iPhone syncing problems under iTunes 7.4: Fixes

Several readers are reporting problems synchronizing their iPhones with iTunes after updating to version 7.4.

Reader Eric writes:

"My iPhone is not recognized by ITunes 7.4. When I plug it into the USB port it charges but does not appear in iTunes."

Daniel adds:

"Syncing my iPhone has become a bit problematic with the release of iTunes 7.4. After restarting my Mac (and turning off and on my iPhone as well), I can usually do a success sync on the first attempt. Attempts afterwards result in a 'Device timed out' message or it will start to sync and never get past syncing my contacts. Then a complete restart is again necessary. I did a little more experimenting and discovered that a complete restart of both the Mac and the iPhone aren't always necessary. On occasion, quitting iTunes and then shutting off and turning on the phone will suffice. But multiple attempts are sometimes necessary."

Andy TeBockhorst adds:

"After updating to iTunes 7.4, my iPhone won't sync. It just hangs during contacts. If I turn off contacts, it hangs on Calendar."

Finally, Tony writes:

"I tried to sync my iPhone for the first time after updating to iTunes 7.4 and it wouldn't recognize it at first. After a reboot, it recognizes the phone but won't sync properly. I haven't updated any of the songs that I were on the phone but it wants to add them all as duplicates. It all my music as 'other' things that are taking up 6 GB of space and wants to sync the 6GB of music on top of that."

There are a number of potential solutions for these issues, as outlined in our special report on troubleshooting iPhone sync issues.

For Mac OS X

iTunes does not recognize iPhone If iTunes does not recognize your iPhone when it is attached via USB, there are a number of potential fixes.

Delete then re-install iTunes Delete the following files:

• The iTunes application (located in /Applications)
• com.apple.iTunes.plist (from ~/Library/Preferences)
• iTunes.pkg (from /Library/Receipts)
• iTunesX.pkg (from /Library/Receipts)

then re-download the latest version of iTunes.

Check the USB port Make sure that your iPhone is connected to a normally powered USB 2.0 port. If you're using a hub, try connecting the iPhone directly to the computer or vice versa. Also try switching ports.

More USB-related fixes See this MacFixIt tutorial for a number of fixes related to lack of USB device recognition under Mac OS X. If you have luck with one of the fixes listed there, please drop us a line.

The most common fix for this issue under Windows XP and Vista is to remove and re-install iTunes. The process is as follows:

1. Quit iTunes if it is open
2. From the Start menu select the Control panel
3. In Windows XP, choose Add or Remove Programs. In Windows Vista, choose Uninstall a program.
4. Select iTunes from the list of applications then click Remove (XP) or Uninstall (Vista). Also remove any other items with the word "iTunes" in their names. Also remove any iPod-related entries.
5. Restart your PC.
6. Delete the iTunes program itself, if it still exists after the steps you've already taken (by default it's located in the "Program Files" folder)
7. Again restart your PC.
8. Download the latest version of iTunes for Windows and install it.

Bad USB 2.0 cables can also be to blame in some cases of failed transfer. Try switching out the cable for another, or switching USB ports. You may also want to try disconnecting other USB devices from the same bus as the iPhone, isolating it.

Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.