Why can't I sync my Mac music to my iPhone anymore?

Question

Level 1

26 points

Why can't I sync my Mac music to my iPhone anymore?

I am no longer able to sync music to my iPhone.The iPhone appears in the side bar but nothing shows when I highlight the bar. In Apple music, "sync settings" is greyed out. I refuse to subscribe to Apple music or use iCloud. I manage my data with cables and using my MacBook as the primary data store control point (with backup). I have restarted my MacBook and iPhone several times. I did not buy a mac to have to do this. This problem has appeared since the last system update.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iPhone XS, iOS 18

Posted on Dec 26, 2024 5:25 AM

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Answer 1

Dec 28, 2024 10:00 AM in response to gmd12

After you connect the two, did you unlock the phone screen?

I'm trying to remember what happened with my iPhone – whether making the connection required unlocking the iPhone, and/or responding to a prompt on the iPhone screen asking if I wanted to trust the Mac.

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Answer 2

Dec 28, 2024 6:30 AM in response to gmd12

I would think that would work.

High Sierra is technically good enough to manage iPhones running iOS 17 and 18 – judging by the specifications for iPhone 15-series and 16-series phones, respectively. But people in these forums have had mixed experience with being able to actually manage phones running iOS 17 and 18 using High Sierra.

Since that's not the issue, let's check something else.

In the Finder, if you go into Finder > Settings… and click on the Sidebar tab, is there a checkmark next to the line "CDs, DVDs, and iOS Devices" (in the Locations section)? If that preference was cleared or reset, that could explain the phone not showing up in the sidebar of Finder windows.

Have you verified that the cable that you use to connect the Mac and the phone is rated to carry data – and is not just a charging cable that would provide power to the iPhone but wouldn't let the Mac and iPhone see each other?

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Answer 3

Dec 28, 2024 3:04 AM in response to gmd12

Which version of macOS is your Mac running?

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Answer 4

gmd12 Author

Level 1

26 points

Dec 28, 2024 6:58 AM in response to Servant of Cats

Checked the finder settings, all ok. Tried 4 different data cables just in case. They worked on the new OS for downloading new photos and deleting all my existing photos (an entirely different set of problems caused by the abomination of a new photo system on the new OS). I can see the phone in the side bar. The problem is that selecting this does not display anything in the finder window. It is blank.

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