iTunes can't see my iPhone (High Sierra)

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iTunes can't see my iPhone (High Sierra)

For years I've had a 2008 Mac Pro (3,1) running El Capitan, with the iTunes media files on an external hard drive. I've set up a 2010 Mac Pro (5,1) running High Sierra and want to migrate everything to that machine and sync music to my iPhone SE. On the new machine, iTunes recognizes my media on the external hard drive, and also recognizes and syncs my iPod Classic when I plug it in via USB. But the iPhone is not recognized, regardless of whether I plug it into the USB port or use WiFi. Disk Utility doesn't show it, and of course the Finder doesn't show it, but System Information knows there is an iPhone plugged into the USB port -- however, iTunes sees nothing.

I've tried switching USB cables, USB ports, etc. I tried completely restoring the iPhone, but still it is not recognized in iTunes or anywhere else on the Mac. I have the latest system software on both the Mac Pro and iPhone. There's no security software on the Mac other than the built-in firewall and ClamXAV antivirus. Is there anything I can do to be able to sync the iPhone SE using iTunes on the High Sierra machine?

Mac Pro, macOS 10.13

Posted on May 10, 2019 10:27 AM

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Answer 1

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SravanKrA

Community+ 2024

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411,024 points

May 10, 2019 10:58 AM in response to Malbone

If iTunes doesn't recognize your iPhone, iPad, or iPod

Make sure that your iOS device is unlocked and on the Home screen.
Make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes that works with your computer.
Check that you have the latest software on your Mac or Windows PC.
Make sure that your device is turned on.

More items...•Jan 8, 2019

If iTunes doesn't recognize your iPhone, iPad, or iPod - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-in/HT204095

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Answer 2

Malbone Author

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9 points

May 12, 2019 7:22 PM in response to Malbone

Problem solved. I had iTunes 12.8.3 installed. I reinstalled iTunes 12.8.2, and immediately upon connecting the iPhone it asked whether I wanted to trust the iPhone on this computer. I clicked Yes, of course, and now it is syncing as it should.

I don't know if it was that iTunes 12.8.3 is buggy or that my installation of it was corrupted. Either way, I'm all set.

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Answer 3

Malbone Author

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9 points

May 10, 2019 12:04 PM in response to SravanKrA

The iPhone was turned on, unlocked, and on the home screen.
I have the latest version of iOS, High Sierra, and iTunes
I turned off and restarted the iPhone. I turned off and restarted the Mac.
I completely restored the iPhone from a backup (using the older Mac Pro to which it connects without any problems).
There were NO error messages, notifications, warnings, trust alerts, or other things to respond to.
This iPhone is recognized on my other Mac Pro using the same USB cable.
Other USB devices are recognized on this Mac Pro using the same USB port.

Actually, there is one other thing to note. I have the iPhone set up to sync photos with Dropbox. When I connect it for the first time, there is a message asking me to allow the iPhone to sync photos. However, when connecting to the newer Mac Pro, the message comes up each time, and clicking "allow" does not prevent the same message from coming up each time I connect the iPhone. So Dropbox sees the iPhone, but iTunes, which has more access to OS hooks, does not.

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iTunes can't see my iPhone (High Sierra)

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