Windows 11 pc Apple devices does not detect iPhone 15

The resolution for me - after several days of frustration - was to uninstall iPod Support from Windows 11 Programs and Apps. Didn't even have to restart; Apple Devices found my iPhone immediately :)

Kollstrom, you might just be a genius. I too had the iPod Support app installed and when I uninstalled it, the Apple Devices did indeed recognize my devices. Thank you for the help.

I also have this issue with an Apple iPod shuffle - which worked fine until the recent update to Apple devices on Windows 11 (Apple Devices 1.5.2.58 (1.1282.14849.0) - updated 21 Dec 24)

I am having the exact same issue on my Samsung Galaxy TabPro S. When I first installed the Apple Devices, Apple Music, and Apple TV apps I was running Windows 11 23H2, and everything seemed to work well. I upgraded to 24H2 a month or so ago, and now, although I can view the photos and other files on my iPhone and iPod in File Explorer, Apple Devices doesn't detect any devices that are connected to the computer. I've tried different cables, a different data hub, I've uninstalled and re-installed the apps from the Microsoft Store...I am all out of ideas. In addition, I use my laptop to play movies from my Apple TV library, displaying them on the Flat-screen TV in my 5th-wheel. Now, the movies won't play. About the only thing that still works is that I can still listen to music via the Apple Music app, although I can no longer sync my iPod to update the library. I'm extremely frustrated and am quite certain that the issue lies within the 24H2 upgrade, but I can no longer down-grade to 23H2.

My thought was that it wasn’t the operating system update so much as possibly a security update or something similar. I have been reading that the Apple devices app does not play well with Windows 11 in general, so perhaps you are correct in that the app itself is the issue. The fact that it doesn’t matter what type of Apple device I connect to my computer and it not being recognized, tells me that it likely is the app.

If you don't see it under Apps/Installed Apps in Windows, you probably don't have it installed, so my post is not applicable to you.

However, chances are you have a different Apple-related app installed which is causing similar problems. Just sort alphabetically and look for anything with "Apple", "Bonjour" or "i[whatever]". Uninstall at own risk, of course.

I had the iPod Support App installed because I still have a 15-year-old iPod Touch 4, which is still alive and kicking :)

Kollstrom,

Thanks for the idea, but sorry but this didn't work for me - I'm using an iPod shuffle, which was working fine until the recent update to Apple Devices in mid-December. I have tried your suggestion, and after removing iPod support, when I go into Apple devices, it asks to re-install the software (i guess because it is an iPod rather than iPhone), but then doesn't do anything - and says that the software required is not installed.

Apple Tech Team,

It seems from the posts in this thread and on the Microsoft Forum (https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/apple-devices-app-no-longer-working/244c4a4b-c880-416a-b905-84fb86cf6ac4) that both Apple and Microsoft are pointing fingers at one another. True or not, please provide a solution, as it seems on my computer that it is the Apple Devices software that is not working to recognize my devices; that is the step in the syncing process that is no longer working like it did in the recent past.

1) I need to put music on my iPhone, iPad, and iPod.

2) All of my music and playlists are in Apple Music because Apple Tech Support told me to do that in Oct 2024.

So none of the solutions in this string or in the parallel Microsoft Forum string would work for me (e.g., deleting reference to iPod; using an older version of iTunes).

Here is my post on the Microsoft Forum on Jan 3:

I too have the same issue. Got a new PC with Windows 11,

a new iphone16Pro, and a new iPad Air all in Oct 2024. My music was synced via

iTunes on my older versions of these 3 devices prior to Oct 2024. When iTunes

no longer worked in the same way on my 3 new devices, I called Apple Support. A

knowledgeable tech told me that Apple is phasing out iTunes and switching to

Apple Music and Apple Devices to perform the same functions that iTunes used

to. I installed these apps on my PC, and got everything to work. I was also

able to buy a few new songs and get them into my playlists.

In case this matters, between Oct and Dec 2024, I did of

course update my iPhone and PC to the latest operating systems. Everything is

always up to date.

Then, on Dec 24, 2024, I bought some new songs and

re-organized a few playlists, and tried to sync. But it did not work because

the Apple Devices app on my PC did not recognize my devices. I tried the

suggestions on the internet with uninstalling, restarting, installing,

different cables and ports, etc. I called Apple Support again, and all of the

support technician's troubleshooting steps did not fix the issue either. That

was the first time ever in the past 20 years that Apple tech was not able to

help me, even though she seemed to be trying hard.

Then today, Jan 3, 2025, the issue persists. As suggested above, I tried

deleting 2 of the 3 references to my PC that were on my iPhone, leaving only

the Windows 11 reference, and that did not help either. So I am stuck like the

rest of the folks above.

Thank you.

Someone posted on the Microsoft Forum today that Apple fixed the problem. I reinstalled Apple Devices, and was able to sync my iPhone, iPad, and iPod easily, just like I could a few months ago. Thank you Apple for fixing the problem.

This is what worked for me. I had to turn off all of the windows firewalls and anti-virus programs. Plugged in my iphone and opened the apple devices app and it finally recognized that I had my iphone plugged into my hp laptop. Make sure to turn all the Windows antivirus and firewalls back on when you're done updating your iphone. I suffered very long without updating my playlists/music and this was a great discovery for me. I almost switched to an android cell phone.