded iPhone cable.

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Answer 5

jpknox

Level 1

60 points

Jul 26, 2008 7:10 AM in response to Markie-Poo

When the iPhones first came out, there were LONG discussions on this board about cables. They look alike, but some will not work at all, some will allow charging, but not syncing, others would sync but not allow updates or restores, and on and on ...

As I recall, the bottom line to all those discussions was the recommendation that all iPhone users use the original apple branded iPhone cables (certified at USB 2.0), and to make sure that the cables were connected directly to a working USB 2.0 port (not a hub).

Other configurations might work, might not, and might freeze the iPhone.

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Answer 6

odineye

Level 1

5 points

Jul 26, 2008 7:37 AM in response to Joshua Hogan

I am having this problem - intermittently - as well.

It's not the cables. An iPhone will sync with any 30-pin iPod USB cable and will charge on 30-pin iPod firewire cables. I carry the USB & Firewire cable from my old 20G iPod when I travel to allow for charging (firewire) and for downloading photos to my MacBook (USB).

What I'm seeing is that it will do fine after I re-start my iMac (which is my central computer), but that I'll come home at night and put it on the iMac, and simply nothing happens. No charging, no recognition in iTunes, nothing.

Oddly, iPhoto can see it, but often cannot see the pictures on the camera roll, and sometimes mounts two versions of it.

I've done a step by step eval using iPhone restarts, different cables, different USB ports, with no joy at the point that it's not showing up (though it will charge with the firewire cable at that point). Also - curiously - when I do the USB port juggle, I end up losing my USB mouse and keyboard - they simply will not respond. The only saving grace at that point is that the bluetooth keyboard does respond, allowing me to do a re-start.

Then- after the re-start - all is good again. Until next time.

I'm suspecting a software bug in 2.0, iTunes 7.7, or both (perhaps a conflict there). Also - perhaps an app issue on the iPhone (I've installed 8 apps - do you have apps on your iPhone?)

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Answer 7

Jane Knox

Level 3

691 points

Jul 26, 2008 7:54 AM in response to odineye

An iPhone will sync with any 30-pin iPod USB cable

If you can do a search of the iPhone discussions from the early iPhones, you will see that many people had variable problems using non-iPhone cables. There was lots of documentation here of that issue. The problems varied depending on the user and the cable and the computer configuration, but problems were persistent with non-iPhone cables.

when I do the USB port juggle, I end up losing my USB mouse and keyboard

Is there any chance that you have problems with your USB ports or the other USB cables?

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Answer 8

Jul 26, 2008 9:39 AM in response to Joshua Hogan

I'm not convinced that the cables are the issue. My wife's iPhone has the same issue. Is not recognized by either the computer or the wall charger, or the car charger. My iPhone works fine, using the same cables (2), same charger, same car charger. Something in her iPhone is blocking the cable connection or the hardware cable connection is fried. V 2.0 iPhone both devices.

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Answer 9

Soarion

Level 1

0 points

Jul 26, 2008 9:57 AM in response to Joshua Hogan

I have this same issue and took my 1st Gen iPhone 8gig to the Apple Store in Brandon, FL. They tried everything the only way it would charge was using firewire. USB acted like it didn't even exist and this is with the cables they use in the store. The genius never saw this before and said it was a hardware issue and of course I'm past my warranty by only 20 days.

This sure seems like a software issue to me cause I was using all the same cables and everything the same just fine until 2.0 arrived and now I'm out of warranty and was forced to get a new phone or go without any syncing or charging from a MAC/PC. I want my money back from the 3G I had to buy because this one is broke and they wouldn't exchange it!!

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Answer 10

Jane Knox

Level 3

691 points

Jul 26, 2008 11:58 AM in response to James Parker2

I am using Original iPhone, v. 2.0, and the original cables supplied with the iPhone from Apple.

No issues, no problems.

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Answer 11

Jane Knox

Level 3

691 points

Jul 26, 2008 12:04 PM in response to Soarion

a hardware issue and of course I'm past my warranty by only 20 days.

Did you buy the APP - Applecare Protection Plan on your first iPhone?

was forced to get a new phone ... the 3G I had to buy ...

Lucky you. My original iPhone works perfect. I don't have a good excuse to go buy a shiny new 3G.

Did you buy the APP on the new 3G iPhone? 😉

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Answer 12

Soarion

Level 1

0 points

Jul 26, 2008 2:11 PM in response to Jane Knox

No I didn't buy the APP for the new one yet. They didn't offer it to me the first time and didn't this time either. I'll end up getting it for this one but I don't see why I should have to.

If this issue is widespread, it will be just like the Xbox 360 extension by Microsoft and everyone will get it repaired for free.

I really never saw any reason to buy the new one at all. It is nice and all but no big WOW about it compared to the 1st Gen iPhone. I really don't know why anyone with the 1st Gen would buy this one unless you want to blow money for no reason 🙂

The 3rd Gen will be the one to buy...

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Answer 13

lexvil

Level 1

0 points

Jul 27, 2008 8:55 AM in response to Joshua Hogan

same thing is going on with mine, it is a bug of some sort with the software, mine is going back to apple this week.
its funny but it seems to have rejected all contact with apple, no apple connection at all but can still charge in the car.
i posted about this earlier in the week.

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Answer 14

Jane Knox

Level 3

691 points

Jul 27, 2008 11:12 AM in response to Soarion

I'll end up getting it for this one but I don't see why I should have to.

I have a 2001 Titanium PowerBook G4. I still use it on a daily basis to read email, surf the web, and work crossword puzzles. I bought the APP with that PB; they replaced the batteries and replaced the LCD screen.

The LCD screen died about a week before the APP ran out; I was on the road for business and the first Apple Store I could get to was in San Francisco's East Bay, the day after the APP expired. They replaced the screen anyway, and shipped it to my local Apple Store in Honolulu. The chief Genius in Honolulu called me in to go over everything on the PB, made one other small repair, and sent me home with a laptop that still works, seven years after I bought it.

(Last year a bus driver in Florida crushed the optical drive and Ethernet port, dang!)

I have bought the APP on every Apple computer I have bought since 2001; including the two laptops I gave as gifts.

Besides that, if YOU - and every lurker reading this - the Apple stock in my IRA goes up. 😉

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Answer 15

odineye

Level 1

5 points

Jul 27, 2008 11:15 AM in response to Jane Knox

Perhaps I should have said that +in my experience+ an iPhone (and iPod Touch) will sync with older 30-Pin USB cables.

It would seem likely that, if others were having "variable problems" that they would have been due to idiosyncratic reasons - e.g. shorts in specific parts of the cables due to wear over time, etc, rather than incompatibility of the cables. The cable that came with a 20Gig iPod, for example, shouldn't work with one iPhone, but fail for another. It sounds like a red herring to me.

Is there any chance that you have problems with your USB ports or the other USB cables?

Absolutely - I mention it here because it correlates in time with the iPhone recognition problems. I've been able to hot-swap cables in the past without having this problem.

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