Q: iTunes: an invalid response was received from the device

Check your USB connections

If you see error 4005, 4013, or 4014, learn what to do. If you see one of the errors below, you might have a USB connection issue:

• 13, 14, 1600, 1601, 1602, 1603, 1604, 1611, 1643-1650
• 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009
• An error message that includes, "invalid response"

Use these steps to see if the issue is with your USB cable, USB port, or computer. Try again after each step:

1. Use the USB cable that came with your device. If you don't have it, try a different Apple USB cable.
2. Switch to a different USB port on your computer. Don't plug into your keyboard.
3. Plug into a different computer.
4. If you still see the error, you can check for other USB issues, issues with third-party security software, and issues with hardware.

If the issue continues, contact Apple Support.

Get help with iOS update and restore errors - Apple Support

However, you need iTunes 12.5 which require macOS 10.8.5.

What model MacBook? Maybe it can be updated

How to identify MacBook Pro models - Apple Support

How to identify MacBook models - Apple Support

This message is the one people are getting by not running the newest iTunes after upgrading to iOS10.

iOS 10 requires iTunes 12.5.1 or newer which in turn requires OSX 10.9.5 or newer. Software Update only checks for updates for the current system version you are running but that itself may be out of date.  It may or may not be possible to upgrade your computer to the required system. Find your computer model on the http://www.everymac.com web site and near the bottom of the system specification section it will say what OS versions it is capable of running. If you cannot run a newer system you will not be able to sync this phone to your present computer, though some features may be available with iCloud services such as Apple Music or Match. OSX 10.9 and 10.10 are no longer available. Check this article on El Capitan (OSX 10.11) and Sierra (OSX 10.12) upgrade options https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-10692   These systems may run slower on older machines and require additional RAM purchase (4 GB is a realistic minimum and many recommend 8GB).  Doing a big jump in system versions is also more likely to affect old software.

Snow leopard to el capitan, will it cause my macbook to be slow?  - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7412959

Current OSX general upgrade information, including system requirements - http://www.apple.com/osx/how-to-upgrade/

If you have any PPC generation software that has been running under OSX 10.6 it will not be supported under any later system versions.

Where did you get 10.9.5 or later for iPhone 5S with iOS 10?

The specs for iPhone 7 say 10.8.5 or later but for the iPads and iPod touch that can go to iOS 10 Apple says 10.8.5 or later.

However, it really makes no different since all Macs that can go to 10.8.5 can also go to 10.9.5 -10.11.6

iOS10 requires iTunes 12.5. It was standard Apple practice, release a new iOS and new iTunes version on the same day.  There's a few that updated over the air that found an exception and could use the old iTunes 12.3 but that is the minority and I doubt you can do it now.

The model device is irrelevant, it's the iOS version and what it requires.

http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/  -->

Software:

• OS X version 10.9.5 or later

Download iTunes 12.5.1 - https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1814

"This update includes support for iOS 10." =  Applespeak for, "You must have iTunes 12.5 to use iOS10."

The specs for the iPad pro

https://www.apple.com/ipad-pro/specs/

includess
;

Syncing with iTunes on a Mac or PC requires:

• Mac: OS X v10.8.5 or later
• PC: Windows 7 or later
• iTunes 12.3.3 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download)

Operating System

I remember with the release of the iPhone 6 Apple did something similar, had conflicting information on its specs site. People were flocking here saying Apple's phone specs page said they only needed iTunes something or other but when they plugged it into their computer it didn't work and now they had to buy a new computer.

One think I remember in the past in that older devices could use earlier versions of iTunes (and thus earlier versions macOS in some cases) than new devices that were released at the time iTunes releases.  That allowed users to test the betas of iOS versions. That could explain why only the iPhone 7 requires a newer version of iTunes/macOS than the iPad pro

From hanging out here regularly I can can only draw on what I have observed in dozens and dozens of posts over a decade:

If you have an older device, once you upgrade iOS it doesn't matter if the older device used to work with an earlier iTunes, it will now need the iTunes version Apple released at the time of the iOS upgrade.  I see dozens and dozens of topics like this on this forum each iOS upgrade. People running older devices upgrade them to the new iOS. The iOS determines they need the newer iTunes version.  Your observation about beta versions running under older iTunes is valid but I suspect that unless you continue to use the beta version and there isn't any version checking going on (and Apple is becoming more controlling about all this) you are stuck with the newer iTunes version.  The only times I can recall somebody saying here they use a new iOS under an older iTunes is when they have upgraded over-the-air.  If you do it with iTunes then no matter what Apple has in its other documentation (which is likely inconsistent and out of date, or just plain wrong) the fact is you have to use the newer iTunes even if you are using an iPhone 5 or iPad Pro or whatever.  Again, I don't care what they say in system specs. on Apple's pages, when it comes down to it the actual observations say you need iTunes 12.5 if you used iTunes to upgrade any iOS device to iOS10.  I have seen that kind of inconsistent/outdated documentation at the time of previous iOS releases too.

You model Mac ( Apple MacBook "Core 2 Duo" 2.4 13" (Black-08) ) on supports as high as Lion (10.7) and the version of iTunes compatible still will not work with iOS 10.

I do not understand why you would want to downgrade the version of iTunes. It will still not allow you to sync with an iOS 10 device

FloInTo wrote:

 

update

Apple MacBook "Core 2 Duo" 2.4 13" (Black-08) with OS X 10.6.8

iTunes v.11.4

 

not synching when plugging to iPhone 5 with OS10, and displaying that "invalid response"

 

I get that this version of iTunes calls for a newer version of iOS on the macbook.

However when searching for "updates available" on the MacBook, it says it's up to date (even though it's only 10.6.8). I gather that it will not allow any additional upgrade because it's too old.

 

Now, back to my initial question: is there a way to DOWNgrade iTunes back to what it was prior to installing 11.4 ?

 

 

please avoid answers bringing other systems or devices to the table such as ipad Pro. While interesting, it's sadly not relevant here.

 

Thanks

However when searching for "updates available" on the MacBook, it says it's up to date (even though it's only 10.6.8). I gather that it will not allow any additional upgrade because it's too old.

Correct. Read my original post, "Software Update only checks for updates for the current system version you are running but that itself may be out of date." Software Update does not check for newer systems and software versions they can run.  It looks at your computer and says, "What software can system 10.6.8 run? iTunes 11.4 is the newest system 10.6.8 can run."  It does not ask, "Can this computer run a newer operating system version?"

Now, back to my initial question: is there a way to DOWNgrade iTunes back to what it was prior to installing 11.4 ?

There is no purpose is downgrading iTunes. Why install an even older version of iTunes when the one you have is not new enough? It wasn't an iTunes upgrade (which you never actually did) that did this, it was the initial installation of iOS10. That's what made it so when you tried updating iOS10 to iOS10.0.2 your phone would no longer work with your iTunes version.  What you theoretically want to do is downgrade iOS so your current version of iTunes works with the phone again, but downgrading iOS is not possible. Even if you had the downgrade files your phone would try contacting Apple to verify them and Apple has stopped signing iOS9 for devices which have demonstrated they can run iOS10.  You are now stuck in a position where if you want to sync your phone directly with iTunes you will have to buy a newer computer. There is no workaround unless you learn how to use your phone without connecting to iTunes.  Because Apple offers a lot of cloud based services this is more possible than it was 5 years ago but still isn't ideal.

It would be nice if Apple included a feature to check for older computers before letting a person proceed with an upgrade but frankly Apple does not expect people to run computers more than 5 years or so and it it simply is not in the corporate thinking that anybody would do so.  Software support for about 8 years is about as much as you can expect and you're beyond that time.