iphone with IoS9 incompatible with Snow Leopard

If you've already got Windows 7 installed you're ahead of the game. My explanation was long winded but it's pretty simple. iTunes files are the same on Mac and PC so you can transfer Libraries and Backups with ease. I've got my iPhone 5 running iOS 9 and everything restored. Just take your time and follow the steps if you'd like to upgrade. Otherwise you can stay at 8.4.1 for as long as it's supported. I realize that the windows (no pun intended) for these legacy Mac soft-wares are fast closing which is why I'm looking for a path forward. I hope my tip helps someone 🙂

I had the same problem. Updated my iPhone to latest software yesterday; it then wouldn't connect to iTunes; I tried to update iTunes but it told me my Mac wasn't up to date and couldn't; tried to update my 2010 Mac Pro but it told me the software was already up to date. I called apple support in the end and they told me me to download the latest OS X from Apps (OS X El Capitan) as my Mac was still running on Snow Leopard, apparently. I have done this today and all my problems are solved.

Same here. I bought an iPhone 6S Plus two days ago. My Macbook 6,1 with Snow Leopard forced me to install the latest itunes version 12.3. Impossible with Snow Leopard. After installing the only available OSX El Capitan the itunes sync worked slow but fine. Unfortunately the Macbook was not usable any more (every start of a programm takes 2 minutes...). So dont even try it. It consumes only time. Luckily a made a time mashine backup my well running Snow Leopard system...

The Apple Hotline in Germany told me, there is no way, except to use iCloud backups only or to buy a new Macbook... Not accaptable...

So what shall I do? I needed a new phone now and not a new Macbook. So I returned my iPhone 6 S Plus yesterday and bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 instead. It`s a acceptable device for even 450 € less...So there is enough budget to buy all the Android versions of my Apps again... But isn`t it strange that Apple forces me to to buy a iPhone without iOS 9? I am afraid there are no technical, but economical reasons at the apple side...I am really disappointed.

The same thing here with me as with MANY other users still running their machines (for whatever personal reason!) with SnowLeopard 10.6.8 and thus iTunes 11.4

All users who did the update via iTunes are stuck with the incredible and annoying update-message, not able to sync their phones anymore, wether its new iPhone 6 or older 4, or 5. the same as iPads... Strange enough that these users who did their updates via Wifi OTA THEY DONT HAVE A PROBLEM AT ALL... so Apple made a big mistake here in iOS9.02! Wether its wihtin the iOS9.02 update or in the iTunes 11.4 version which doesnt seem to run in 64Bit-mode or missing the relating code. No matter what, all devices who did this horrible update via iTunes are unusable in the end, not able to sync.

For whatever reason we all are stuck with this inacceptable problem as Apple dont seem to react and do something about it yet...

If Apple is not going to react soon, we just dont have other options than to change our hardware. Your decision if you stay with Apple or not.

But with me this time its not going to be Apple-hardware (no smartphone nor laptop) anymore. This is done for me. I will no longer support a company who is patronizing me buy giving out false and badly done updates without any error warnings in advance, now rendering my expensive hardware (iPhone5 which still should be supported according to Apples own compatibility list) to a useless piece of garbage. In addition there is to say that i am using Apple products for more than 20 years. I am also going to sell all my Apple stock the same as i am not gonna support such arrgant behavior.

No problems with any Andriod-phones in this way ... not for syncing with older Macs or systems nor beeing patronized by Apple to forced updates that dont work after what. Hey Mr. Cook, THIS is a good way to loose your customers. Just stay arrogant - but be aware you will loose in the end.

Additional here is the ONLY solution that i have found after hours on end for research, to at least get my contacts back on the iPhone to at least use it for phoning and WhatsApp again:

1. First you need to do the clean update, or if you have left with the last state after the annoying iOS9.02 update after the "cant sync message in iTunes" just stay at the after-install-screen on the iPhone/ipad-screen which gives you the opportunity to "use iPhone with new system".

Click on that option, enter all the nessesary data to make the phone usable (enter Apple-ID, choose language, adjust date and time etc.).

Next go to enter your wanted eMail-Adress-account entering all nessesary data to make it usable. Check if you can receive any eMails on the phone with it.

So once your iPhone/iPad is now rendered with a new usable system iOS9.02 and you are on the mainscreen with all functions of the phone working you may prepare for the rest.

2. Second now, go to your mailprogram (Mail, Entourage or Outlook) and export the contacts of your adressbook as a VCARD-file. Remember the location.

3. Next go to your Mailprogram set up a new eMail to yourself entering the eMail-Adress which is set up on your iPhone. The send the eMail to yourself (if possible with a second eMail account) attaching the VCARD-file prepared and exported before.

4. Go to your iPhone and receive your eMails. Open the eMAil with the attached VCARD-file, click on it.

5. It wil ask you if you want to "create new users from the VCARD-file", click YES.

It will take a minute or so (depending on the amount of contained adresses of your adressbook) and voila! after that minute you at least have back all your needed adresses to use your iPhone again as a PHONE or WhatsApp communication tool.

Sure this is just a little workaround, not giving you back full control over photos, sounds and music under your control. To do this you will have to buy expensive thirdparty-software like e.g. WonderShare´s "Dr. Fone for iOS" or else.

But at least you could use your phone again, having back adresses.

Hope this helps some other users who are stuck with the similar sync-problem on 10.6.8 and iTunes 11.4, at least as log until Apple is (hopefully) releasing another working iOS-Update (9.1 maybe?) which makes our phones working again the way it should. Also on old machines.

C´mon Apple do something about it...

Created an account to post.
I was equally frustrated when I ran into this issue with my late 2008 Macbook 2.1 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo had issues after I updated my iphone 6 to the latest iOS. Here's what I ended up doing, after some research:

https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/3oia5j/upgraded_to_ios_902_on_my_i phone_5_and_now_cannot/

I went from 10.6.8 to 10.7. This allowed me to update itunes and then update my phone. It was a 20$ download through the app store, which is lame, and I agree that apple did a poor job of notifying people of software compatibility issues on this one. As the comments state-back up your machine before attempting this. Before I found the above link, I was thinking I'd have to sell my phone and go with a Galaxy..

Anyway-I do hope this link helps somebody out there. Post in reply if it does.

Hi there,

well, as nothing of the above suggestions helped me to use my iPhone again the way i did before (i REALLY tried a lot for weeks now!) ... yesterday i just sold my iPhone 5 and will now go for an Android-one to get working again.

It is incredible to ask users to update to ElCapitain just to use another "new" iTunes when they cant, users of older machines (like my MB Pro from 2009 and my Intel Pro from 2011) arent able to upgrade to Captain, so what? They´d have to buy new Apple hardware to be up-to-date to use their still supported phones and ipads? Redicolous! I wont do so...

Already explained earlier i´m an Apple-user from "first hour on", always behind Apple. But since these things with the bad Update 9.02 or 9.1 really frustrated me now actually i wont stay with this kind of system or way of acting of APPLE.

My old machines are still working well, as long as they live. When "the day" comes that they will break ... i will definately not buy Apple-hardware again or maybe used ones in good shape. But definately i will no longer support a company who is trying to rip of users like this...and upgrade hardware every few years just to make some stockholders be proud of their values.

Understand you, me too!!!

Long diatribe -- happy with my Samsung 5520 or something until wifey insisted I use her donated 4S since she's BOUGHT a 5! So I peresevered.

Apple ALWAYS loses my logins, sometimes they work on the second go. (typos show frustration!) Using 1Password sometimes helps.

Apple Emails from Indonesia DON'T!

======

Yth. XXXXXXX, Kata sandi untuk ID Apple (XXXXXXX) berhasil diatur ulang. Jika Anda tidak membuat perubahan ini atau jika Anda yakin ada pihak tidak berwenang telah mengakses akun Anda, kunjungi <https://iforgot.apple.com/>iforgot.apple.com untuk secepatnya mengatur ulang kata sandi Anda. Lalu masuk ke <https://appleid.apple.com/choose-your-country>ID Apple Saya untuk meninjau dan memperbarui pengaturan keamanan. Jika Anda memerlukan bantuan tambahan, hubungi <https://www.apple.com/support/country/>Dukungan Apple. Hormat kami, Dukungan Apple

=========

Anyway, she upped the 5 to 9.XX? and 10.6.8 screwed! (As was her donated 4S that caused me to clean install Crapitan on my FW drive.)

The 5 iOS9XX needed later iTunes, not compatible with SL!!

I spent a long time installing El Crapitan on FW ext to help her. It didn't, the 5 never recognised in iTunes 12.XXX on the Clean Install! All I got was 'Password' 'Authenticate' and gimme dosh!

She had no access to BOUGHT items downloaded under iOs8!!!

I transferred the 5 to my iMac SL and authorised it?? It actually showed up in my FW iTunes Crapitan!

I gave up and transfered the 5 back to wifey's iMac, SL and, lo and behold, booting back into SL, when she clicked on an eBook image IT ASKED DID SHE WANT TO TRANSFER IT TO THE IPHONE!

Alas, clicking did nothing, nothing happened. Her coffee got cold waiting!

Wifey did say that in earlier systems she just dragged from her iTunes library into the iPhone. Obviously this was too easy for script-kiddies who, possibly, were instructed to $$$ capitalise? Have they forgotten, "Drag & Drop?'

<Edited by Host>

Im afraid, after my rant, it got worse.

Itunes 12.? wouldn't show the 5 in 10.11.1

When cable-connected to wifey's iMac the 5 on SL (10.6.8) never appeared in iTunes (11.4) so I left her at it.

Sometime later she tells me the iTunes Pane was the actual content of the 5? She could pull-down a menu and it had "add to iPhone?"

Mysteriously the 5 now appeared in the iTunes 11.4 menu??

She said she had scrolled down the 5 content and Sync over WiFi was ticked - how I don't know 'cos 11.4 not compatible on SL! Maybe playing around in Capitan defaulted, I hadn't ticked this.

I dissed the 5 USB and it came back to iTunes presumably via WiFi?

It then asked did I want to sync via the Cloud! I thought SL can't connect to Cloud? But it Synched!

So, I mustn't touch wifey's iMac in case this weirdness stops!

On her iTunes Menu "Devices" one can select transfer Itunes stuff "to or from" her 5!!!

I tried duplicating this on my SL iMac, 11.4 iTunes, with my 4S iPhone, to no avail!

So, SL can connect to iCloud and an iPhone 5, iOS 9.1, will work with iTunes 11.4, even though 11.4 says it can't. (On wifey's iMac iTunes 11.4 NEVER says this??)

Can someone tell me HOW, please!

Just discovered more! Apple say WiFi via Ethernet won't connect iOS9 to latest iTunes on Capitan/10.8+? Better tell wifey - hers does on 11.4 iT SL!

Also my 4S 9.1 cables to Capitan ok but won't WiFi to it like wifey's 5 9.1 does to 11.4 iT, SL.

Think I'll grab some kexts from wifey's iMac and have a play!

It is unbelievable that Apple simply doesn't care about this issue!

Now I am stuck with an Iphone that I cannot sync anymore without being forced to install the latest OS on my iMac.

Great job, Apple! Next phone is Samsung.

The easiest workaround is to get an external drive and install Capitan on that. It's a pain but until I discover why 10.6.8 + iTunes 11.4 works with iOS 9.1 on wifey's iMac it's the best suggestion?

If I do find out and publish no doubt a "Cease & Desist" from Apple would be the cheapest solution for them rather than fix 10.6.8 that DOES work!