iTunes No Longer Backs Up iDevices Even Manually

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Level 3

925 points

iTunes No Longer Backs Up iDevices Even Manually

iTunes 12.8.3.1on Mid-2011 iMac running MacOS 10.13.6, iPhone 12 with iOS 16.0.3, iPad Mini 5 with iOS 14.4.2, and iPad Mini 6 with iOS 15.7.

OK for years I've always backed up my iDevices (beginning with iPod) using iTunes on at least a weekly basis, usually on Sundays. Five and a half years ago, starting with iTunes 12.6, the automatic back up stopped working but the manual back up still worked UNTIL TODAY.

I had no problem doing the backup last Sunday, 23 Oct 22 but today, 30 Oct 22, when I went to back up after syncing with iTunes, the "Back Up Now" button was grayed out on my iPhone 12 and both iPad Minis. Fortunately, I have iMazing 2 installed and can still back up my iDevices using it.

But any ideas as to why I can longer back up using iTunes?

iPhone 12, iOS 16

Posted on Oct 30, 2022 01:44 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

romad Author

Level 3

925 points

Nov 1, 2022 05:41 PM in response to K_Faith

Step 1: I'm maxed out on the versions of MacOS (10.13.6) and iTunes (12.8.3.1) They are the "latest" versions that will work on my iMac.

Step 2: The iPhone 12, iPad Mini 5, and iPad Mini 6 all appear in iTunes 12.8.3.1 and I am able to sync them with iTunes 12.8.3.1

Step 3: BTDT No T-Shirt

Step 4: Skipped

Step 5: I was able to backup my iPad Mini 5 to my old Mid-2011 MacBook Air running MacOS 10.13.6 and iTunes 12.6.5.3. Then, on a whim, I decided to AGAIN try to back up the iPhone 12 to my iMac using iTunes 12.8.3.1 and after launching (& connecting the iPhone to the iMac with an USB cable), LO & Behold the "Back Up Now" button was no longer grayed out! I clicked on it and the iPhone was backed up to the iMac and then I was successful with the iPad Mini 5 & 6 also.

However the question remains: WHY was the "Back Up Now" button grayed out and inop on Sunday?

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Answer 2

K_Faith

Community Specialist

Nov 1, 2022 04:50 PM in response to romad

Hello romad,

Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities, and we'll be happy to help in any way we can. We understand you're having issues with backing up your iPhone. Follow the guidance listed here to see if it resolves the issue: If you can't back up your iOS or iPadOS device to a computer or restore it from a backup

"Try again after each step

Make sure your Mac or PC is up-to-date. If you're using iTunes, make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes.
Connect your device to your computer with a USB cable, and locate your device on your computer. If your device doesn't appear in Finder or iTunes, learn what to do. If you forgot your passcode or your device is disabled, learn what to do.
Restart all your devices.
If you use a Mac, skip this step. If you use a Windows PC and iTunes won't respond or your backup never finishes, you might need to update, change, disable, or uninstall your security software.
If you own more than one computer, try to make a backup on your other Mac or PC. Or, use iCloud to back up your device and restore from your iCloud backup.
If you see an alert that says an error occurred, your backup is corrupt or incompatible, or there's not enough disk space, find your error message below to learn what to do next.
Contact Apple Support."

We hope this helps.

Cheers!

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Answer 3

KMB_12

Community Specialist

Nov 1, 2022 05:50 PM in response to romad

Hi romad,

We're glad to hear that the issue was resolved. As for why this happened, it is hard to say for sure. However, should the issue return or you have other questions, you'll want to reach out to Apple Support.

Get Support

Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.

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iTunes No Longer Backs Up iDevices Even Manually

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