What to do when your iPhone 8 Plus is not recognized in iTunes on your computer? [Troubleshooting Guide]

Last Updated on: March 10, 2023 by Felix

It is imperative to manage your iPhone regularly so as to ensure everything in the iOS is optimized and working as intended. This is one of the main reason behind the existence of iTunes. Apple makes sure that every iOS device owners will have a dedicated software to use when they’ll need to manage contents and operating system on a Mac or Windows PC. But what if when you attempt to connect your iPhone 8 Plus to a computer but iTunes or your computer doesn’t recognize your iOS device? Read on to find out why this happens and what to do whenever this thing happens to you as well.

Drop by our iPhone 8 Plus troubleshooting page if you have other issues with your phone as we’ve already addressed the most common problems. If you need more help, fill up our iPhone issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

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Why does your computer won’t recognize your iPhone 8 Plus?

There can only be two possibilities when this occurs — a software glitch or hardware damage. In the case where the software is to blame, there are a few workarounds for you to try including the ones highlighted below. If you suspect that the problem is tied to a damaged component, then try to figure out whether or not the problem is your iPhone. In most cases, it’s the computer that’s having an issue and therefore there’s no need to troubleshoot or fix anything on your iPhone.

Potential solutions to fix iPhone 8 Plus that’s not recognized by iTunes

Here’s a rundown of standard procedures that can help remedy the problem if your computer doesn’t recognize your iPhone 8 Plus. These methods are basically generic solutions, which means that they may or may not work in certain cases. Nevertheless, they’re still worth a shot. If none of the standard solutions is able to rectify the issue and that your iPhone 8 Plus is still not recognized in your computer, then proceed and try some of the user-defined fixes I’ve compiled in the lower section.

First workaround: Reboot your iPhone 8 Plus and your computer.

Restarting both your computer and iOS device will likely fix the problem considering it’s just a minor glitch on either device’s operating system. Before you restart your computer, unplug all USB accessories that are attached. Here’s how you do it then:

Restart your computer the usual way or by shutting down then keeping it powered down for at least 30 seconds. After the elapsed time, turn it back on.
Then reboot your iPhone 8 Plus (soft reset). You can do the usual procedures which is by pressing the Side button (Power) then drag the Power Off slider to shut the phone down. After 30 seconds, press the Side button again until the Apple logo appears. When both the devices have rebooted up completely, plug your iPhone to your computer again.

You may also try to switch between USB ports to see if one works.

Second workaround: Use the original Apple cable or certified Lightning cable and retry.

Sometimes, your computer will not be recognized by the computer even if it’s securely attached because the USB cable in use is damaged or not compatible with your device. To determine if your USB cable is in use is working or not, try using a different cable or Lightning cable if you have a spare Apple USB cable. See if that yields positive result.

Third workaround: Make your iPhone trust your computer.

Trusting a computer allows it to have full access to your iPhone and all its data. So unlock your iPhone and tap Trust when prompted with the message.In this case, both your iOS device and the computer have already established a connection but still requires a confirmation from iOS to grant permission or access. Just like other devices, your iPhone does this for security purposes.

Fourth workaround: Install any update available for your computer and iTunes.

Software updates play a vital role for regular system optimization, compatibility and stability. Note that your iPhone 8 Plus is already running on iOS 11 platform. If your iTunes software or your computer’s operating system hasn’t gone for any upgrade yet, there is a chance that the system versions are no longer compatible. For this reason, check and ensure that both your computer OS and iTunes software are updated.

To check for an iTunes update, open iTunes on your computer then click Help-> Check for Updates, and then follow the onscreen prompts.
If you are using a Windows computer, you can check for updates by simply heading to Start-> Settings-> Updates & Security-> Windows Update-> and then select Check for Updates.

It is also worth updating your iPhone 8 Plus to the latest firmware version available too. Doing so will ensure that any bug that’s causing conflict with your current operating system are supressed.

To check for an available update for your iPhone 8 Plus, go to Settings-> General-> Software Update.

Don’t forget to restart your devices once the updating is done.

Fifth workaround: Update iPhone Drivers on your computer (Windows PC).

If you are using a Windows computer and it doesn’t recognize your iPhone 8 Plus, you may need to update your iPhone drivers. Here’s how:

Open the Control Panel on your computer.
Navigate to Hardware and Sound.
Go to Unspecified section then look for Apple iPhone.
Right-click on Apple iPhone then select Properties.
Click the Hardware tab.
Click Properties then Change Settings button.
Click on the Driver tab and Update Driver.
Browse My Computer for driver software.
Go to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers and click OK, then Next.

You will then be prompted with a message saying that the best driver is already installed or a new driver will be installed. If you see the latter message, your iPhone should now be visible in iTunes.

If none of the aforementioned workarounds is able to fix the problem and you still couldn’t get your iPhone to be recognized by the computer, then try to use a different computer instead. Given that everything is good with your iPhone, the computer is most likely at fault. And switching to a different computer can help you confirm.

User-defined fixes and tricks

The following solutions were able to help many iPhone users who were facing the same trouble when attempting to connect their iOS device to the computer. Any of these methods may or may not yield a positive outcome given the possible variations of the underlying cause. Even so, it’s still worth a try. You may start whenever you’re all set.

First solution: Uninstall and reinstall Apple device on your computer.

This solution is only applicable for Windows computers that are not detecting your iPhone 8 Plus. Here’s how it’s done:

Plug iPhone USB cable into computer.
Open Device Manager.
In the USB section at bottom find Apple device.
Right click on the iOS device.
Click the option Uninstall device.
Check the box to Remove software.
Unplug the USB to disconnect your iPhone from the computer.
Then plug your iPhone back into your computer.
A message box will then appear asking you what to do with this device. Quickly click to respond. Another message prompt will show up then.
Select Open Explorer.

This will reset the default settings for your iPhone.

Second solution: Manage network settings on your computer (only if applicable).

If you have recently connected your iPhone to the computer before, there is an easier way of fixing this problem. While this may not be applicable if your very main purpose of connecting your iPhone to the computer is to use iTunes, this may offer some help in any other way.

Navigate to the Network Settings on your computer.
Click on Manage Networks.
If you see your iPhone 8 Plus in this section, click on it and then select the option to Forget.
Now, head over to your iPhone 8 Plus mobile hotspot settings and turn it on.
Go back to your computer, turn on Wi-Fi and then look for your iPhone 8 Plus in the list.

Now all you have to do is connect the phone to the computer.

Third solution: Uninstall third-party security software.

If you are using a Mac computer and that it’s not able to recognize your iPhone 8 Plus, try to uninstall third-party security software on your computer. It is possible that your security software could be interfering with your computer’s connection with iTunes and/or your iOS device. Here’s how it’s done:

Hold down the Option key.
Click the Apple menu.
Select System Information or System Report.
Select USB from the list on the left side.
If you see your iPhone under USB Device Tree, uninstall third-party security software.

If you still don’t see your iPhone in the list of USB devices on your computer, then you may attempt to reach out to and work with your security software provider to configure the software to allow the complete list of ports and services that Apple products use. Otherwise, contact Apple Support for other options and official recommendations. If ever you get to see any error codes or warning prompts when attempting to connect your iPhone 8 Plus to your computer and then it won’t go through, be sure to take note of the error as it usually tells you of what went wrong in the first place. That should then serve as your hint on what or which device needs to fix.

Connect with us

If you need more help with the use of certain functions and features of the new Apple iPhone 8 smartphone, feel free to visit our Tutorial Page. There you can find a list of how-to contents, step-by-step tutorials, as well as answers to FAQs regarding iPhone 8. If you have other concerns or encountered some troubles while using the phone, you can reach us through this form. Just be sure to tell us more details of the problem or device issue(s) you may have and we will be more than happy to assist you further.

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