iPhone iPad iPod detected but not recognized in iTunes

quotation mark“An iPod has been detected, but could not be identified properly. Please disconnect then reconnect and try again. If problem persists uninstall iTunes then install iTunes again.”

Do you have this problem using iTunes to connect up iPod, iPhone or iPad to computer and sync music to iPhone iPad iPod? If this error messages pops up in iTunes and you followed the steps to disconnect and reconnect iPod, or even uninstall and reinstall iTunes on computer in vain, you can try to verify that the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver is installed on your Windows PC. After the USB driver for iPhone iPad iPod has been installed, your PC should detect your phone properly and you should be able to use iTunes to sync music from PC to iPhone iPad iPod or manage content on your iOS devices.

iPhone iPad iPod detected but not recognized in iTunes troubleshooting

  • First of all, make sure to log in your Windows OS as the Administrator account.
  • Disconnect your iPhone iPad or iPod that is connected.
  • Close iTunes if it is running or starts automatically.
  • Connect your iPhone iPad or iPod to PC vis USB data cord.

Now follow below steps to verify the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver is installed on Windows OS both 32 and 64 bits.

Verify and install the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver from Device Manager

You need to access the Device Manager in your Windows OS to verify the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver status. If you are on Windows 10 system, you can right click on the Start menu, then choose Device Manager. It is similar to find and open the Device Manager in Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7 & Vista. Click to expand the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” selection, you can then find the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver from there when your iPhone iPad or iPod touch is connected to PC through USB.

apple mobile device usb driver in device manager on Windows computer

  • If this entry is displayed without a down arrow, “!” or “?” symbols over it, then this driver is successfully installed.
  • If you see a down arrow next to the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver, then this USB driver is disabled. Right click on it and choose Enable from the shortcut menu to start or enable it.
  • If the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver entry is displayed with a “!” or “?” over it, you can right click on it, choose Uninstall from the shortcut menu and follow on-screen tips to uninstall it. Then right click on the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” and choose “Scan for hardware changes” from the shortcut menu and follow on-screen tips to re-install it.

Install the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver from Windows Explorer

Open the Windows File Explorer on your Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista, Windows XP. Browse to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers. You should then find four files from this folder. There will be a file named “usbaapl.inf” on 32 bit system or “usbaapl64.inf” for a 64-bit version of Windows. Right click on this INF file and choose Install from the pop-up menu to quickly install the Apple Mobile Device USB driver again. If there’s no Drivers folder, look in C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers.

When you have enabled, uninstalled & re-installed, installed the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver on Windows PC, remove the iPhone iPad or iPod from USB, restart the computer. When you log in Windows system again, run iTunes first, then connect up iOS device (iPhone, iPad or iPod) to computer USB port to verify that the device is recognized properly. Make sure to load iTunes program on PC before you attach your iOS device to USB.

What to do if iTunes still not recognize my iPhone iPad iPod?

If you like to transfer data from iOS to PC or PC to iOS, you can also use third party iTunes alternatives. For instance, you can refer to this guide to transfer music from PC to iPhone iPad and iPod without iTunes. iTunes is the official way and most powerful way to manage iOS devices. However it is not the only way. There are many other tools and solutions nowadays can help you exchange files and documents between iPhone iPad iPod and PC/Mac.

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