iPhone 16 Pro Max does not show up in Mac finder

Using the supplied USB-C cable, I could not connect my new iPhone 16 Pro Max to my iMac 2017 connecting either of the 2 Thunderbolt (USB-C) ports. I am currently running Ventura 13.7 on the iMac and IOS 18 on the iPhone. Chatted with Apple support and went through all their suggested gyrations, e.g., rebooting devices, latest updates, etc. Nothing worked. Apple suggested I take my 2017 iMac to the store. I said bah humbug. Turns out, you can connect the phone using a USB-A to USB-C cable. Apparently the Thundebolt ports do not support iPhones but the 4 USB-A ports do. So there is no problem with iMac Ventura recognizing and handshaking with IOS 18. Hope this helps !!!

New software update to Ventura + iPhone update 18.1 resolves this issue

I have the same problem. Spent the entire night during lunch day trying to figure it it up

Tier one tech-support @Apple was completely useless.

Escalated complaint to tier 2 tech-support, which was very helpful. The tech went through all the troubleshooting with me, including trying to put the phone in DFU mode, which confirm that The phone was defective because it could not even get into that mode.

Long story, short, he concluded that it is a hardware issue. And so have to go to the Apple exchange procedure, to get the phone fixed, replaced.

Having the same problem connecting iPhone 16 pro to a MAC 2017 running Ventura 13.7 (latest OS that is available to it)

1. I HAVE BEEN using USB-A to USB-C cable. It does NOT resolve the problem for me. Cables are fine. Ports are fine.
2. Problem showed with first attempt to connect, using IOS 18 that came with the phone and continued after upgrading to the version of IOS 18 that I was asked to update to. Rebooted each; no change.
3. I AM able to connect an iPhone 11 running IOS 18.0 to the MAC and do everything normal (backup, sync, etc.)
4. I AM able to connect the iPhone 16 PRO to my MACbook pro (2023, Sonoma 14.5), and back it up. Of course, this does not help me sync photos and music which are on the MAC.

INTERESTINGLY, when I connect the iPhone 16 to the MAC (with USB-A to USB-C cable), it activates the battery charging. So there is recognition at some level.

Same problems, hardware: MacOS 13.7 on Macbook Pro 2017, iPhone 16 ProMax just out of the box.

Excellent help in this thread - I tried an old white USB-C to USB-A dongle (Apple original but ooold) and then USB-A to USB-C cable (to phone) - works!

Also tried putting an USB-A to USB-C little thumb adapter in the dongle then the original usb-c to usb-C, also worked.

Good hint for me was when the iPhone showed up in Apple-<option>SystemInformation under "USB".

Weird bug, hardware or software patchable?

I spent an hour chatting and troubleshooting with Apple Support about this to no avail. They finished by saying:

"It does look like this may be an issue that Apple is aware of and that is currently under review, meaning it is impacting several users. We would advise to keep checking for software updates for the iPhone as fixes for issues like this are usually a part of those updates. You may be able to check the support website as well for possible updates about this issue as it is being researched by Apple."

In other words, you're out of luck until they release another IOS update that fixes the problem (hopefully). In the meantime, you can give Apple a piece of your mind at http://www.apple.com/feedback

I am facing the exact same issue with my brand new iPhone 16 Pro Max! I am also using a 2017 15inch MacBook Pro. The Mac OS I'm running is Ventura 13.7. The issue was there right out of the box. I updated both the iPhone and the MacBook Pro OS, but I still don't see my phone in finder or in the apple music app on my computer. Besides this, I'm not sure if you faced this secondary issue - when i connect my phone to my MacBook Pro the battery symbol on my phone keeps flickering/alternating between its two states, i.e. from a charging battery symbol to a normal symbol. This issue persisted when i plugged it into my wife's MacBook Pro as well, so it made me think that the USB port on the phone was the problem. So I plugged it into an apple phone charger, and there was no issue. The battery symbol was stable and the phone charged. When I plug in my Samsung T7 Shield external SSD to the phone, it isn't recognised and ejects within a few seconds. The Samsung SSD shows up on my MacBook Pro without any issue. When I plugged the iPhone into my MacBook Pro using a Belkin USB-C Multimedia Hub, I got a pop up saying i needed to install an update so I clicked OK, and now I can see my phone in finder through the Belkin Hub. But when i tried to restore the phone from yesterdays backup on my MacBook Pro, it ejected immediately and wasn't visible in finder. Besides this, I still can't see my phone if i connect it directly to the USB-C port on my MacBook Pro. After all of this trial and error I am am not sure if this is an issue with the iPhone OS or the phones USB C port. Although, if this was a hardware issue, I don't think the phone would have connected to the MacBook Pro through the Belkin Multimedia Hub - especially since it needed a quick software update in order to connect through the hub. I wish I had taken a screen shot of the update, but i just clicked OK without reading the details!!! Apple - please fix this issue as i need to try and reset the phone and use a backup from my MacBook Pro, so I need to connect ASAP.

My wife was experiencing this issue on her iMac with the iPhone 16 Pro Max. I had just bought some new cables and tried a USB-C to USB-C cord but no connection was made. So I tried another cord and had the same issue. Reading this thread, I tried a USB-A to USB-C cord that was sitting on my wife’s desk that she said came with her iPad. That did not work. I bought high speed USB-A to USB-C cords for the cars and tried one of those. THAT WORKED! I got them from Cable Matters via Amazon. The description is below for the cord I have.

Cable Matters [USB-IF Certified] 10 Gbps Gen 2 USB A to USB C Cable 3.3 ft (USB C to USB Cable) in Black, Compatible with iPhone 16/15, 16/15 Pro Max, 16/15 Plus 

This problem is happening to me with my iPhone 16 Pro on iOS 18 connecting to my 2017 iMac running Ventura 13.7. Only one I can get to work is a lightning cable using one of the little adapters to convert lightning to USB-C. Reading this post, sounds like Apple knows about the problem, but hasn't sent out a fix yet. Tick Tock Apple, if you know about it, get a fix out asap please. There must be tons of us needing this update.

CynicChick wrote:

This problem is happening to me with my iPhone 16 Pro on iOS 18 connecting to my 2017 iMac running Ventura 13.7. Only one I can get to work is a lightning cable using one of the little adapters to convert lightning to USB-C. Reading this post, sounds like Apple knows about the problem, but hasn't sent out a fix yet. Tick Tock Apple, if you know about it, get a fix out asap please. There must be tons of us needing this update.

Apple does not read forum threads. If you want to let Apple know about it, as it is an issue that should be reviewed, contact Apple support directly.

Apple’s formal support can be reached several ways:

• You can provide feedback to Apple at→ Product Feedback - Apple where your issue or suggestion will be recorded, but you will not get a reply

For personalized support:

• Click on “Support” at the top or bottom of this page
• Go to Contact Official Apple Support

Note that both of the above have options to receive a callback or chat

And please report back what they say.

This October (2024) I upgraded my iPhone 13 Pro to an iPhone 16 Pro. During a run today I asked Siri to shuffle play a playlist. It kept just playing one song. When I finished I looked at Apple Music and discovered that all of my playlists were gone. (I have not subscribed to Apple Music - even for the free three months with the new phone.).

A friend of mine has had all kinds of issues with their personal music collection of music they've transferred from CDs he owns to MP3s so I have avoided a subscription. Regardless, I wanted my playlists to work so I thought well I'll plug in my iPhone to my MacBook Pro (2017 13" running Ventura 13.7) and resync and that should solve the problem.

As suggested here, when using the cable provided with the new iPhone with two USB-C ends, the MacBook does not detect the phone in any port. In fact, I tried a different new USB-C to USB-C cord (non Apple) and that didn't work.

I try to re-use cords as long as I can so I have several adapters I've purchased on Amazon including a USB to USB-C adapter and a Lightning to USB-C adapter. After finding this post and seeing @pamela85 post, I wondered if I could use my iPhone XS Max's USB to Lightning cable but add the USB to USB-C adapter one one end and the Lightning to USB-C adapter on the other end. Worked like a charm and all of my Apple Music playlists are now back in the Apple Music app on my new iPhone as well.

In case it helps anyone here are links to both these adapters on Amazon if you want to save some headaches. Photo attached as well. It's a shame that a critical function has not been addressed by Apple.

• USB-C to USB 3.0 Female Adapter for MacBook - https://a.co/d/fCuCROH
• Lightning Female to USB C Male Adapter - https://a.co/d/jdfb29t

Thanks to those who share information here!

• Are you using the cable that came with the iPhone?
• Are you using Apple’s firewall, or anyone else’s?
• Do you have an antivirus or other “protection" apps on your Mac (other than Malwarebytes)?
• Do you have any apps that purport to make your Mac faster, or to clean your Mac?
• Open Finder, choose Settings from the Finder menu and choose Sidebar from the Finder menu - make sure all boxes are checked

using usb-c to usb-a adapter solves the problem.