iphone 16 can't connect to Windows 10

Yes, 'try a few' is what I noticed first hand. When I was having connection problems, I thought a bit and realized there probably was no way on earth it would be a USB-A port issue and it had to be a faulty cable. So, I asked a friend to borrow one; he gave me a bag with about 6 of them. For the fun of it... :-) I tried them all. 3 out of 6 worked. In any event, the problem was solved and I bought some new cables. I guess some cables are designed merely for charging.

For me it seems it's a USB-A problem with the iPhone 16 Pro. First off let me say this: It's not an iTunes problem. If the computer recognizes the phone, then iTunes will. At least that's what I've been seeing on multiple computers. And here's what I have: a Mac Mini and a MacBookPro. They are Intel machines and they are running Bootcamp with both Windows 10 and macOS installed. On the MacBookPro there are only USB-C ports so I'm using a USB-C to USB-C cable (as you would expect) and everything's working fine in both Windows 10 and MacOS. Windows recognizes the iPhone 16 Pro, so does iTunes. On the MacOS side a Finder window recognizes the iPhone.

On my Mac Mini I have USB-A ports and USB-C Ports. When using a USB-A to USB-C cable and using the USB-A port on the MacMini the iPHone is not recognized in either macOS or WIndows 10. When using the USB-C port with a USB-C to USB-C cable the iphone 16 Pro is recognized both in Windows and iTunes and on the macOS the iphone appears in a finder window.

So with what I've found, it seems it's not an iTunes / iPHone 16 Max problem. AND It's not a Windows 10 / iPhone 16 Max problem. The foundation of the problem is that it's a USB-A port problem. When you try and get the iPhone 16 Pro to be recognized on a machine using a USB-A port you'll fail. The only thing you'll see is that iPhone will charge, but that's it. The use of a USB-A port will cause failure with getting the phone recognized whether it's on a Mac or a PC. So, if someone doesn't have any machines with USB-C ports then it seems they are kind of out of luck.

I have this issue too with Windows 10 and iPhone 16 Pro. I want to try the iOS BETA to checkout the AI features but cannot backup my phone, presumably unless I use iCloud. I don't trust nor use iCloud. I have been using use iMazing local backups.

Neither Windows Explorer nor any software to backup the phone can see the phone when it is connected to my computer via USB. When I plug it into the computer, I get no message from Windows nor the phone. Normally you are asked if you trust the computer by the phone and the computer may ask how you want to use the device. In this case, nothing happens.

I have not tried with iTunes as I use iMazing. For QoF I had hoped never to open that software again forever, but I may give that whirl. The only thing I can see where this might help is if the iPhone 16's require drivers of some sort to be recognized by a computer system, maybe the USB implementation isn't completely standard and maybe the drivers are packaged with iTunes. Maybe Apple has new modern functional non-bloated app(s) to replace iTunes now??!?

I had read other threads that Apple support reported the lack of connectivity to the desktop for the iPhone 16 line is "by design". It's second and third hand info. I have also read a number of Mac threads that indicate the Macs have the same or similar issue. However the Mac folks found a work around where they can use a USB-C to USB-A converter cable and plug the USB-A into the Macbook (or a connected hub) and get it to work. My system only has one in-use USB-C which I have not tried yet, I have been trying with a USB-C to USB-A cable to no avail.

If your computer doesn't recognize your iPhone, iPad, or iPod

If your computer doesn't recognize your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

iOS device not showing in iTunes for Windows

iOS device not showing in iTunes for Wind… - Apple Community

I had the same problem. I changed to a better cable and it worked. It is not a USB A issue on the PC. It is the cable.

I have a new iPhone 16 Pro Max and I was having trouble getting the phone recognized by Windows 10 and as you would expect iTunes. But I solved the problem; it was an easy fix. It was a cable problem. The cable I was using was good enough for charging, but not good enough for data transfer. You see, my Windows 10 PC has no USB-C ports; just USB-A. So, I had to use a USB-A to USB-C cable and I only had one of them. It was a cable I got with a product that I bought (can't remember exactly which product) but it was included for charging purposes, and that's what it is intended for. To be clear...the cable *did* transmit juice to my iPhone 16 Pro Max; I could see that it was charging. As I stated earlier, the cable wasn't good enough to do anything more than that. I borrowed 5 or 6 cables from a friend. Of the ones he gave me to try, 3 of them were good for both charging and data transfer and 3 were only good for charging. It seems there are a lot of cables out there that aren't all that good. But, problem all solved.

Update: As I stated in another post, it turns out my problem was a cable quality issue. My only USB-A to USB-C cable was just good enough for charging, NOT for data transfer. It wasn't until today when I borrowed about 6 USB-A to USB-C cables from a friend could I play around and experiment and see what exactly the problem was. So, this isn't some serious issue with USB-A ports not being supported by iPhone 16 Pro; it's merely a cabling issue. At least that's what I'm seeing here.

I have a similar issue but I am on Windows 11. On the laptop i have at work, my iPhone 16 does connect and sync with iTunes on windows 10. On my home laptop my iPhone will briefly show up in Apple Devices but then disconnect. I am able to sync my iPad and iPhone 12 that have iOS18 installed though.

I also bought a new Iphone 16 Pro. I could not connect it to my pc with USB A or to my MacBook Air using USB C cables. The phone will charge but not be recognized as a device. After talking to Apple for 3 hours they finally said it's a known issue. They hope to resolve it with an update but could make no promises. I too used Itunes to back up my phone. Forced to pay extra for Icloud backup.

I also bought iPhone 16 plus and I cant connect it through usb to my laptop. On another laptop it works well. Also an iPhone 13 I got connects without problems to laptop. I dont understand whats wrong here.

Same issue. Backed up my iphone 12 this morning on my windows 10 pc before trade in. When I got the iphone 16, i tried to restore from back up but the iphone was not being detected. (Only charges).

As a test, I used my work pc on windows 11 and it was being picked up as an apple device under file explorer.

I tried several troubleshooting steps on the Win10 device without any luck.

I connected via a usb-c to my phone and I can now see it using Apple devices. Itunes still doesn't see it.

I went through 4 USB-A/USB-C cables til I found one that worked for data transfer and this was recognizable by my Win10 machine and iTunes. You might have to try a few!

Contact Apple support directly by chat or phone.

Try different USB-A/USB-C cables til you found one that worked for data transfer and recognizable by Win10 machine and iTunes.