iPhone iTunes downloaded iOS update... phone didn't update

[curmudgeonette]

I'm finally switching from an iPhone 4S to an SE. (The SE was purchased from Apple in their blowout sale.) My iMac is on High Sierra and hence I still have iTunes.

I'm trying to update the iPhone through iTunes but it isn't working. In response to clicking download and update, it spent seven hours downloading... and then nothing happened. Then I tried just "download". Another seven plus hours and I can find no way to push that download onto the phone. I do see a "iPhone_4.0_64bit_13.3.1_17D50_Restore.ipsw" file in ~/Library/blah.

Web searching said to try DFU mode. Now my phone is not usable at all - and iTunes has embarked on another 7 hour download. It appears to be downloading another copy of "iPhone_4.0_64bit_13.3.1_17D50_Restore.ipsw" - the partial file ends in .download.

 

[curmudgeonette]

Now my phone is not usable at all

After a bunch of unplugging, plugging, and button pressing, my phone woke up and is once again usable as a phone... on iOS 11.

With some random Googling, found that option-clicking Update (or Restore) allows choosing a saved ipsw file. Argh! Seems like Apple's recent UI designers need to be beaten with a 1980's hardbound edition of Inside Mac open to the User Interface chapter.

Anyway, the result of option-clicking is... "this firmware version is incompatible". Well iTunes, why did you download that specific version?

 

[FNH15]

After a bunch of unplugging, plugging, and button pressing, my phone woke up and is once again usable as a phone... on iOS 11.

With some random Googling, found that option-clicking Update (or Restore) allows choosing a saved ipsw file. Argh! Seems like Apple's recent UI designers need to be beaten with a 1980's hardbound edition of Inside Mac open to the User Interface chapter.

Anyway, the result of option-clicking is... "this firmware version is incompatible". Well iTunes, why did you download that specific version?

If you’re still on High Sierra, make sure your install is fully updated. I’ve seen this error message pop up when attempting to use an older version of iTunes with a newer version of iOS.

The SE is a great phone- I’d trade my XS for one in a heartbeat if they’d made one with 256GB...

 

[curmudgeonette]

If you’re still on High Sierra, make sure your install is fully updated. I’ve seen this error message pop up when attempting to use an older version of iTunes with a newer version of iOS.

Thanks! I installed whatever macOS updates were available for High Sierra - iTunes went from 12.8.something to 12.8.somethingelse. That did the trick - the iPhone SE is now on iOS 13.