iPhone Wi-Fi sync fails in Finder after unplugging USB

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m4rek0 Author

Level 1

30 points

iPhone Wi-Fi sync fails in Finder after unplugging USB

Title: iPhone disappears from Finder over Wi-Fi sync after unplugging USB cable (iOS 26.4)

I'm running into a Wi-Fi sync issue that seems to be a known bug introduced in iOS 26.4.

Setup:

iPhone 13 mini, iOS 26.4
MacBook Air (2015), macOS Monterey 12.7.6
Same Wi-Fi network for both devices

Steps to reproduce:

Connect iPhone via USB cable to the Mac
In Finder, select the iPhone → General tab → enable "Show this iPhone when on Wi-Fi"
Disconnect the USB cable

Expected result: iPhone should remain visible in Finder's sidebar and be available for Wi-Fi sync.

Actual result: The iPhone disappears completely from Finder as soon as the cable is unplugged. No Wi-Fi sync is possible until the cable is reconnected.

Additional notes:

I also have an older iPhone 8 that continues to sync over Wi-Fi without any issues under the exact same conditions (same Mac, same network), which points to this being specific to iOS 26.4 on newer devices rather than a Mac/network configuration problem.
Tried disabling Private Wi-Fi Address on the affected network – no change.
Tried setting a static IP address on the iPhone – no change.
USB sync works fine; only Wi-Fi sync is broken.
My Mac can no longer be updated.

Has anyone else experienced this, or found a working workaround? Filed a report via Feedback Assistant as well.

iPhone 13 mini, iOS 26

Posted on Jul 8, 2026 12:49 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

m4rek0 Author

Level 1

30 points

Jul 29, 2026 10:44 PM in response to m4rek0

Fixed it by doing a full reset of the iPhone (Erase All Content and Settings) and restoring from a backup stored on the Mac. Wi-Fi sync works again after that. My guess is the reset cleared out some corrupted state related to the Wi-Fi sync/pairing that got introduced during the iOS 26.4 update, and restoring from backup brought the data back without carrying over whatever was broken. Might be worth trying for anyone else stuck on this.

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Answer 2

m4rek0 Author

Level 1

30 points

Jul 8, 2026 11:56 PM in response to lobsterghost1

Thanks for the suggestion, but that didn't work for me either — I tried it in several variations (syncing before disconnecting, with Wi-Fi sync enabled from the start, and with it enabled only after the sync completed).

I also ruled out the network/router and Mac-side settings as the cause: I have an older iPhone 8 on the exact same Wi-Fi network and Mac, and it continues to sync over Wi-Fi without any issues. I also tried disabling the firewall and restarting the router — no change.

Based on this and the iMazing blog post about iOS 26.4 Wi-Fi connectivity issues, it looks like this is a compatibility issue between iOS 26.4 and older macOS versions rather than a pure iOS bug: Apple apparently updated the Wi-Fi device drivers on the Mac side in macOS 26.4 to handle a new connectivity protocol introduced in iOS 26.4. My MacBook Air (2015) can no longer be updated past macOS Monterey 12.7.6, so it never received that driver update — which would explain why Wi-Fi sync is broken specifically between iOS 26.4 devices and older Macs, while USB sync still works fine.

For now, USB seems to be the only reliable workaround for anyone in the same situation (newer iPhone + older Mac that can't update further).

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Answer 3

Jul 8, 2026 5:03 PM in response to m4rek0

m4rek0 wrote:

Title: iPhone disappears from Finder over Wi-Fi sync after unplugging USB cable (iOS 26.4)

I'm running into a Wi-Fi sync issue that seems to be a known bug introduced in iOS 26.4.

Setup:•

iPhone 13 mini, iOS 26.4

• MacBook Air (2015), macOS Monterey 12.7.6

• Same Wi-Fi network for both devices

Steps to reproduce:1.

Connect iPhone via USB cable to the Mac

2. In Finder, select the iPhone → General tab → enable "Show this iPhone when on Wi-Fi"

3. Disconnect the USB cable

Expected result: iPhone should remain visible in Finder's sidebar and be available for Wi-Fi sync.

Actual result: The iPhone disappears completely from Finder as soon as the cable is unplugged. No Wi-Fi sync is possible until the cable is reconnected.

Additional notes:•

I also have an older iPhone 8 that continues to sync over Wi-Fi without any issues under the exact same conditions (same Mac, same network), which points to this being specific to iOS 26.4 on newer devices rather than a Mac/network configuration problem.

• Tried disabling Private Wi-Fi Address on the affected network – no change.

• Tried setting a static IP address on the iPhone – no change.

• USB sync works fine; only Wi-Fi sync is broken.

• My Mac can no longer be updated.

Has anyone else experienced this, or found a working workaround? Filed a report via Feedback Assistant as well.

I had this happen. I did something very simple. While connected to my MacBook Pro, with Show this iPhone While on Wifi, turned on, I Synced my iPhone before disconnecting it and it now shows in Finder without being connected by cable.

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Answer 4

m4rek0 Author

Level 1

30 points

Jul 9, 2026 12:15 AM in response to lobsterghost1

Same problem iPhone-Mac WiFi sync: total failure - Apple Community

iPhone 13 - MacOS Monterey , My guess is the actual root cause is a driver-level issue on the Mac side — specifically the Apple Mobile Device drivers Finder relies on for Wi-Fi sync haven't been updated to handle whatever changed in iOS 26.4, and macOS Monterey will never get that update since it's no longer supported.

Solutions: Buy New Mac :)

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