iPhone Not Showing Up in iTunes? Here’s What to Do

Gone are the days when you need cables to plug in devices and connect them to gain a fully enhanced digital experience. Despite this, some services still need cable to connect, especially to back up or restore your iPhone with iTunes. Generally, using USB cables should ensure instant connection between both devices.

But sometimes, your computer may not read your iPhone, causing compatibility issues and frustration. 

Why Would Your iTunes Not Connect with Your iPhone??

There are many reasons why your iTunes is not connecting to your phone. Among them are:

• iTunes not updated: Your iTunes may be from an older version and your iPhone may be a newer model with an updated version. This can cause compatibility issus as they are not on par to function together. 
• Bugs: Software and app bugs in your iTunes and iPhones can cause incompatibility.
• Malfunctioning USB cable: A broken USB cable or port can often cause a lack of connection. The cable could be malfunctioning or is not up to standard.
• Settings issue: You may not have allowed permissions to certain settings for your phone to connect to iTunes. 

Fortunately, these issues can be fixed with a few troubleshooting. 

Nine Ways to Troubleshoot Incompatibility Between Your Devices

These simple steps can help you restore the connection between your iTunes and iPhone:

1. Check The Cable and Port

Your USB cable must be Apple-certified to ensure proper connectivity. If you’re using other USB cables, chances are the cable is causing incompatibility and could also cause hardware issues with your device in the future. If your existing cable isn’t original, purchase MFI-certified cables and retry the connection. 

2. Inspect The Hardware

Your device will notify you via sound or vibration when it is successfully connected to the computer. If it doesn’t happen, check if all your ports are in good condition. Clean any debris in the device’s port. In addition, broken ports can hinder the cable from connecting, causing incompatibility and damage to the cable. 

If you’ve checked all of these and a connection is still not established, try connecting your cable to all the USB ports on your computer. Also, avoid using a hub to connect — instead, plug the cable directly into the computer.

3. Enable Settings Requirement

Your computer would need permission to perform certain actions. For example, if your computer displays an “Allow accessory to connect?” message when you connect your devices, click “Yes.” In addition, your device might also display a “Trust this computer?” message. Here, click “Trust”. Sometimes, you might accidentally tap “Don’t Trust”. To resolve this, you could disconnect and reconnect the device to receive the alert again or go to the device’s privacy settings. 

4. Restart and Reset

You could try to restart your phone by holding the power button until the ‘Slide to power off’ alert appears. As with other devices, switch off the phone for a few seconds and then power it back on. In addition, your phone’s network settings may prevent connectivity between devices. To address this, Go to ‘Settings,’ then to ‘General,’ navigate to ‘Reset’ and select ‘Reset Network Settings.’ Remember, this may delete your saved passwords. 

5. Update Software and System

As mentioned, compatibility issues arise when your iPhone and iTunes have different versions. To fix it, check if your iTunes is updated to the latest version. Your computer may also have an outdated operating system, so update it too.

6. Check internet connection

Sometimes, it could be a simple case of a slow internet connection. Ensure you have a stable Wi-Fi connection and if you are using ethernet, check if the cable is connected directly to your router and not via any hubs, switches or modems. 

7. Check for other software that is conflicting with the connections.

Connectivity issues could happen when a virtual private network (VPN) or other third-party security software blocks connections that need the internet or require communication with other apps on your device. This could also be the issue when you face connection problems with iTunes and other Apple services. 

These could include apps like Firewalls, antivirus, parental control and content blockers. Inspect these apps and turn off the features in their settings. If the problem persists, consider deleting the app to allow your iPhone to connect to iTunes. 

8. Reinstall the Apple Mobile USB Driver

If your Apple drivers are faulty, the computer might not recognize your iPhone. When this happens, you may need to reinstall the drive. To resolve this, connect the phone and computer and open “Device Manager.” Here, locate and expand the “Universal Serial Bus Controller.” Then, locate the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver.

If the Driver has no symbol over it, you have successfully installed it. If there is a symbol next to it, you have it disabled. Right-click to enable it. 

9. Get in touch with Apple

Even after all the steps above, you may find your iPhone not connecting to iTunes. The best way is to contact Apple for further instructions. You can schedule an appointment, give them a call, send them an email, or visit their support community for tips and guidance. 

What do you do if your iPhone won’t connect to your Windows PC?

iTunes is a stand-alone app with the requirement of having the necessary USB drivers to work. If the steps above do not work to connect your iTunes from a Windows PC to your iPhone, there are other steps you can take. These include:

• Check for updates: Check Microsoft Store to see if your iTunes needs an update
• Download from Apple: iTunes 12 sometimes works as a stand-alone, so remove the Microsoft Store version and download it from Apple’s website.
• Inspect your hardware: Ensure all system drivers are functional and updated. 

Ensure Everything is Up to Date to Enhance Connectivity

As discussed, connectivity issues can be caused by many factors. However, do not panic because the problem can usually be resolved with simple troubleshooting ways and by improving the integrity of your hardware and systems, keeping the software updates, providing permissions and using good-quality Apple-certified accessories to connect.