iphone SE won't show on Laptop

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Level 1

5 points

iphone SE won't show on Laptop

Hi

I've read sooooo many discussions around getting phones to show up on laptops using Windows 10 but can't find a resolution to this issue and would be grateful for any advice.

I have a Windows10 Lenovo which up until a few months ago always recognised my Apple devices. The last time I sync'd / backed-up my iPhone SE was around 2months ago and my laptop has refused to recognise it since. I thought it may be iTunes/Apple Mobile Device related so re-installed i-tunes all to no avail. I have also tried multiple different USB leads / ports and still nothing.

Today I tried my daughters iPhone 5 - and it was recognised immediately (Windows Device noise chimed immediately - my SE charges fine from the USB port on the laptop but it doesn't make that new device noise). Also tried my very old i-pod (can't remember what generation but it's 80GB old and still works like a beauty)….and that also showed up immediately. My wife's identical SE model also shows up fine.

So it is clearly something about my SE device that my laptop isn't liking...I'm on the latest firmware update, have powered it down and tried again but it refuses to show. I'm on 100% charge 🙂 but my laptop has no recognition of it being there.

Any advice/resolution ideas gratefully received.

Thank

Rich

Posted on Jul 8, 2018 5:46 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Lyssa

Level 8

41,327 points

Jul 8, 2018 7:35 AM in response to RBlund

I've seen some posts that indicate turning on Tethering gets the phone recognized, so that's worth a shot.

Have you tried everything listed in this article?

If iTunes doesn't recognize your iPhone, iPad, or iPod - Apple Support

If you have another PC available, I would try your phone with that PC first. If all is well, then go through the steps in the article. If the phone still doesn't work, then I would try restoring the phone from a backup & as new to see if either of those helps.

~Lyssa

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Answer 2

Rossnic

Level 2

428 points

Jul 8, 2018 5:53 AM in response to RBlund

1. Update Windows, update iTunes and make sure your iPhone is running the latest firmware. Restart your iPhone and PC. And connect your phone using the original Apple USB cable.

2. Make sure your iPhone trusts your computer.

3. Update iPhone drivers. open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound and then look for Apple iPhone under the "Unspecified" section. Right-click on it, choose "Properties" and then click the Hardware tab. Click Properties and then the Change settings button. Click on the Driver tab and Update Driver… and then Browse my computer for driver software. Now navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers and click Ok, then Next. You'll either see a message saying that the best driver is already installed, or a new driver will be installed. If the latter, your iPhone should now show up in iTunes.

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Answer 3

RBlund Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 8, 2018 5:56 AM in response to Rossnic

Thanks for the reply

I've already tried 1 and 3 - also, if that were the problem, wouldn't that affect the other 3 Apple devices that all show up perfectly on the laptop? This problem only affects 1 device - my iPhone SE.

Please can you advise how I can check step 2 - maybe my laptop doesn't trust my SE?

Rich

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Answer 4

RBlund Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 8, 2018 6:00 AM in response to Rossnic

No, I don't get a prompt. I think that is probably because my laptop doesn't even *know* that my device is connected to it.

I just tried resetting my Location and Privacy settings to see if I could get a prompt but no good - all that happens when I plug it in is it starts charging; no prompt, no i-tunes, no windows new device noise.

Definitely seems to be a problem with my SE phone....

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Answer 5

RBlund Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 8, 2018 7:46 AM in response to Lyssa

Thanks Lyssa

My Personal Hotspot was switched off so I tried switching on and connecting....unfortunately no change.

I tried connecting the SE to another laptop but still not recognised. Have tried pretty much everything in that article now and it is refusing to play ball. I'll try a Chat support with Apple to see if they have any other suggestions but think I'll need to reset and go from there

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Answer 6

RBlund Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 8, 2018 7:49 AM in response to Zorksortronz

Yes, I've got 2 USB ports on the laptop. One doesn't pick up at all (i.e. doesn't even charge) whereas the other one does charge but doesn't recognise the phone as being connected.

I think it must be something to do with the phone itself because all 3 other devices were recognised fine from that same USB port

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Answer 7

Lyssa

Level 8

41,327 points

Jul 8, 2018 8:15 AM in response to RBlund

I would do the following:

1) Use a toothpick (or something of similar size that is plastic) to clean out the lightning port. It's possible there's dirt/lint in there that's preventing it from connecting properly. It may charge as expected, but data transfer could be impacted (this is a guess, but cleaning it won't hurt).

2) Restore phone as new, then plug it in. If it works, try again but restore from a backup.

If restoring as new brings no joy, then it does sound like a hardware fault.

~Lyssa

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Answer 8

k.aures1

Level 1

8 points

Jul 10, 2018 6:06 PM in response to RBlund

I too had the same issue but the gentleman that works for my cable provider was the one to fix it actually. Something about tethering... I also remeber he explained it to be something somewhat like radio signals and how they are “touchy”. I am aware that this isn’t too terribly helpful but I assure you it IS fixable!!

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Answer 9

Rossnic

Level 2

428 points

Jul 8, 2018 5:57 AM in response to RBlund

You should get a prompt on your iPhone asking if you trust the PC it's connected to.

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Answer 10

Jul 8, 2018 7:46 AM in response to RBlund

In my case, it seems some of my USB ports work and some don't. Have you tried a different port?

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iphone SE won't show on Laptop

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