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M1 Mac synced with iPhone/iPad

iPhone/iPad connected to M1 Mac mini, iPhone/iPad apps cannot be used and installed from app store, I tried re-install iPhone/iPad OS, reset all, it does not work. iPhone/iPad cannot install apps from App Store even the Apple store/Apple support app. and app installed on iPhone/iPad cannot be used. This happens when iPhone/iPad connected to M1 Mac, then click "get started" on "Mac finder-locations-iPhone/iPad interface".

Mac mini, macOS 11.1

Posted on Dec 16, 2020 4:47 AM

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Posted on Feb 11, 2021 3:11 PM

Confirmed here as well. Big Sur 11.2.1 and iOS 14.4 / iPadOS 14.4 are working properly for me on my M1 MBP, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and iPad Air 2 respectively. Rebooted both devices, and tried relaunching several apps after the sync. All appears to be working properly.


Have not tried my iPad Pro or the iPhone 6 yet, but I assume they will also work. I'll post here if they do not.


I also noticed my M1 MBP is now showing properly on www.icloud.com as well as under appleid.apple.com (it was previously missing from iCloud.com).


Not sure if the fix was the Big Sur update to 11.2.1 (it's not mentioned in the release notes) or something on Apple's back-end related to my Apple ID, but either way, it's working!

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Feb 11, 2021 3:11 PM in response to waldemar272

Confirmed here as well. Big Sur 11.2.1 and iOS 14.4 / iPadOS 14.4 are working properly for me on my M1 MBP, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and iPad Air 2 respectively. Rebooted both devices, and tried relaunching several apps after the sync. All appears to be working properly.


Have not tried my iPad Pro or the iPhone 6 yet, but I assume they will also work. I'll post here if they do not.


I also noticed my M1 MBP is now showing properly on www.icloud.com as well as under appleid.apple.com (it was previously missing from iCloud.com).


Not sure if the fix was the Big Sur update to 11.2.1 (it's not mentioned in the release notes) or something on Apple's back-end related to my Apple ID, but either way, it's working!

Dec 31, 2020 3:29 PM in response to Joshua9809

I have the same problem,

just figured out:

when my iphone12 mini connect to m1 macbook pro and press trust and start as a new device (reinstalled many times).


Before shut down and restart iphone: several bugs come out, such as link cannot share with whatsapp, whatsapp cannot update at app store etc. But I can still use them.


After restart iphone:

  1. all default apps can work
  2. all apps from HK app store (same account is using in my m1 macbook pro) cannot open and cannot download
  3. all apps from Japan app store can work properly! (ie delete whatsapp from HK store and re-download from JP store, then it can open!)


Hope to fix it asap, cause I need to get music files from my macbook.


Thanks a lot!


Jan 24, 2021 12:30 PM in response to julian041

I think you're on to something julian041. I tried the following:


  1. Reset my iPhone to a fresh install.
  2. Set up the iPhone using a brand new Apple ID.
  3. Downloaded a few apps.
  4. Created a new user on my M1 MacBook Pro.
  5. Logged in to the new Apple ID on the new user account.
  6. Synced the iPhone.
  7. Everything Works!!!


From there, I tried various combinations of Apple ID, User Accounts, etc., and discovered:


  • Apps associated with my primary Apple ID work until the iPhone syncs with the M1 MBP. Then they fail to launch.
  • Apps associated with the new Apple ID continue to work after syncing.
  • Deleting an app associated with the primary Apple ID that is not working, and downloading a fresh copy with the new Apple ID will cause the app to start working again (no need to reset the iPhone)
  • Once the primary Apple ID stops working properly, there is no way to get apps associated with that Apple ID to launch except resetting the phone.


So it looks like there's some combination of issues with certain Apple ID's, the M1 Macs, and the iPhone. No wonder Apple is having a hard time tracking this one down.


I can't really switch Apple ID's permanently since my primary ID has my purchase history, message history, Family Sharing, Developer Account, etc., associated with it. But at least we seem to be narrowing in on the root cause.

Dec 18, 2020 7:38 PM in response to Joshua9809

I'm having the same problem. iPhone 12 Pro Max, iOS 14.3 synced with an M1 MacBook Pro with macOS 11.1. Everything works perfectly on the iPhone. If I connect to the Mac using the included USB-C to Lightning cable, "Trust" this computer, and do a "Sync" on the Mac, all apps on the iPhone will no longer launch. They'll display the initial splash screen / loading screen, then immediately terminate. This includes Apple apps like "Apple Support" or "GarageBand". However, built-in apps like Messages, Settings, Find My, etc., continue to work properly.


Uninstalling and reinstalling the apps shows the behaviour you mentioned. The app icon shows up greyed out and fails to install. Installing new apps also fails with a greyed out icon and will not install. Offloading the app and trying to reload it gives a grey icon and fails to install.


The only work-around I've found so far is to "Erase All Content and Settings" on the iPhone, then restore a backup from iCloud. This resolves the problem on the iPhone until I try to sync again, at which point the problem comes back.


Digging into the iOS logs with Configurator 2, I found the following:


Dec 18 21:46:04 Ricks-iPhone-12 kernel(IOTextEncryptionFamily)[0] <Notice>: AppleFairplayTextCrypterSession::fairplayOpen() failed, error -42017
Dec 18 21:46:04 Ricks-iPhone-12 SpringBoard(SpringBoard)[532] <Notice>: [Main] dispatch event:<SBInsertionSwitcherModifierEvent: 0x283e8b960; type: Insertion; intoIndex: 0; phase: DidUpdateModel; appLayout: <SBAppLayout: 0x283761880; primary: com.autodesk.ios.SketchBookPro3; environment: main>>
Dec 18 21:46:04 Ricks-iPhone-12 CommCenter[562] <Notice>: #I FBSDisplayLayoutUpdateHandler: update start
Dec 18 21:46:04 Ricks-iPhone-12 runningboardd(AppServerSupport)[502] <Notice>: <OSLaunchdJob | handle=56FA402D-780B-411F-B15E-C19E55A4E27C>: submitAndStart succeeded, state=3
Dec 18 21:46:04 Ricks-iPhone-12 CommCenter[562] <Notice>: #I FBSDisplayLayoutUpdateHandler: app <private> (UIApplicationElement 1 hasKeyboardFocus 0)
Dec 18 21:46:04 Ricks-iPhone-12 runningboardd(RunningBoard)[502] <Error>: Process start failed with Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=12 "Cannot allocate memory" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Launchd job spawn failed with error: 12}
Dec 18 21:46:04 Ricks-iPhone-12 runningboardd(AppServerSupport)[502] <Notice>: <OSLaunchdJob | handle=56FA402D-780B-411F-B15E-C19E55A4E27C>: remove succeeded
Dec 18 21:46:04 Ricks-iPhone-12 CommCenter[562] <Notice>: #I <private> request: <private>, expects reply.
Dec 18 21:46:04 Ricks-iPhone-12 runningboardd(RunningBoard)[502] <Error>: Launch failed with Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=12 "Cannot allocate memory" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Launchd job spawn failed with error: 12}


It looks like something is causing the FairPlay encryption to fail, which is causing the apps to not be able to allocate memory. Something with syncing to the M1 Mac seems to cause something in iOS fail.


Out of interest, I tried syncing the M1 MacBook to an old iPhone 6 running iOS 12.5 and it doesn't appear to have the same issues.


Until we get a fix from Apple, can you try resetting your iPhone/iPad and just use iCloud or the App Store app and avoid syncing with your Mac Mini until the issue is resolved?

Dec 19, 2020 10:21 AM in response to CodeMonkeyZimbu

Yep, I scheduled a phone talk on Sunday afternoon to see how to resolve the issue. I tried lots of method, and got the same temporary solution to use iOS/iPadOS app. But I don't know if all M1 chip Mac has this issue and I am asking other people, no people replied me about this syncing issue. Hope the issue is not from the M1 chip hardware.

Dec 19, 2020 11:59 PM in response to Joshua9809

I've been chatting with Apple Support as well. I'll let you know if they give me any more info.


I also discovered I was mistaken. The iPhone 6 is also failing. It's just that apps that were already open when you sync with the M1 Mac will continue to run properly, even if you close then, until you reboot the phone. So I thought it was working, but it actually isn't.


I found a few more people in these forums and on Reddit that are having the same problem. Hopefully if enough of us report it, Apple will issue a hot fix fairly quickly. They've got a lot riding on the success of the M1, so I suspect an issue with the M1 Macs essentially killing all the apps on the iPhone won't go unpatched for very long.

Dec 20, 2020 3:44 AM in response to Joshua9809

FWIW, I had updated my M1 MacBook Air on 12/14 to macOS 11.1.

On 12/17, backed up, synced, and then downloaded and installed

iOS 14.3 on my iPhone 11 Pro all via USB connected to my M1

MacBook Air and all went smooth and have seen no such issues

with apps opening. Also, even before that, syncing and downloading

apps while connected to the M1 MBA did not create any issues.


It doesn't fix your situations but just relaying my experience and

a sequence of events. Perhaps the sequence of upgrade events

that you may have done might have had some effect?



Dec 20, 2020 9:02 AM in response to woodmeister50

Sequence of events for me was:


New iPhone 12. Set up as a new iPhone (did NOT restore a backup from my old iPhone X. Wanted a fresh start). Was running... iOS 14.2? I think? Out of the box. Updated to 14.3 OTA using the Phone. Have not synced with ANY computers yet.


M1 MBP arrived. Was running macOS 11. Set up my account, logged into iCloud, downloaded a couple apps (1Password, Keka). Rosetta 2 got installed. Noticed that macOS 11.1 was out. Upgraded via About this Mac, Software Updates. Installed a few more apps (Xcode, VS Code, MS Office).


Around this point I decided to try syncing the iPhone and that's when I ran into issues. This is the first computer the iPhone attempted to sync with.


Since then, reset the phone many times, logged in and out of iCloud, tried a PC with iTunes and an older MBP with macOS 11.1 (no issues on either), tried my old iPhone 6 (issues on the M1 as well).


It appears to be something with the M1 that's causing the problems for me.

Dec 28, 2020 9:02 AM in response to Joshua9809

I got a m1 and a iphone 12 mini - nothing but sync problems...


Dear Apple, what you doin here?


You ever thought about the pricing your products compared to what you get.

i feel all get more complicated every year...... but okay..


For me, not even the photo import is working - 12 is on the mac and nothing happens, it tages ages "import preparing"


That was faster on my MBP2010 - i dont understand!?


Thats small things that just have to work....


Really frustrated, Photos is such a strange program, and even in 2020 its not working..

Jan 6, 2021 2:51 PM in response to Joshua9809

Hello all, Ive been dealing with this problem since 12/7 when I did my first sync to my new Mac Mini M1. Software is Big Sur 11.1 using iPhone 11 Pro Max iOS 14.3. My wife updated her phone first, it's an iPhone 8Plus that had absolutely no storage, so we just moved everything onto the mac and updated to the newest version 14.3. My phone was synced mere minutes afterward. I don't have any issues with Apps crashing, but I am unable to install new apps or update existing apps. I have tried every solution that everyone on the community has tried to no avail. I just haven't contacted Apple Support yet. Will be watching like a hawk for Mac and iPhone updates, or a solution.


Thanks,

M1 Mac synced with iPhone/iPad

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