I'm having trouble connecting my iMac (26.5.2) to my iPhone 16 (also 26.5.2) with Apple Configurator. It connects but when I try to modify the home screen it just hangs.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Original Title: Apple Configurator problems
iMac 24″, macOS 26.5
If Apple Configurator successfully detects the iPhone but Actions >> Modify >> Home Screen layout hangs indefinitely, the issue is more likely to be caused by a software bug or an unsupported device state than by a connection problem.
Apple documents that Home Screen modification should work on supported supervised devices by opening the layout editor and allowing apps to be rearranged before the changes are applied. Apple Support documentation
The first thing to verify is whether the iPhone is supervised, since Home Screen layout management is intended for supervised devices.
A supervised device is one that has been prepared for management, typically by an organization such as a business or school, although supervision can also be enabled on a personal iPhone using Apple Configurator.
However, simply connecting a personal iPhone to a personal iMac does not make the device supervised. A personal iPhone that has been set up normally is not supervised by default, and enabling supervision requires erasing the device and preparing it again through Apple Configurator.
Additional information about preparing and supervising devices is available in the Apple Configurator User Guide. Apple Configurator User Guide
If you are using a personal iMac with a personal iPhone that has never been prepared for supervision, this could explain why the Home Screen modification feature is unavailable or does not function as expected.
If your intention is to manage your own device, be aware that supervision is designed primarily for devices that are managed by organizations, although it can also be enabled on personally owned devices after they have been erased and prepared.
Organizations typically enable supervision through Apple Business Manager or Apple School Manager together with a mobile device management (MDM) solution. More information is available from Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager. Apple Business Manager Apple School Manager
If the iPhone is already supervised and the Home Screen modification still hangs, the issue is more likely to be related to the current Apple Configurator or iOS release than to the device configuration.
It is also worth confirming that the Home Screen has finished indexing. If the iPhone was recently restored, updated, or had applications installed, wait until all applications have finished downloading and the Home Screen is fully populated before trying again, since an incomplete Home Screen can cause Apple Configurator operations to behave unexpectedly.
Restart both the iMac and the iPhone, then reconnect the devices using a certified USB-C cable connected directly to the Mac rather than through a hub. It is also helpful to test another modification, such as changing the device name or wallpaper. If those actions work but modifying the Home Screen layout continues to hang, the issue is likely specific to the Home Screen editor rather than the USB connection.
There have also been recent reports on the Apple Developer Forums describing issues with Apple Configurator 2.20 on macOS 26.5.x when working with Home Screen and application layouts on iOS 26.5.x. Although the reported symptoms are not identical, they suggest that there are active regressions affecting Home Screen layout handling. More information can be found on the Apple Developer Forums. Apple Developer Forums
If none of these steps resolves the issue, filing feedback with Apple is recommended because the behaviour appears consistent with a software regression.
If Apple Configurator successfully detects the iPhone but Actions >> Modify >> Home Screen layout hangs indefinitely, the issue is more likely to be caused by a software bug or an unsupported device state than by a connection problem.
Apple documents that Home Screen modification should work on supported supervised devices by opening the layout editor and allowing apps to be rearranged before the changes are applied. Apple Support documentation
The first thing to verify is whether the iPhone is supervised, since Home Screen layout management is intended for supervised devices.
A supervised device is one that has been prepared for management, typically by an organization such as a business or school, although supervision can also be enabled on a personal iPhone using Apple Configurator.
However, simply connecting a personal iPhone to a personal iMac does not make the device supervised. A personal iPhone that has been set up normally is not supervised by default, and enabling supervision requires erasing the device and preparing it again through Apple Configurator.
Additional information about preparing and supervising devices is available in the Apple Configurator User Guide. Apple Configurator User Guide
If you are using a personal iMac with a personal iPhone that has never been prepared for supervision, this could explain why the Home Screen modification feature is unavailable or does not function as expected.
If your intention is to manage your own device, be aware that supervision is designed primarily for devices that are managed by organizations, although it can also be enabled on personally owned devices after they have been erased and prepared.
Organizations typically enable supervision through Apple Business Manager or Apple School Manager together with a mobile device management (MDM) solution. More information is available from Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager. Apple Business Manager Apple School Manager
If the iPhone is already supervised and the Home Screen modification still hangs, the issue is more likely to be related to the current Apple Configurator or iOS release than to the device configuration.
It is also worth confirming that the Home Screen has finished indexing. If the iPhone was recently restored, updated, or had applications installed, wait until all applications have finished downloading and the Home Screen is fully populated before trying again, since an incomplete Home Screen can cause Apple Configurator operations to behave unexpectedly.
Restart both the iMac and the iPhone, then reconnect the devices using a certified USB-C cable connected directly to the Mac rather than through a hub. It is also helpful to test another modification, such as changing the device name or wallpaper. If those actions work but modifying the Home Screen layout continues to hang, the issue is likely specific to the Home Screen editor rather than the USB connection.
There have also been recent reports on the Apple Developer Forums describing issues with Apple Configurator 2.20 on macOS 26.5.x when working with Home Screen and application layouts on iOS 26.5.x. Although the reported symptoms are not identical, they suggest that there are active regressions affecting Home Screen layout handling. More information can be found on the Apple Developer Forums. Apple Developer Forums
If none of these steps resolves the issue, filing feedback with Apple is recommended because the behaviour appears consistent with a software regression.
Thank you for the clarification.
That changes the picture significantly.
If you have been using Apple Configurator to modify the Home Screen layout on the same unsupervised iPhone for years without any issues, and the feature only stopped working within the last few weeks, then supervision is unlikely to be the cause of the problem.
The timing instead suggests a regression introduced by a recent update to Apple Configurator, iOS, or macOS. If Apple Configurator continues to detect the iPhone normally and other management actions still work, but Actions > Modify > Home Screen Layout hangs indefinitely, then the USB connection is probably not the source of the problem. The evidence points toward an issue that is specific to the Home Screen layout editor.
Apple's documentation continues to describe Home Screen layout management in Apple Configurator, although it does not indicate that a previously functional workflow on an unsupervised device should suddenly stop working.
The Apple Configurator User Guide is available at Apple Configurator User Guide for Mac - Apple Support, and information about preparing and supervising devices is available at Prepare an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV manually in Apple Configurator for Mac - Apple Support.
Because this behaviour represents a change from a long-established workflow rather than a configuration change on your part, it is consistent with the possibility of a software regression.
If the same behaviour occurs after restarting both devices, using a direct USB connection, and confirming that other Apple Configurator modification actions continue to function normally, then filing feedback with Apple would be appropriate.
Apple provides Feedback Assistant at https://feedbackassistant.apple.com for reporting suspected software regressions, and general product feedback can also be submitted at Product Feedback - Apple.
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I may not see you reply as Apples " My Subscription " seems to be malfunctions
Have bookmark this posting and will check it from time to time
I used it for years without incident, as an unsupervised device. It only stopped working in the last few weeks.
How to resolve Apple Configurator home screen modification issue on iMac and iPhone 16?
