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WiFi syncing with iTunes STILL doesn't work right

S

SufferingIdiots

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 13, 2011
17
0
WiFi Syncing with iTunes STILL doesn't work right after several generations of iOS. It makes no sense to me that my macbook can receive my messages and phone calls. My iPhone even shows up under my wifi menu as an available hotspot, but iTunes STILL can't see my iPhone. If I try to manually engage WiFi sync via settings->general my iPhone apparently cant find my macbook either. What gives?

This makes no sense that after YEARS of struggling with wifi syncing it STILL doesn't work, but the newer features such as handoff and phone calls via my macbook work fine. Right now neither my iPhone nor my iPad are showing up in itunes as being available over WiFi. Both are nearby and connected to the same network so what is the real problem here? This has been an ongoing issue for me since the very launch of WiFi syncing and has existed across many different iPhones, macbooks and ipads I have had over the years. As well as several different routers I have had over that time.

Just as I am about to submit this post I checked one more time and as of a few minutes ago my iPad shows up in iTunes, but not my iPhone.

iTunes 12
OS X Yosemite (the latest non-developer release)
iOS 8.0.2
 
I feel your pain. Same thing here with my iPod Touch that I just updated to iOS8. The wifi sync to my iMac worked just fine when it was on iOS7. But now both automatic and manual wifi sync don't work at all. And, iTunes doesn't show the iPod as a connected device most of the time. Running iTunes 11.4.
Not happy. Needless to say, I'm keeping my iPad retina mini on IOS7 for now.
 
colodane said:
I feel your pain. Same thing here with my iPod Touch that I just updated to iOS8. The wifi sync to my iMac worked just fine when it was on iOS7. But now both automatic and manual wifi sync don't work at all. And, iTunes doesn't show the iPod as a connected device most of the time. Running iTunes 11.4.
Not happy. Needless to say, I'm keeping my iPad retina mini on IOS7 for now.
Click to expand...

I actually think this is an iTunes problem that will need a fix. When wifi sync first came out it acted this way.
 
Another one here where the iPhone 6 or the iPad Air don't show up in iTunes for WiFi sync.
 
For me this issue isn't related to the new (or any specific model) of iPhone, or the new iTunes or iOS. It has existed for years with my 4s, 5 and now 5S. Multiple versions of iTunes, iOS and even OSX. It has never worked reliably for me. Although at times better than it does currently. Right now, no matter what I do I can't seem to get my iPhone to show up in iTunes unless i connect it with the lightning cable.
 
Sorta the same problem. Ios8.0.2 on a retina mini, iTunes 11.4 on iMac snow leopard.
Wifi sync works, music movies and photos sync, but the apps I've bought on my iPad since ios8 don't sync back to iTunes.

When I hook it up via usb I can see the apps in the images of the home pages, but not in the list of apps. Weird.

I know I can download them again from the purchase tab of the iPad App Store, but I don't want to use the data, we're on a satellite with a data cap
 
Seems like an iTunes problem more than an iOS problem. It's very hit or miss for me.
 
Sounds more like a problem with your computer or with iTunes. I think it is highly unlikely that iOS can go through several revisions and still cause this problem.
 
Syncing WiFi iTunes

This article should resolve the issue that you are having. (http://support.apple.com/kb/ts4062)




If all else fails uninstall iTunes completely. (http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1925)

In some instances iTunes does not uninstall correctly. If you look at your list of installed applications in Control Panel > Uninstall A Program. You made notice the Apple Inc. applications install dates may mismatch. If that is the case then that there lies your problem. Simply uninstall them all reboot computer clean install from the website and reboot again. Then you can setup WIFI.



PS. The biggest issue people make is they forget to plug their device in to power. If it is not plugged in to power it will not sync of WiFi either.:apple:
 
I'm having the same issues with Yosemite, restarting devices seems to have no effect, and I'm unable to force a sync from my iPhone or iPad either.

Presumably, it's just a bug in the new version of iTunes. Anyone out there who HAS successfully done WiFi sync on Yosemite?
 
Wi-Fi syncing worked with OS X Yosemite and iTunes 12 when I had iOS 7 but now with iOS 8.0.2, it is broken once again with my 6 Plus, 5 and iPod touch. The Yosemite GM candidate didn't include an updated iTunes 12 so there is still hope for that.
 
I'm confused....for those of you that say it doesn't work....have you ever once connected your device to iTunes with a cable, checked the box that says Sync with this xxx over WiFi, then clicked the Sync button?

Because it absolutely does work, after you do this once.
 
Padmini said:
I'm confused....for those of you that say it doesn't work....have you ever once connected your device to iTunes with a cable, checked the box that says Sync with this xxx over WiFi, then clicked the Sync button?

Because it absolutely does work, after you do this once.
Click to expand...

Yes and not it doesn't. This is broken with iOS 8 just another ****** mishap in the disaster that it is. It worked perfectly fine before iOS 8.
 
Doesn't work for me either with Yosemite Public Beta 4, iTunes 12 and iPhone 6 8.02
 
Last edited:
bobright said:
Yes and not it doesn't. This is broken with iOS 8 just another ****** mishap in the disaster that it is. It worked perfectly fine before iOS 8.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sitting here with it working just fine on iOS 8.1.

It was working on 8.0.2 as well.
 
I'm on Windows with an AirPort Extreme router and I could never get this to work either. I finally gave up and switch to iCloud backups after Apple dropped the prices.

I think what we have here is a situation where Apple is putting all their eggs in the cloud basket and putting minimal effort into iTunes.
 
I'm really not sure what is causing my issue. Wi-Fi syncing has NEVER worked reliably for me. I have tried all the troubleshooting steps listed a few posts above as well as MANY others. I can often get my device to show up in iTunes and sync wirelessly, but a few hours later it is gone again.

I have no idea what the issue is as this has persisted across multiple versions of iOS ( really all of them since Wi-Fi syncing was introduced) and multiple versions of OSX.

For what its worth I am using an iPhone 5S, a Retina Macbook Pro, iOS 8.0.2, and the latest public beta of Yosemite.
 
None of my iOS 8 devices will wifi sync. But my iOS 7 devices sync fine (always have).

I have
iPad Mini Retina iOS 8.0.2
iPad 3 iOS 8.0
iPhone 5s iOS 8.0.2
None of these devices Wifi sync. However, they all used to Wifi Sync at version 7.x.x.

I also have
iPad 2 iOS 7.x.x
iPhone 5 iOS 7.x.x
Both of these devices are currently Wifi Syncing with out problem

Because my ver. 7 devices are currently syncing, I have to assume the problem is with iOS 8 or some combination of iOS 8 and iTunes.

My computer is an early 2011 MacBook Pro with the latest version of Mavericks. iTunes also has the most recent update.

There is a 10 page thread over on the Apple Forums about this problem:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6542301?start=135&tstart=0
 
People are blaming iTunes but I think the issue is more fundamental than that.

On my Macbook I have Bonjour Browser software and my iPhone and iPad tend to only show up as Bonjour devices for a while after they've been turned on. Then they stop broadcasting.

iTunes always shows when it's running.

So the way for me to sync over wifi is to turn off/on my device then it works fine. For a while.
 
Just a little update. I've seem to have fixed this issue for myself. First, the computer that has been having this issue for me is my Hackintosh, not my rMBP. Admittedly, I use it more than my rMBP. Thinking it may have been a bonjour issue, I looked to replacing my ethernet kext with another that is better for the Realtek chipset I have and it seems to have fixed bonjour services which includes iTunes Wi-Fi Sync.

In short, iTunes 12/iOS 8/Yosemite weren't the issue.
 
I think there's a lot of evidence here the that culprit is iOS 8.0.2.

Whenever my device isn't appearing in iTunes, it's also not appearing in Airdrop -- evidence that it is, as suggested above, a Bonjour problem and not specifically an iTunes problem. I've been able to get my iOS devices to appear simply by restarting them, and when they appear in iTunes they also show up in Airdrop.

Hopefully Monday's 8.1 patch will fix this for good.
 
b1narych0ice said:
I think there's a lot of evidence here the that culprit is iOS 8.0.2.....
Hopefully Monday's 8.1 patch will fix this for good.
Click to expand...

I was thinking it was iTunes 12.0.0. However just got a 12.0.1 update and still no WiFi sync.

Also the Remote App hasn't been showing album artwork.

Sure hope both of these are fixed in iOS 8.1.
 
Julien said:
I was thinking it was iTunes 12.0.0. However just got a 12.0.1 update and still no WiFi sync.

Also the Remote App hasn't been showing album artwork.

Sure hope both of these are fixed in iOS 8.1.
Click to expand...
Remote app doesn't show artwork for me either. I think that'll need to be updated. I don't expect 8.1 to fix that.
 
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