A couple of users have stated that they received the “iTunes could not connect to iPhone or iPad because an invalid response was received from the device” error message when they connect their iPhone to their computers. In addition, some other users have reported that iTunes freezes while they are syncing their iPhone with their computer.
Sometimes, you might face this problem while trying to connect your iPhone to your Window’s iTunes application. You will see a message “iTunes could not connect to the iPhone because an invalid response was received from the device“. This message will prevent you from connecting your iPhone to your
iTunes.
This error can be caused by incompatibility issue. Your iTunes version might not be updated to the latest version and, therefore, incompatible with the iOS version. Your computer need to be running a certain version of iTunes application for it to work with certain iOS versions.
In most cases, the solution of this problem revolves around updating your iTunes as well as iOS device. If these things doesn’t fix your problems, there are other things that you can do to resolve the issue.
With iTunes you can:
- sync your content (movies, apps and much more)
- Transfer the content from your computer to your iPhone or iPad and vice versa
- update or restore your iPhone or iPad
How to fix Invalid Response Received From the Device error
Here’s how to fix “iTunes could not connect because invalid response was received from device”
Solution #1. Update iTunes
Since the issue is related to version compatibility problem, it’s logical to update the devices and software involved. So, let’s start by updating the iTunes application to ensure that you are running the most latest version.
Here’s how to update iTunes on windows:
- Start the iTunes app
- Now, click Help
- Next, click Check for updates
- If updates are available, download and install
Here’s how to update iTunes on Mac:
- Go to App Store
- Now, click Update
- If updates are available, download and install.
Once your iTunes is updated, check if it resolves the issue
Solution #2. Reinstall iTunes
If your issue was not resolved by updating iTunes application, please try to uninstall and reinstall the iTunes.
- Press and hold down Windows key and press R
- Now, type appwiz.cpl and hit Enter
- Next, find your iTunes application and select it
- Next on, hit Uninstall and follow the on-screen prompts
- Launch spotlight search and type Terminal
- From the search results that appear, select Terminal
- Now, type cd /Applications/ and hit Enter
- Next, type sudo rm -rf iTunes.app/ and hit Enter
- Next on, type in the admin password
Once done, visit
(https://www.apple.com/itunes/)
and click the Download now button. If you are on Mac, visit
(https://www.apple.com/itunes/)
and click the Download now button.
Once the download is complete, double click the downloaded file and install the iTunes application again. Check if your issue was resolved.
Solution #3. Update your iPhone
Since the latest version of iTunes work with certain iOS versions, updating your iPhone to the latest iPhone version can fix the An Invalid Response Received From the Device error too.
Please follow these steps to update your iPhone:
- Start the settings app on your iPhone
- Go to General
- Tap Software update
- If an update is available, hit download and Install
- If asked, type in your password
Once the update is installed, try to connect your iPhone again and see if the the problem was fixed.
Other solutions
- Your USB cable can be broken or faulty. Connect your iPhone to a computer using a different USB/lightning cable
- Make sure your USB port is working properly. Connect your iPhone to a different USB port
- If possible, try using a different computer
- Close iTunes and reopen and try again
- Try restarting your computer
- Try restarting your iPhone
- Try restarting your router
- A locked iPhone can cause connectivity issues. Ensure that your iPhone is unlocked when it is connected to a computer
- Force restart your iPhone. Do not worry, you will not lose anything. Here’s how:
- iPhone x and newer: quickly press and release the volume up and then the volume down button. Press and hold the power button until you see the Apple Logo on the screen.
- iPhone 7 and 7 plus: Press and hold both the Sleep/Wake (On/Off) and Volume Down buttons together until you see the Apple logo on the screen.
- iPhone 6 and older: Press and hold both the Sleep/Wake (On/Off) and Home buttons simultaneously until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
- Update your computer to the latest OS version
- Sometimes, the problem can be caused by your iPhone’s network settings. Reset your iPhone network setting by heading over to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings (Please note: this will remove your Wi-Fi passwords etc).
- On your iPhone or iPad, head over to Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on “Set Automatically”
- If you are using a Mac), make sure that time and date settings are set correctly. Head over to (System Preferences > Time & Date). If you are using A windows PC, also make sure that time and date settings are set correctly.