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what does error 4000 mean

what does error 4000 mean? I try to update my phone with itunes and it says cannot update error 4000

iPhone 11 Pro

Posted on May 20, 2021 10:50 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 20, 2021 10:51 AM

Error 4000 is an undocumented error code (at least publicly undocumented). It means that the connection between the phone and iTunes was interrupted in the middle of a sync or update activity. In the past this might have been caused by a flakey USB port, an antivirus or a firewall. However, there is a new cause of this error that is the result of a bug in iTunes for Windows that requires the phone not be locked during the update. I think this has been finally fixed in the latest iTunes update, so try getting that from https://itunes.com/. If not first check your antivirus and firewall (temporarily disable them), but if that doesn’t fix it there are three workarounds for the bug:


  • Update over the air, by going to Settings/General/Software Update
  • Downgrade iTunes to version 12.8 if you can find a copy - try https://apple.com/itunes
  • Temporarily disable the screen lock passcode on the phone before updating using iTunes on Windows


Note that this error should only be a problem for updates; if you are restoring iOS rather than updating it should not occur.

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 20, 2021 10:51 AM in response to Deb2293

Error 4000 is an undocumented error code (at least publicly undocumented). It means that the connection between the phone and iTunes was interrupted in the middle of a sync or update activity. In the past this might have been caused by a flakey USB port, an antivirus or a firewall. However, there is a new cause of this error that is the result of a bug in iTunes for Windows that requires the phone not be locked during the update. I think this has been finally fixed in the latest iTunes update, so try getting that from https://itunes.com/. If not first check your antivirus and firewall (temporarily disable them), but if that doesn’t fix it there are three workarounds for the bug:


  • Update over the air, by going to Settings/General/Software Update
  • Downgrade iTunes to version 12.8 if you can find a copy - try https://apple.com/itunes
  • Temporarily disable the screen lock passcode on the phone before updating using iTunes on Windows


Note that this error should only be a problem for updates; if you are restoring iOS rather than updating it should not occur.

what does error 4000 mean

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