Is iOS 17 compatible with itunes 12.8.2.3 under macOS Sierra 10.12.6?

https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/461301/mac-os-10-13-6-and-newer-mobile-devices-not-working-with-itunes-12-8-3-1-mobiled/

i followed the instructions on this post. iphone 12 mini on ios 17, and my early 2013 retina macbook pro on high sierra.

i downloaded a few of the xcode 15 betas. i'm not even sure which one i opened, there's 15 beta 2, 15.1 beta 2, 15.1 beta 3. i wonder if the non beta would also work.

i unzipped it, went to show package contents, and followed to:

xcode-beta.app/Contents/Resources/Packages/MobileDevice.pkg

and ran that package, as the above instructions stated.

i quit itunes, unplugged the phone, reopened itunes, plugged the phone in, and now it's there.

There are a few posts around about this. This solution works.

Download Xcode 15 (any version or beta seems to work)

Uncompress

Right on Xcode, Show Package Contents

In folder /Contents/Resources/Packages drag MobileDevice.pkg to desktop and install

No need to restart. Now your device should show up in iTunes.

MobileDevice.pkg is only 11mb, it would be nice if someone would just share that file so we didn't have to download 3gb of Xcode, but I assume that sharing the file would be a problem.

While looking for a solution I did a fresh install of High Sierra and it downloaded the needed update fine, so we must have something installed that is blocking this update.

I found this from Apple online:

If you continue to see this message, or if the installation fails:

• Install the latest software updates or upgrades for your Mac.
• If your iPhone is using iOS 17 or later, or your iPad is using iPadOS 17 or later, make sure that your Mac is using macOS High Sierra or later.
• Learn what to do if the update continues to fail for unknown other reasons.

It does seem as though the phone should work with High Sierra...

ddkwilson wrote:

I found this from Apple online:

If you continue to see this message, or if the installation fails:

Install the latest software updates or upgrades•  for your Mac.

If your iPhone is using iOS 17 or later, or your iPad is using iPadOS 17 or later, make sure that your Mac is using macOS High Sierra or later• .

Learn what to do if the update continues to fail for unknown other reasons• .

It does seem as though the phone should work with High Sierra...

The Technical Specifications for iPhone-15-family phones say that you can use High Sierra, although they also mention an "iTunes 12.9" that does not seem to be at iTunes - Apple – at least not yet. That would seem to hold out some hope for using High Sierra to manage other iPhones that are now running iOS 17.

It's probably pretty safe to say that Macs running El Capitan or (low) Sierra won't be able to manage an iPhone that's been upgraded to iOS 17.

A quick update on this issue.

Following ddkwilson’s post suggesting iOS 17 would work with 10.13 High Sierra, I decided to risk my current old install of Adobe CS3 and upgrade to High Sierra.

I can report that having installed it, and run the required software updates from the Mac App Store including an update to iTunes, the required software update to connect an iPhone 13 running iOS 17 has now downloaded and installed, and I can again manage the phone through iTunes as before. CS3 still seems to work too which is a bonus.

I would therefore suggest upgrading to High Sierra if you can to resolve the issues with iOS 17.

Thanks for all the suggestions and help on here.

For Sierra users, upgrading to High Sierra – and then to iTunes 12.8.3, if needed - might fix it. (I say might because of conflicting reports in this thread and others.)

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

iTunes - Apple

There is also a commercial application called iMazing that might be able to do some of the same sorts of things that iTunes did. I could be mistaken, but it looks like the latest version might run on El Capitan or later (including Sierra), and be able to manage iPhones running iOS 17.

https://imazing.com/

Random_Identity wrote:

No resolution yet. Apple support confirmed to me this week that iOS 17 is not compatible with OSX High Sierra or earlier. Apparently the file system has changed since iOS 16 so it's tricky to patch and make it work now.

Apple's specifications for the iPhone 15-series phones say that you can use a Mac running High Sierra to manage them. At first they said you needed iTunes 12.9, but then they corrected that to say:

"Syncing to a Mac … requires:

macOS Catalina 10.15 or later using the Finder [or]

macOS High Sierra 10.13 through macOS Mojave 10.14.6 using iTunes 12.8 or later"

So theoretically it is only Macs running the latest version of El Capitain, or running Sierra, that got shut out. I think any Mac that can run Sierra can be upgraded to High Sierra, which would soften the blow for many Sierra users.

People's actual experiences trying to get iPhones running iOS 17 to sync with Macs running High Sierra seems to be all over the board, judging by the various topics here.

Jon DS wrote:

This thread is about Sierra (and iTunes 12.8.2.3 - the latest possible) not issues with High Sierra. Please create your own thread as you’re confusing the issue. Appreciated.

Sorry about that.

I believe the answer with regards to managing an iPhone that is running iOS 17, using Sierra, is that you can't. If you look at the Technical Specifications for the iPhone 15, which ships with iOS 17, they don't mention Sierra.

The Technical Specifications for the iPhone 13 and 14 (which are still on sale), also don't mention Sierra. That is, they don't now. If you look back at an archived copy of the iPhone 14 specifications from a year ago, you will see that "macOS El Capitan 10.11.6 through macOS Mojave 10.14.6 using iTunes 12.8 or later" used to be the system requirement. That would have included Sierra, using iTunes 12.8 or later.

Now you can't use Sierra to manage new iPhone 14s, at least not officially. What changed about the iPhone 14? iOS 17 came out.

iPhone 14 Technical Specifications – Wayback Machine (11/29/2022)

iPhone 14 Technical Specifications – Apple Support site

Hard to escape the conclusion that with iOS 17, Apple dropped support for using a Mac that is running Sierra to do iTunes-based syncing.

Did you try this? It seems to work.

Download Xcode 15 (any version or beta seems to work)

Uncompress

Right click on Xcode, Show Package Contents

In folder /Contents/Resources/Packages drag MobileDevice.pkg to desktop and install

No need to restart. Now your device should show up in iTunes.

My impression is that iOS 17 raised the bar. If you look at the Technical Specifications for any of the iPhone-15-family phones that shipped with iOS 17, this suggests that

• You can't manage an iPhone that is running iOS 17 using a Mac running El Capitan or Sierra
• You should be able to manage an iPhone that is running iOS 17 using a Mac running High Sierra or Mojave, or a PC running Windows, but you may need a newer version of iTunes

It doesn't look to me like the iTunes downloads at

iTunes - Apple

have been updated … but maybe the link in the iPhone 15 Technical Specifications lead to the right version.

to my understanding 12.8.x.x iTunes on your Mac does not work with IOS17. I was able however to sync by uploading my library to ITunes Match ($24.99/yr) then sync my music library on my phone with ITunes Match and download manually all my songs from the iTunes synced library on my phone.

in short: upload your music to iTunes Match and download it back to your phone (and download) via wi-Fi (since iTunes Match will be basically on iCloud)

Apple phone support weren't sure if it could be resolved. Helpful, but unsure.

After trying what they suggested (didn't work) I jumped in feet first and downloaded the iOS16 IPSW from another site (caution!). Attempting to restore to that version using a newer Mac just gives the message that its blocked. Seems that once you've installed iOS17 thats it, you're screwed if you rely on an older Mac 10.12.6/iTunes12.8.2.3 version to update music/create back-ups. Weirdly Photo's still works for my updated phone on Sierra 10.12.6.

My iMac that has been working perfectly for 10+ years has now been disconnected from my phone without any warning being given that this might happen if I upgraded my phone iOS. To say the least I'm ****** off!

I can confirm this Xcode “hack” works for both High Sierra and El Capitan for a recent iPad updated to iOS 17.3.1.

I was so annoyed to find out that my iPad no longer worked with iTunes 12.8.2.3 which I have installed on my goldieoldie Macbookpro5,1 (late 2008) with El Capitan (10.11.6) and Macbookpro7,1 (mid 2010) with High Sierra (10.13.6). (FYI, Photos and ImageCapture continue both to work fine without any problem or hacks after the iPad iOS17 update.)

# A few weeks ago I found the Xcode trick and applied it successfully on High Sierra, it worked like a charm.

Beware: I downloaded the Xcode 15 (without beta), the Xcode 15 app icon itself shows with a sign as not installable on my High Sierra mbp, but I managed to use the MobileDevice.pkg anyway by going to “Show package contents” entering the package, and was able to installe it without issues.

# Now, a few weeks later, I tried to connect the iPad to the other macbookpro with El Capitan, without luck. I didn’t remember the trick above and spent an hour chatting with an Apple support staff member.

She only could tell me that my computer “has several years“ – which is true, but it is still working like a charm for many tasks – and that tricks found in forums are not recommended. She was not willing to even look into the trick.

Today I tried to apply the trick on the mpb with El Capitan. I copied the MobileDevice.pkg from the High Sierra mbp to the El Capitan mbp’s desktop and installed it (which took a bit longer than the ”less than a minute“ screen). I had to restart both mpb and iPad but in the end it also works on my macbookpro with El Capitan.

Sooner or later I will have to buy a newer macbookpro anyway for my current job, but it disturbs me that Apple won’t take notice of this simple trick in order to help users with older macs. Promoting sustainability, right?! :)

AJHCPA wrote:

Another commenter in this thread pointed me to Xcode 15 and after downloading and installing this, my iTunes/MacBook can see my phone.

It shouldn't require downloading Xcode 15 and using parts of it to "fix" iTunes. It should just require having the latest version of iTunes 12.8 for High Sierra installed on your Mac. That was 12.8.3, the latest time I checked.

If that ISN"T enough, Apple needs to make a small revision to iTunes, and post a 12.8.4 version that will work.

Forcing people to mess around with downloading an entire development environment, just to get iTunes working, strikes me as more of the "DOS way" than the "Apple way."