My iMac's finder sees my iPhone but not my iPad when plugged into chargers

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Level 2

176 points

My iMac's finder sees my iPhone but not my iPad when plugged into chargers

My iMac's finder sees my iPhone but not my iPad when plugged into chargers on my desk where all three are sitting. If I plug then directly into my M1 iMac, I often get "USB Accessories Disabled Unplug the accessory using too much power to re-enable USB Devices". So I plug them into separate chargers.

All three devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. All three devices are logged into my AppleID. Texts and Notes get updated in all three together.

But when I open Finder, it only shows my iPhone.

Whenever I buy an e-book, I copy it to various e-book reading apps on both devices. There is no problem if the devices are plugged into my iMac unless I get that error above. Finder shows both devices. But when they are plugged into chargers, I only see my iPhone.

I'm not finding any setup difference to explain this problem.

What should I look for next?

(Also, how do I tell this page that I no longer have my old 2013 iMac, but have a M1 iMac)

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Feb 17, 2022 7:15 AM

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Answer 1

destiny241

Community Specialist

Feb 18, 2022 8:32 AM in response to Howard Brazee

Hello Howard,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. Based on your post, you have issues connecting your iPad to your M1 iMac.

It sounds like you have both the iPhone and iPad connected the iMac at the same time. The iPhone shows up in the Finder, but the iPad does not. Does this happen when you disconnect both devices from the Mac and reconnect only the iPad?

To address your last question on changing your devices under your Communities profile, this would be pulled from the account's devices that is currently signed in to this website. To manage the devices signed in to your iCloud account, go to iCloud online: Sign in to iCloud Select on "Account Settings" at the top right side and then you'll see a list of devices you can manage: See information about devices signed in with your Apple ID on iCloud.com

Hoping to hear back, take care.

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Answer 2

destiny241

Community Specialist

Feb 18, 2022 9:54 AM in response to Howard Brazee

Hi Howard,

The error, "USB Accessories Disabled Unplug the accessory using too much power to re-enable USB Devices" would mean that the connected devices or accessories are using more power than the Mac can provide. Are you using a USB hub to connect these devices by chance? If so, do you ever receive this error when you connect them directly to the Mac? Also, if you have any other external devices connected to the Mac, we'd safely eject them and test it out.

You mentioned that the iPhone doesn't sync files over unless it's connected to the iMac. Were you trying to wirelessly sync the content over?

Some helpful resources might be:

Intro to syncing your Mac and your devices

Sync content between your Mac and iPhone or iPad

Have a good one, Ciao.

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Answer 3

destiny241

Community Specialist

Feb 19, 2022 6:29 AM in response to Howard Brazee

Hey Howard,

Nice work on this. Given the steps taken and the issue here, it would be best to connect with Apple Support directly: Get Support

Wishing you well, cheers.

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Answer 4

Howard Brazee Author

Level 2

176 points

Feb 26, 2022 6:42 AM in response to destiny241

The iMac not seeing my iPad is a simple problem with a simple solution. I can't set it on the iPad, but needed to plug it into the iMac and change the setting in finder.

The USB problems apparently require me to buy a powered hub. My iMac just doesn't have enough power in its USB/Thunderbolt ports.

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Answer 5

Howard Brazee Author

Level 2

176 points

Feb 18, 2022 8:45 AM in response to destiny241

When they are plugged into my M1 iMac, Finder sees them both. (As long as USB devices aren't disabled).

When my iPad is plugged into my iMac, and my iPhone plugged into a charger, Finder sees them both. I sometimes have troubles copying files to my iPhone if it's not plugged into my iMac (so I plug it into my iMac to transfer files).

When my iPad is plugged into a charger, Finder doesn't see it. When I unplug it from my iMac, it disappears from Finder and doesn't show up again when I plug it into a charger.

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Answer 6

Howard Brazee Author

Level 2

176 points

Feb 18, 2022 10:09 AM in response to destiny241

I do have an unpowered USB hub. I wish I had bought a powered Thunderbolt hub, but I'm not yet ready to replace it. My M1 iMac has 2 Thunderbolt and 2 USB plugs that are being used. At the moment, the only thing plugged into my USB hub is a memory card though. I have an SSD drive plugged into my iMac directly. Earlier today, when I plugged my iPad directly into my iMac, I got the following message: “Disk Not Ejected Properly Eject “LaCie SSD” before disconnecting or turning off”—Finder showed it connected and working.

That's why I would like to be able to use Wi-Fi to reliably connect my devices to my iMac. Finder sees my iPhone when I do that, and sometimes I can copy files to it without plugging it into my iMac. Finder doesn't see my iPad and I don't see any difference in how it is set up to how my iPhone is set up. Both devices are fully charged and plugged into power supplies.

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My iMac's finder sees my iPhone but not my iPad when plugged into chargers

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