Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT
How do I sync my old iPhone 5s to my old PC that still has iTunes on it?
When I click on sync devices I simply get a message as follows: The iPhone ‘iPhone’ cannot be used because it requires a newer version of iTunes. Go to itunes.com/uk to download the latest version of iTunes’
However my phone appears to be running the latest iTunes already?!
Many thanks for help/suggestions !
iPhone 5s, iOS 12
If you are using Windows Vista it is unlikely that you're using the latest version of iTunes, because the latest version (12.11.3.17) cannot be used by Windows 7, so I doubt very much that it can be used on Vista.
Uk_Help wrote:
I am running the latest version of iTunes on both (I think)
If you mean "both" on your computer and on your phone, the phone does not have iTunes installed on it. The phone uses iOS.
However, although your phone may have originally had iOS 7.0 on it, which I'm guessing could be used on a Windows Vista machine, if messages on the phone tell you that the software is up to date, and you have updated the phone over Wi-Fi (that means not using iTunes) then I think you will find that at the time of writing, your phone is iOS 12.5.4, which is almost certainly why the phone now requires a newer version of iTunes than you have on your machine. Check the phone's software version in Settings/General/About>Software Version.
You can check iTunes' software version by clicking on Help/About iTunes. I think it may be 12.1.3
Don't forget, Apple has a habit of telling you that a device's software is "up to date", when what it actually means is that it is running the latest version of software for that particular product. A subtle, but important difference.
If you are using Windows Vista it is unlikely that you're using the latest version of iTunes, because the latest version (12.11.3.17) cannot be used by Windows 7, so I doubt very much that it can be used on Vista.
Uk_Help wrote:
I am running the latest version of iTunes on both (I think)
If you mean "both" on your computer and on your phone, the phone does not have iTunes installed on it. The phone uses iOS.
However, although your phone may have originally had iOS 7.0 on it, which I'm guessing could be used on a Windows Vista machine, if messages on the phone tell you that the software is up to date, and you have updated the phone over Wi-Fi (that means not using iTunes) then I think you will find that at the time of writing, your phone is iOS 12.5.4, which is almost certainly why the phone now requires a newer version of iTunes than you have on your machine. Check the phone's software version in Settings/General/About>Software Version.
You can check iTunes' software version by clicking on Help/About iTunes. I think it may be 12.1.3
Don't forget, Apple has a habit of telling you that a device's software is "up to date", when what it actually means is that it is running the latest version of software for that particular product. A subtle, but important difference.
Hi,
Thanks again for responding - I have their details below:
Does the above mean that they are incompatible?
When I run ‘iTunes diagnostics’ on the laptop specifically for ‘device connectivity’ and ‘device sync tests’ I get ‘No iPod, iPhone or iPad found’. Or ‘An iPhone has been detected but it could not be identified properly’.
Thanks for any further help!
The message you quoted tells you what you need to do: use a newer version of iTunes. So the obvious question is: which version of iTunes are you running and which version of Windows?
Thanks for responding!
I am running the latest version of iTunes on both (I think) and the computer is running Windows Vista 2006.
If your phone is using iOS 14.3 that suggests it may be an iPhone 6, rather than a 5S.
But that version of iTunes is old, and it's is why it cannot see the phone, so yes, they are incompatible.
Thanks so much for the help, that’s much appreciated.
Trouble syncing iTunes
