iOS 12 iTunes connecting problem

You could wait for Apple to release a new build, but reading around it seems that if you have your iPhone connected and unlocked and reinstall iTunes 12.8 then your Mac may offer to install an additional update to work with the iOS 12 device.

tt2

iTunes 12.6.5.3 was released at the same time as iOS 12. It can be downloaded from Deploy apps in a business environment with iTunes - Apple Support. Are you saying it isn't strictly necessary to switch up to it from 12.6.4.3? Perhaps it is the same thing that lets some iTunes 12.8 users connect to iOS 12 while others don't seem to be able to. I.e. a bonus software download that isn't always happening when it ought to.

tt2

Ah, have you tried the following yet?

Download the current 12.8 installer for iTunes from https://www.apple.com/itunes/download/.

Unlock your iOS device and connect it to USB.

Install iTunes from the .dmg that you've downloaded.

Near the end of the installation it should announce that a further software update is required.

Install that and iTunes should see your devices.

tt2

Have you tried the following yet?

Download the current 12.8 installer for iTunes from https://www.apple.com/itunes/download/.

Unlock your iOS device and connect it to USB.

Install iTunes from the .dmg that you've downloaded.

Near the end of the installation it should announce that a further software update is required.

Install that and iTunes should see your devices.

Or wait for iTunes 12.9 for Mac which should likely come out tomorrow.

tt2

You've posted in an iTunes for Mac thread. You haven't noted that you're running Windows. This is a user to user support forum. It should go without saying that I'm as unimpressed as you are when things don't work properly, but that doesn't help anyone. Instead I offer what constructive workarounds I have on the basis of the information given. Try iOS device not showing in iTunes for Windows. I cannot promise it will help you, but it is the best I have to offer right now short of Contacting Apple Support who are likely to walk you through exactly the same steps.

tt2

It might be worth trying what worked for me. turingtest2 posted a link to a page with 12.6.5 available for download. Deploy apps in a business environment with iTunes - Apple Support I installed it without removing any iTunes preference files or anything. It tried to open but couldn't because of one of those files created by my 12.8 iTunes installation. Not a problem, I was trying everything I could think of. I then reinstalled 12.8. Works fine now.

Apple have now published this: If your iOS 12 device isn't recognized by iTunes, you might need to upgrade macOS or iTunes - Apple Support. It basically comes down to the same thing. Try again until it works. 😕

If you haven't already done so it might help to reboot your router.

tt2

Hi David, have you tried the following yet?

Download the current 12.8 installer for iTunes from https://www.apple.com/itunes/download/.

Unlock your iOS device and connect it to USB.

Install iTunes from the .dmg that you've downloaded.

During the installation it should announce that a further software update is required.

Install that and iTunes should see your device.

tt2

iTunes is designed for forward migration of the library. Each new version should be able to read a library created by any older version. If you want to go back to an older version of iTunes you need to restore a suitable copy of the database from backup or the Previous iTunes Libraries folder. See Empty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash for details. See also Managing apps with iTunes 12.7 or later for more on the legacy 12.6.x builds.

tt2

This apple support brief and following instructions (eg. downloading and installing "new" itunes, etc.) works simply and easily! If your iOS 12 device isn't recognized by iTunes, you might need to upgrade macOS or iTunes - Apple Support

FWIW, iTunes 12.6.4.3 will still sync and allow app management

and downloading with an iPhone 8 running iOS12. It just won't

do anything in terms of iOS updates/upgrades ay least with an iPhone 8.

I have found that if you have the proper .ipsw file phone an iPhone 6S,

you can still manually update/upgrade it.

You my friend are a genius! The connection issue has been driving me insane for the last 24 hours and multiple call to Apple support got me nowhere but your advice has fixed it! I reinstalled iTunes from your link and now my devices are recognise. THANK YOU! 😊

I can only speak for the iPhone 8 and 6S, but 12.6.4.3 works just as it

always has before iOS 12 and wasn't aware of the 12.6.5.3 update.

I did the iOS upgrade on the iPhone 8 on a different machine running

iTunes 12.8 and got the software update message if that means anything.

The phone also reconnected to that machine after the iOS upgrade and

the software update.

Why Apple would release a 12.9 version for Windows but not for Mac is

kind of puzzling. Also, waiting for Mojave to be released doesn't make

a lot of sense either if 12.9 is supposed to be used by earlier macOS

versions. But, I guess they have their reasons.

Thanks. I think it is clear that Mac owners are supposed to get that additional download to work with iOS 12 but it doesn't seem to happen reliably. Reinstalling iTunes seems to kick things into gear. As you say, I'm sure Apple have 'reasons' but releasing 12.9 on both platforms at the same time would have made more sense and possibly have avoided this particular issue cropping up.

tt2

With my latest issue, even though I've updated to iOS 12. I now can't sync my phone to my mac (OS X 10.10.4). It's now telling me to upgrade my software to OS X El Capitan or later. Which in this case, I don't want to.

Is Apple going to release iTunes 12.9 for OS X/macOS users anytime soon? It should've been released along with iOS 12 a few days ago.