Can't Sync iPhone 11 to iMac

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Level 1

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Can't Sync iPhone 11 to iMac

I have tried to sync my iPhone 11 with my iMac - specifically the Music content. When I connect the phone to the Mac though, I can’t see the phone in the sidebar of Finder. Apparently, the solution to this is to ensure that

CD’s DVD’s iOS devices

are checked in Finder Preferences. I have done this but the phone still does not show up in the sidebar. So I am flummoxed - where do I go from here? Apparently, the solution could be to install the latest OS on the iMac. I currently have 10.15.7 but when I try to upgrade I get this

which I don't understand since I am most definitely connected to the Internet. Anyway, shouldn't I be able to do the sync with the current OS on my iMac?

Posted on Sep 11, 2021 10:42 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

James Brickley

Level 5

5,074 points

Sep 11, 2021 4:07 PM in response to ttibsen

I just tested it out on Catalina.

Finder -> Preferences -> General

Make sure CDs, DVDs, and iOS Devices is checked

Finder -> Preferences -> Sidebar

Make sure CDs, DVDs, and iOS Devices are checked

In Finder look at the Sidebar and if you hover over the sections such as Favorites, Locations and Tags. Make sure that Locations is not hidden. You will see Hide or Show appear when you hover over Locations.

Unplug the iPhone and plug it back in. Hopefully it will just appear.

If not perhaps the device was listed as untrusted, read this especially the part about reseting the trust on the iPhone.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202778

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Answer 2

Sep 12, 2021 9:04 AM in response to ttibsen

ttibsen wrote:

I don't think there's a problem with the cable itself as the phone indicates that charging is taking place (the lightning bolt shows on the battery status bar)..

Power and data are independent so there still could be a problem with the cable or connectors on the cable.

Could it be that my OS 10.15.7 is dated and it won't allow the sync?

My iPhone 11 Pro syncs fine with my late 2013 iMac running 10.15.7, so it is not likely an OS issue.

Is my iMac - the first 27" 5K - compatible with Big Sur OS?

Yes, but you need to make sure your 3rd party apps are compatible. You can upgrade via the App Store.

If so, is there any way to get around the "unable to check for updates" window that I've shown above?

That only checks for updates with the currently running operating system, not OS upgrades (Catalina to Big Sur is an upgrade).

There is one outside possibility, try reseting PRAM on the Mac:

Reset NVRAM or PRAM on your Mac - Apple Support

It can sometimes solve connectivity issues.

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Answer 3

ttibsen Author

Level 1

81 points

Sep 11, 2021 11:26 AM in response to James Brickley

Wow! I am shocked! This iMac is the original 5K model and it has been sitting in my detached home ever since we bought it 6 years ago. So unless the CIA is running a covert operation unbeknownst to me, I am the owner of this iMac - not a school or an employer. As for Profiles, yes - it is there in the System Preferences

and this is what I see when I open the Profiles window

None of this means anything to me and I'm still left without my iPhone icon showing in the sidebar of the Finder window which is the first necessity if I am ever going to sync the phone and the Mac. Any solutions from here?

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Answer 4

Sep 11, 2021 12:01 PM in response to ttibsen

Well that particular iMovie profile is OKAY. Apple goofed something up with iMovie version 10.2.3 and the latest version of iMovie is 10.2.5. You can remove the profile with the minus button and the Profiles icon should disappear. You can upgrade to the latest iMovie via the App Store if you need to or you might already have. The profile goes unused.

This appears to have been an old mistake Apple made quite some time ago. Nothing to worry about.

When connecting the iPhone to the Mac are you using adapters? Or a USB-C to Lightning cable? or a USB-A to Lightning cable? Try another cable if possible. Remove any hubs or weird adapters. You should be asked on the iPhone to Trust the Computer and possibly similar on the Mac when first attaching the iPhone.

Lightning <-> USB-C

Lightning <-> USB-A

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Answer 5

ttibsen Author

Level 1

81 points

Sep 12, 2021 10:40 AM in response to James Brickley

<< In Finder look at the Sidebar and if you hover over the sections such as Favorites, Locations and Tags. Make sure that Locations is not hidden. You will see Hide or Show appear when you hover over Locations. >>

Eureka! That was it! So it wasn't a case of hubs, cables or Preference settings after all - it was simply that the iPhone was hidden under the Locations field

Well, thank you so much for that insight James and sticking with me until we got the problem solved. I really appreciated your efforts in getting to the solution of this problem. Now I have my music tracks on the iPhone and all is well with the world once more.

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Answer 6

ttibsen Author

Level 1

81 points

Sep 12, 2021 10:51 AM in response to woodmeister50

As you can see from the correspondence, I finally have the sync issue resolved. However, as often is the case, I have another minor problem now that's more or less directly related. The phone now seems to be permanently in the Finder window even when it's not hooked up to the iMac. I thought that the only time you would see the iPhone in Locations is when it's hooked up. Furthermore, clicking on the Eject symbol at the right of the iPhone, doesn't get rid of the iPhone -

As I said, this is not a big deal as I have accomplished what I wanted - getting the music tracks on the iMac on to the Phone but it bugs me somewhat when things don't seem to be working as they should - the Phone showing in Locations even though the Phone has been disconnected - not being able to get rid of the Phone with the Eject symbol. Any thoughts on this?

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Answer 7

ttibsen Author

Level 1

81 points

Sep 13, 2021 9:16 AM in response to James Brickley

Thanks once more in sticking with me on this. I admit, it's neither here nor there whether the phone shows in the sidebar or not - I would still like to see the universe operating as it should. In this case, that means the phone should show in the sidebar when it's plugged in and not show when it's not connected. Your answer seemed to be the solution but look - this is the General window -

"Show this iPhone when on Wi-Fi" is NOT checked so I have to assume there is more to it than that. Sigh - not a big deal but if you have any further thoughts, let me know. I do appreciate all your help to this point and it's no big deal if we can't solve this last mystery.

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Answer 8

Sep 11, 2021 10:55 AM in response to ttibsen

"Updates for this Mac are managed externally Details..."

The message on the left side appears to indicate that the Mac is managed by an MDM (Mobile Device Management) Server. That means your employer or school owns the Mac and has completely control of the Mac. Typically an IT department will restrict certain things and connecting an iPhone may be one of them.

In System Preferences do you see a Profiles icon? It too might be hidden, you can try searching for "Profiles". If you see Profiles and open it you may see several Configuration Profiles listed. Those profiles are sent by the IT department to the Mac to lockdown various settings and to prevent them from being changed. In addition to Configuration Profiles there may be 3rd party security endpoint software as well as a check-in process where the Mac will talk with the MDM server and receive additional policies that can install software and run scripts, etc.

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Answer 9

ttibsen Author

Level 1

81 points

Sep 11, 2021 3:29 PM in response to James Brickley

I have the cable pictured on the bottom - lightning - USB A

I do have a hub with 4 USB A ports

I disconnected that from the back of the iMac

I plugged the USB A directly into the back of the iMac but still, the iPhone icon doesn't show in the Finder sidebar

I don't think there's a problem with the cable itself as the phone indicates that charging is taking place (the lightning bolt shows on the battery status bar)

Could it be that my OS 10.15.7 is dated and it won't allow the sync?

Is my iMac - the first 27" 5K - compatible with Big Sur OS?

If so, is there any way to get around the "unable to check for updates" window that I've shown above?

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Answer 10

Sep 12, 2021 2:00 PM in response to ttibsen

Okay, had a chance to go look at the precise setting that keeps the iPhone showing up when unplugged.

Finder -> Locations sidebar -> iPhone -> General -> Options "Show this iPhone when on Wi-Fi"

Uncheck that option if you only want to see the device when it's plugged in.

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Answer 11

Sep 12, 2021 12:46 PM in response to ttibsen

I think there is a wireless sync option when clicking on the iPhone in Finder on the Mac. It is likely turned on. Might be called over air sync.

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Can't Sync iPhone 11 to iMac

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