iTunes stuck on "Reading photos from Pictures"

I was one of the first posters on this thread, and I am very happy to report that, after updating my IOS (IPhone 8) to 11.4 today, and updating ITunes to version 12.7.5.9 (released today), syncing my 4800 photos locally (not ICloud) through ITunes took just over 5 SECONDS. I have synced three times, just to verify, and subsequent syncs were essentially instantaneous.

I made NO other changes to my Windows 10 system, except to install these two updates from Apple. I am going to pronounce the issue resolved, at least for me.

Looks like Apple was listening after all. I just wish the tech support people knew more about what was going on in development. My experience with Apple Customer support throughout this process was essentially useless, right up to them replacing my PHONE for what was ultimately what we all knew.....a software bug in either IOS or ITunes.

This worked for me. I simply moved the iPod Photo Cache folder to another location (it doesn't matter where, just get it out of there) and then it synced just fine! When I went back into my photo folder, iTunes had created a new iPod Photo Cache folder.

Did you follow this routine when you deleted the iPod photo cache?

1. delete the ipod photos cache folder

2. uncheck photo synchronisation and synch the device acknowledging this will remove all synched photos.

3. Detach your device from the computer and do a hard reset of the device

4. Synch the device but this time tick the boxes for the photo folders you want to synch (might be worth just doing a few to start with if you have lots of pictures - my almost 3,000 took a while but less than half an hour)

I did the following just after this bug was discovered and since then on my iPhone 7 plus, iPod Touch and iPad Pro all photos have continued synching and being in the appropriate albums.

1. delete the ipod photos cache folder

2. uncheck photo synchronisation and synch the device acknowledging this will remove all synched photos.

3. Detach your device from the computer and do a hard reset of the device

4. Synch the device but this time tick the boxes for the photo folders you want to synch (might be worth just doing a few to start with if you have lots of pictures - my almost 3,000 took a while but less than half an hour)

FIXED … No thanks to APPLE .. BUT thanks to Forum member “sheindk”

I have the latest iPad 10.5 PRO 256GB using latest IOS11.3.1 and iTunes 12.7.4

I completely removed the current latest Itunes from my
Windows 10 PC USING the method recommended by APPLE …How to uninstall iTunes
etc.

Then I followed his/her advice:

Download the previous iTunes 12.7.3 from:

https://www.itechtics.com/download-itunes-12-7-3/

Then selected : Download iTunes 12.7.3 offline installer for Windows
64-bit [EXE 252 MB]

HOWEVER
.. small problem when opening this version on iTunes….. …
Warning appeared “iTunes Library.itl
Cannot Be Read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes””I Googled this and was directed to “idoanloadblog.com” and then a YouTube video to show you “How to Downgrade
iTunes and fix the Library.itl cannot be read error”I followed every frame of this video …

Then
I did an overnight 9 hour sync and all 38,000 plus photos were copied!

Phew!I am still very, very angry that Apple have still not fixed the error to the
latest iTunes and the way that they are handling this problem. It is now over 6
weeks since this started.

Good Luck! Michael.

FIXED … No thanks to APPLE .. BUT thanks to Forum member “sheindk”

I have the latest iPad 10.5 PRO 256GB using latest IOS11.3.1 and iTunes 12.7.4

I completely removed the current latest Itunes from my
Windows 10 PC USING the method recommended by APPLE …How to uninstall iTunes
etc.

Then I followed his/her advice:

Download the previous iTunes 12.7.3 from:

https://www.itechtics.com/download-itunes-12-7-3/

Then selected : Download iTunes 12.7.3 offline installer for Windows
64-bit [EXE 252 MB]

HOWEVER
.. small problem when opening this version on iTunes….. …
Warning appeared “iTunes Library.itl
Cannot Be Read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes””I Googled this and was directed to “idoanloadblog.com” and then a YouTube video to show you “How to Downgrade
iTunes and fix the Library.itl cannot be read error”I followed every frame of this video …

Then
I did an overnight 9 hour sync and all 38,000 plus photos were copied!

Phew!I am still very, very angry that Apple have still not fixed the error to the
latest iTunes and the way that they are handling this problem. It is now over 6
weeks since this started.

Good Luck! Michael.

FIXED … No thanks to APPLE .. BUT thanks to Forum member “sheindk”

I have the latest iPad 10.5 PRO 256GB using latest IOS11.3.1 and iTunes 12.7.4

I completely removed the current latest Itunes from my
Windows 10 PC USING the method recommended by APPLE …How to uninstall iTunes
etc.

Then I followed his/her advice:

Download the previous iTunes 12.7.3 from:

https://www.itechtics.com/download-itunes-12-7-3/

Then selected : Download iTunes 12.7.3 offline installer for Windows
64-bit [EXE 252 MB]

HOWEVER
.. small problem when opening this version on iTunes….. …
Warning appeared “iTunes Library.itl
Cannot Be Read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes””I Googled this and was directed to “idoanloadblog.com” and then a YouTube video to show you “How to Downgrade
iTunes and fix the Library.itl cannot be read error”I followed every frame of this video …

Then
I did an overnight 9 hour sync and all 38,000 plus photos were copied!

Phew!I am still very, very angry that Apple have still not fixed the error to the
latest iTunes and the way that they are handling this problem. It is now over 6
weeks since this started.

Good Luck! Michael.

FIXED … No thanks to APPLE .. BUT thanks to Forum member “sheindk”

I have the latest iPad 10.5 PRO 256GB using latest IOS11.3.1 and iTunes 12.7.4

I completely removed the current latest Itunes from my
Windows 10 PC USING the method recommended by APPLE …How to uninstall iTunes
etc.

Then I followed his/her advice:

Download the previous iTunes 12.7.3 from:

https://www.itechtics.com/download-itunes-12-7-3/

Then selected : Download iTunes 12.7.3 offline installer for Windows
64-bit [EXE 252 MB]

HOWEVER
.. small problem when opening this version on iTunes….. …
Warning appeared “iTunes Library.itl
Cannot Be Read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes””I Googled this and was directed to “idoanloadblog.com” and then a YouTube video to show you “How to Downgrade
iTunes and fix the Library.itl cannot be read error”I followed every frame of this video …

Then
I did an overnight 9 hour sync and all 38,000 plus photos were copied!

Phew!I am still very, very angry that Apple have still not fixed the error to the
latest iTunes and the way that they are handling this problem. It is now over 6
weeks since this started.

Good Luck! Michael.

Hello.

You should downgrade iTunes from 12.7.4 to 12.7.3. If you dont have the setup file for iTunes 12.7.3 go to filehippo.com and search for the version number. Uninstall the current iTunes from your PC and install the downloaded version 12.7.3.

After install when you open itunes you may get a message "the itunes library.itl is created with a newer version of itunes".To solve this go to your drive C>users>yournamefolder>music. In that folder you will find iTunes folder with a file "iTunes library.itl". Cut and paste this file to destop or any other safe location. There is a folder named previous iTunes library media. In that you can find Itunes library with different dates. Select the file with latest date and copy this file and paste this outside the folder.Rename it to iTunes library.itl.

Then you can open iTunes as usual and sync all your needed music and pictures as normal.

Hope this helps.

Hello TwinA1... I used to following format which worked for me ... having said that.. I’m too scared to resend! .....

FIXED … No thanks to APPLE .. BUT thanks to Forum member “sheindk”

I have the latest iPad 10.5 PRO 256GB using latest IOS11.3.1 and iTunes 12.7.4

I completely removed the current latest Itunes from my
Windows 10 PC USING the method recommended by APPLE …How to uninstall iTunes
etc.

Then I followed his/her advice:

Download the previous iTunes 12.7.3 from:

https://www.itechtics.com/download-itunes-12-7-3/

Then selected : Download iTunes 12.7.3 offline installer for Windows
64-bit [EXE 252 MB]

HOWEVER
.. small problem when opening this version on iTunes….. …
Warning appeared “iTunes Library.itl
Cannot Be Read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes””I Googled this and was directed to “idoanloadblog.com” and then a YouTube video to show you “How to Downgrade
iTunes and fix the Library.itl cannot be read error”I followed every frame of this video …

Then
I did an overnight 9 hour sync and all 38,000 plus photos were copied!

Phew!I am still very, very angry that Apple have still not fixed the error to the
latest iTunes and the way that they are handling this problem. It is now over 6
weeks since this started.

Good Luck! Michael from The Chalfonts, England.

Hello ... I used to following format which worked for me ... having said that.. I’m too scared to resend! .....

FIXED … No thanks to APPLE .. BUT thanks to Forum member “sheindk”

I have the latest iPad 10.5 PRO 256GB using latest IOS11.3.1 and iTunes 12.7.4

I completely removed the current latest Itunes from my
Windows 10 PC USING the method recommended by APPLE …How to uninstall iTunes
etc.

Then I followed his/her advice:

Download the previous iTunes 12.7.3 from:

https://www.itechtics.com/download-itunes-12-7-3/

Then selected : Download iTunes 12.7.3 offline installer for Windows
64-bit [EXE 252 MB]

HOWEVER
.. small problem when opening this version on iTunes….. …
Warning appeared “iTunes Library.itl
Cannot Be Read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes””I Googled this and was directed to “idoanloadblog.com” and then a YouTube video to show you “How to Downgrade
iTunes and fix the Library.itl cannot be read error”I followed every frame of this video …

Then
I did an overnight 9 hour sync and all 38,000 plus photos were copied!

Phew!I am still very, very angry that Apple have still not fixed the error to the
latest iTunes and the way that they are handling this problem. It is now over 6
weeks since this started.

Good Luck! Michael from The Chalfonts, England.

Hello SaintMalo... I used to following format which worked for me ... having said that.. I’m too scared to resync! .....

FIXED … No thanks to APPLE .. BUT thanks to Forum member “sheindk”

I have the latest iPad 10.5 PRO 256GB using latest IOS11.3.1 and iTunes 12.7.4

I completely removed the current latest Itunes from my
Windows 10 PC USING the method recommended by APPLE …How to uninstall iTunes
etc.

Then I followed his/her advice:

Download the previous iTunes 12.7.3 from:

https://www.itechtics.com/download-itunes-12-7-3/

Then selected : Download iTunes 12.7.3 offline installer for Windows
64-bit [EXE 252 MB]

HOWEVER
.. small problem when opening this version on iTunes….. …
Warning appeared “iTunes Library.itl
Cannot Be Read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes””I Googled this and was directed to “idoanloadblog.com” and then a YouTube video to show you “How to Downgrade
iTunes and fix the Library.itl cannot be read error”I followed every frame of this video …

Then
I did an overnight 9 hour sync and all 38,000 plus photos were copied!

Phew!I am still very, very angry that Apple have still not fixed the error to the
latest iTunes and the way that they are handling this problem. It is now over 6
weeks since this started.

Good Luck! Michael from The Chalfonts, England.

Hello MariaMaria87... I used to following format which worked for me ... having said that.. I’m too scared to resync! .....

FIXED … No thanks to APPLE .. BUT thanks to Forum member “sheindk”

I have the latest iPad 10.5 PRO 256GB using latest IOS11.3.1 and iTunes 12.7.4

I completely removed the current latest Itunes from my
Windows 10 PC USING the method recommended by APPLE …How to uninstall iTunes
etc.

Then I followed his/her advice:

Download the previous iTunes 12.7.3 from:

https://www.itechtics.com/download-itunes-12-7-3/

Then selected : Download iTunes 12.7.3 offline installer for Windows
64-bit [EXE 252 MB]

HOWEVER
.. small problem when opening this version on iTunes….. …
Warning appeared “iTunes Library.itl
Cannot Be Read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes””I Googled this and was directed to “idoanloadblog.com” and then a YouTube video to show you “How to Downgrade
iTunes and fix the Library.itl cannot be read error”I followed every frame of this video …

Then
I did an overnight 9 hour sync and all 38,000 plus photos were copied!

Phew!I am still very, very angry that Apple have still not fixed the error to the
latest iTunes and the way that they are handling this problem. It is now over 6
weeks since this started.

Good Luck! Michael from The Chalfonts, England.

Hello JulianfromBarnet... I used to following format which worked for me ... having said that.. I’m too scared to resync! .....

FIXED … No thanks to APPLE .. BUT thanks to Forum member “sheindk”

I have the latest iPad 10.5 PRO 256GB using latest IOS11.3.1 and iTunes 12.7.4

I completely removed the current latest Itunes from my
Windows 10 PC USING the method recommended by APPLE …How to uninstall iTunes
etc.

Then I followed his/her advice:

Download the previous iTunes 12.7.3 from:

https://www.itechtics.com/download-itunes-12-7-3/

Then selected : Download iTunes 12.7.3 offline installer for Windows
64-bit [EXE 252 MB]

HOWEVER
.. small problem when opening this version on iTunes….. …
Warning appeared “iTunes Library.itl
Cannot Be Read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes””I Googled this and was directed to “idoanloadblog.com” and then a YouTube video to show you “How to Downgrade
iTunes and fix the Library.itl cannot be read error”I followed every frame of this video …

Then
I did an overnight 9 hour sync and all 38,000 plus photos were copied!

Phew!I am still very, very angry that Apple have still not fixed the error to the
latest iTunes and the way that they are handling this problem. It is now over 6
weeks since this started.

Good Luck! Michael from The Chalfonts, England.

As turingtest2 pointed out earlier in this thread, this is a user to user support forum. Anyone wanting Apple to know need to contact them direct, either by making an appointment at an Apple Store or via the contact support link at the top of these pages.

It's a software problem, not a hardware one. For the majority of users it began with the iTunes update in early April although on some of the many threads on this matter, some have indicated they had problems prior to that update.

In my case I used a work round featured in another thread on this site (I'll link that one) and since I did that on 6 April my photos and albums have synchronised correctly, but slowly.

Those who have a lot of photos on their devices will find the synch takes a long time, I'm not sure it is stuck or frozen, just takes quite a while if you are adding photos to the device.

The other thread is full of useful information and is here can not sync photos with ios 11.3 and itunes 12.7.4

The method I used was (words and suggestion by user ErgoEdbo:

Step 1: Go to your target photo folder (which includes all of its sub folders, and DELETE the iPod Photo Cache folder.

Step 2. Perform a sync on your device, but UNCHECK the “Sync Photos” box, when prompted, select “remove all photos from device” (this action will erase everything from your device). Complete the sync.

Step 3: After disconnecting USB from PC, perform a “hard reboot” of phone or pad & restart the device.

Step 4: Begin a new sync, this time, CHECKING the box to “Sync Photos” (this action will result in recopying ALL of your target folders & photos, and can take some time to complete, as it would if you were setting up a brand new device)

Step 5: After all photos and appropriate folders have been recopied during the sync, everything should be just fine & complete as it was before the combination of iOS 11.3 & iTunes 12.7.4 CAUSED this irritating problem!

I have four devices all successfully synching each time, all manually managed - iphone 7plus, iPhone 6 plus, ipod touch and ipad pro.

I have almost 3,000 photos in albums on the iPhone 7plus, I estimate a synch on that takes about 15 minutes start to finish, most of which is spent on the 'reading photos from pictures' step.

ErgoEdbo has just re-visited the thread I linked repeating the above.