iMac 2017 sync stuck, photos/music not syncing with iPhone.

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Level 1

4 points

iMac 2017 sync stuck, photos/music not syncing with iPhone.

I’m having issues with my iMac 27 inch 2017 5K retina display syncing with various models of iPhones from iPhone 12 Pro Max 512gb up to iPhone 17 Pro Max one tb using finder. My iPhoto albums do not sync fully and of the photos that do sync some are in the wrong albums on my phone, my personal saved music does not upload fully ( sync library is unchecked on both my iMac and phones). My movies and tv shows don’t show up on my phone. Lastly while syncing the progress gets hung up on the last step for hours. I’ve used high-speed cables through my thunderbolt port. I’ve fully restored my iPhones, I’ve turned both the computer and iPhones off and restarted them, I’ve also done a repair library function, none of which corrected my issue.

iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 13.7

Posted on May 2, 2026 12:40 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

MartinR

Level 7

26,148 points

Aug 16, 2026 6:13 AM in response to ReaseBear

What version of macOS is on your 2017 iMac ... and what version of iOS is on each of your iPhones?

- Your 2017 iMac could be running anything from macOS Sierra to Ventura
- Your iPhone 17 is probably running iOS 26
- Your iPhone 12 could be running anything from iOS 14 TO iOS 26

The iMac needs at least macOS Catalina 10.15.x to work with your iPhones. If your iMac is running an earlier version of macOS you need to upgrade it ... I suggest going all the way to macOS Ventura 13.x (the max for a 2017 iMac).

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Answer 2

WheelieNick

Level 9

53,175 points

Aug 15, 2026 3:33 AM in response to ReaseBear

Your iMac 27-inch 2017 running older macOS Finder sync architecture struggles with modern iOS/iPadOS data structures on newer iPhones. This mismatch causes database corruption during local handshakes, misindexed album hierarchies, media incompatibility for movies/TV shows, and endless hanging on the final "waiting for changes to apply" sync phase.

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