ITunes for Windows updated to version 12.12.4 with security fixes

Why doesn’t iTunes recognize my iPhone?

It can be really frustrating connecting your iPhone, iPod or iPad to your computer only to find that nothing happens — iTunes doesn’t react to it at all.

The cause of this issue could stem from a number of locations including the device itself, your iTunes installation on your computer.

In this guide we’ll break down the common causes of why iTunes is not picking up your device, and how to resolve them.

ITunes on Windows

9to5Mac heard last year that Apple was testing both Music and Podcast apps for Microsoft platforms. The company was even looking for engineers with Universal Windows Platform (UWP) experience. Unfortunately, other details about Apple’s plans for launching an Apple Music app for Windows remain unclear.

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Update Apple Mobile Device USB Driver (Windows only)

This driver tells your computer how to communicate with Apple mobile devices. So needless to say, if the driver is outdated or broken, this will prevent your computer (and by extension, iTunes) from recognizing your device.

For this process, as we did before, unlock your device and ensure it is showing the Home screen. Connect your device to your PC or laptop using your Apple USB cable — this time, if iTunes opens automatically, close the window.

Windows 10 users

• Right-click the Windows icon in the bottom-left corner of your screen, then click «Device Manager».
• Click the downward arrow next to «Portable Devices» from the list.
• Right-click your connected device and choose «Update driver».
• Select «Search automatically for updated driver software».
• Launch iTunes and attempt to connect your device using your USB cable.

Other Windows users

• Hold the Windows key on your keyboard and press R.
• In the proceeding ‘Run’ window, enter this location:%ProgramFiles%Common FilesAppleMobile Device SupportDrivers
• Click OK to go to this location on your computer.
• Right-click the «usbaapl64.inf» or «usbaapl.inf» Setup Information file and choose «Install».
• Once installed, restart your computer.
• Launch iTunes and attempt to connect your device using your USB cable.

• iTunes Store requires at least version 11, dropping support for earlier versions.
• Although new versions of iTunes have not been released for macOS since May 2019, compatibility with new iOS releases (iOS 13, 14) have been backported to iTunes 12.8.2 (for OS X 10.11 El Capitan, macOS 10.12 Sierra, 10.13 High Sierra) and 12.9.5 (for macOS 10.14 Mojave).
• iTunes usually requires latest service pack or point release to function.
• a. Mac OS 9.1 is required to burn CDs.

What to do if iTunes doesn’t recognize iPhone, iPod or iPad

Connect your iPhone with your computer using your Apple USB cable, then open iTunes. When attempting to connect, ensure that your device is turned on, unlocked and is showing the Home screen. If iTunes does not recognize your device, here’s what to do.

Any of these steps could be the fix for your particular issue, so try connecting your device again after each step.

• If your iPhone, iPod or iPad shows a prompt asking if you would like to Trust this computer, simply tap Trust (you may need to enter your device’s passcode).
• Check the USB port on your computer. In case there is an issue with the port itself, try plugging in your USB cable to different ports to find a working one.
• Restart your devices. It may sound cliche, but turning off your devices and switching them back on again can sometimes resolve issues which occurred on the last run. Turn off your computer and your iOS device, then boot them back up and try connecting again.

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How to get the App Store back into iTunes

Accessing the App Store, apps, or Tones in iTunes 12. 3 is basically the same as prior versions of iTunes, here’s all that is necessary to get app management and the iOS App Store back in iTunes again:

If you connect an iPhone or iPad to iTunes 12. 3 and select the device by clicking on the tiny little icon in the titlebar of the app, you’ll also have direct access to apps and tones on the device through iTunes again as well.

Note: if you are having a problem with the “iTunes Library. itl” file after installing iTunes 12. 3, quit out of iTunes and navigate to ~/Music/iTunes/ and backup the iTunes Library. itl file by renaming it, then open Previous iTunes Libraries/ and copy the most recent version of that iTunes file into the ~/Music/iTunes/ directory. You can read full instructions on fixing iTunes Library. itl errors here.

If you have been having difficulty adapting to the removal of the App Store in iTunes 12. 7, you’ll likely appreciate installing iTunes 12. 3 and getting app management back again, so check it out.

On September 1, 2010, Apple held their annual music press event where they unveiled an updated version: iTunes 10. The new version was available for download later that day. One major feature includes the integration of «iTunes Ping», which brings a social factor to the iTunes experience. Apple CEO Steve Jobs also announced a new logo, one without a CD in the background because of the increasing popularity of iTunes digital downloads.

Apple Mobile Device USB Driver — Further checks (Windows only)

If iTunes still isn’t recognizing your device after updating your drivers, check that it is correctly installed and running as expected:

• Hold the Windows key on your keyboard and press R.
• In the ‘Run’ box, enter devmgmt.msc and click OK to open the Device Manager.
• Click the downward arrow next to «Universal Serial Bus controllers» from the list.
• Locate the «Apple Mobile Device USB Driver» (AMD) item in this section.
  AMD is missing: Try connecting your device using a different USB cable.AMD shows a (!) or (?) next to its symbol: Ensure Apple Device Service is running.
• AMD is missing: Try connecting your device using a different USB cable.
• AMD shows a (!) or (?) next to its symbol: Ensure Apple Device Service is running.

Don’t forget to like & share with your friends!

Start with the the first five tricks, they are nice and easy, whereas the latter two tricks are slightly more involved and we detail those a bit more below:

• Quit and relaunch iTunes
• Connect the iOS device to a different USB port on the computer
• Reboot the iPhone, iPad, or iPod
• Reboot the computer
• Use a different syncing cable (if possible)
• Reinstall iTunes (read how below)
• Update the iPhone driver in Windows PC (read how below)

If you happen to be using a USB dock, skip the USB dock and try connecting the USB cable directly to the computer as well.

The last option is most relevant for torn and frayed cables and for those using the cheapy third party cables that seem to fail.

The iPhone/iPad/iPod is Still Not Detected, Now What?

If the iPhone, iPad, or iPod is still not recognized by iTunes, the next thing you should do is delete iTunes and reinstall it with a fresh version from Apple. That process is going to be different whether the computer is a Mac or Windows PC.

• Uninstall iTunes: In Mac OS X, iTunes is a protected app and must be uninstalled from the Terminal, in Windows it will be uninstalled through Control Panel
• Download and reinstall the latest version of iTunes from Apple

Reboot and try again, it should be detected now.

For iPhone / iPad Not Being Detected in Windows, Update iPhone Driver

• Go to the Device Manager in Windows, and locate “Apple iPhone” under portable devices section
• Right click on the ‘Apple iPhone’ and choose “Update software”
• Now click “Browse on my computer”

The updated driver will install and update and iTunes should now detect the iPhone, ipad, or iPod touch as intended.

That driver approach is for Windows PC, for Mac there is no driver to update in Mac OS X aside from iTunes and general Mac OS X system software, which is updated from  Apple menu > App Store > Updates.

ITunes & iPhone Still Not Working Together?

If you’ve done all the troubleshooting tricks above and the iOS device is still not detected, try connecting the iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch to a different computer and see if it’s identified. This can help rule out if the problem is with the original computer, or if it’s a problem with the iOS device itself. If it’s connected to another computer and still won’t be recognized, there could be a problem with the physical connector port on the iOS device itself, or some other hardware related issue, and you’ll probably want to call Apple to sort it out. Before doing so, be sure to back up the device manually with iCloud, since iCloud will be able to backup important data in iOS even if the device can’t connect to a computer.

Community Q&A

• Where is the help button on iTunes?Go to the top left corner and click on the rectangle that is half blank and half shaded. Then, go to the bottom of the menu that pops up and click «show menu bar.» You’ll see the help option at that point.
• How do I install iTunes on my PC?You just need to go to the Apple website to download iTunes to your computer. Google «download iTunes for Windows» and it’ll bring up the page you need.
• How do I update iTunes on my iPhone 5S?Go to settings—> General—> Software Update. The phone will automatically detect if there’s an available update, and will display it in this menu. Press the link on the bottom of the menu to bring up Terms and Conditions, and after reading it press «I Agree» and the phone will update.

See more answers

How to find your current iOS version

On your iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app and then tap General, about halfway down the page.

Go to «General. » Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

At the top of the General page, tap Software Update.

Select «Software Update. » Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

Here you can see your current OS version, and check if there’s an update available and ready to install. If an update is available, you’ll see it here and can tap to start the update.

The Software Update page will tell you if your system is up to date. Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

Another way to see what OS version your device is running is to open the Settings app and tap General. Then, at the top of the General page, select About instead of Software Update.

The About page lists all kinds of information about your device, including the software version, serial number, and details about how much storage space is free.

You can also use this page to check what iPhone model name and model number you have. You can’t see if there’s a software update available from this screen, though, which is why this page may not be as handy as the Software Update page.

Your software version is also listed on the «About» page. Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he’s also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.