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cant find movies on iphone

Hi, I have iphone 12 with IOS 16.1.1, (although the problems has been with me for many IOs's). I have backed up the phone on OS Catalina, through the finder. There are movies under the 'Films' tab, which are checked, but I cannot find them on the phone, I have looked in Apple TV, itunes, podcasts, photos, docs, slides, files... I give up, why's it so difficult to find them?


iPhone 12 Pro

Posted on Nov 28, 2022 11:23 AM

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Dec 1, 2022 7:48 AM in response to kw1330

You're most welcome, kw1330,


What happens if you search your iPhone for the file names? Are you able to locate the files?


If you need help to search your iPhone, you can follow the steps outlined here: Search from the iPhone Home Screen or Lock Screen - Apple Support

"Choose which apps to include in Search

  1. Go to Settings  > Siri & Search.
  2. Scroll down, tap an app, then turn Show App in Search on or off.

Search with iPhone

  1. Tap the Search button at the bottom of the Home Screen or swipe down on the Home Screen or the Lock Screen.
  2. Enter what you’re looking for in the search field.
  3. Do any of the following:
    • Hide the keyboard and see more results on the screen: Tap Search.
    • Open a suggested app: Tap it.
    • Take quick action: Start a timer, turn on a Focus, find the name of a song with Shazam, run any shortcut, and more. Search for an app’s name to see shortcuts available for the app, or create your own using the Shortcuts app.
    • Check a suggested website: Tap it.
    • Get more information about a search suggestion: Tap it, then tap one of the results to open it.
    • Start a new search: Tap the Clear Text button in the search field."



We look forward to your reply.


Cheers!

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Nov 30, 2022 11:56 AM in response to kw1330

Hey there kw1330,


Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities. We're happy to provide some assistance.


Let's make sure that you're following the correct actions outlined in this resource to sync movies between your devices:


Sync movies between your Mac and iPhone, iPad or iPod touch


If you are, does this occur with specific videos or any video you try to sync? What are the original sources of these movies? This can help us isolate the issue.


Let's make sure your devices are up-to-date. If it is updated, let's restart your devices. Restarting your devices and making sure they are updated can resolve many unexpected issues. 


Take a look here on how to restart your iPhone and Mac:


Restart your iPhone

Shut down or restart your Mac - Apple Support


Take a look here on how you can update your iPhone and Mac:


Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Update macOS on Mac - Apple Support


Keep us posted.


Have a great day!




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Dec 3, 2022 1:44 PM in response to kw1330

kw1330,


If you are unable to locate them by searching, they are more than likely not synced to your device. You can follow the steps from this article: Sync movies between your Mac and iPhone, iPad or iPod touch – Apple Support (UK) to sync them again.


1. Connect your device to your Mac.
You can connect your device using a USB or USB-C cable or using a Wi-Fi connection. See Sync content between your Mac and iPhone, iPad or iPod touch over Wi-Fi.
2. In the Finder  on your Mac, select the device in the Finder sidebar.
A device selected in the Finder sidebar.
If you connect your device to your Mac using a USB cable and can’t see the device in the Finder sidebar, see If your device doesn’t appear in the sidebar
3. Click Movies in the button bar.
The button bar showing Films selected.
4. Select the “Sync films onto [device name]” tickbox to turn on syncing of your films.
With the tickbox selected, syncing is set to transfer all your films to your device. 
The “Sync movies onto [device]” tickbox is selected, and the “Automatically include” pop-up menu is below that.
5. To sync a selection of films, select the “Automatically include” tickbox, then choose the number of recent or unwatched films from the menu.
6. Select the tickboxes for the individual films you want to sync in the films list. Deselect the tickbox for any film you don’t want to sync.
7. When you’re ready to sync, click Apply.


If this continues, you may want to reach out to Apple Support for further assistance. Depending on your region, you may be able to reach them here: Official Apple Support


Take Care!

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Nov 30, 2022 9:27 PM in response to Rob_H1

Thank you for your reply.

these are videos created by my company. Incidentally I forgot to mention that I was perfectly able to see these movies on my phone when we were able to back up using iTunes.

this has only happened since you dropped iTunes and now we have to use the finder.


in running IOS 16.1.1 and yes of course I have restarted my phone on many occasions.

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Dec 5, 2022 11:57 PM in response to ManJor

Thanks Manjor, if you see my original post and screen shot, that is exactly the problem already explained. The files are in the list to be transfered to the phone, but they are not being transferred, a search does not find them.

It was perfectly fine when we had itunes, its only since backing up via the finder that the probelm has started.

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cant find movies on iphone

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