3 Ways to Fix iTunes Wi-Fi Sync Not Working (2018 Tested)

Updated Jul 05,2018 | by Cody

iTunes Wi-Fi Sync is a great feature that let you transfer files from your computer to iOS device over Wi-Fi without being plugged in with a USB lightning cable. However, in some cases, you may find that iTunes Wi-Fi sync not working because your iOS device could not be found.

In this article, I will show you three ways to fix this problem, whether the iPhone icon does is not displayed in iTunes or it gives you an error message saying”The settings were not saved for the iPhone because it could not be found” when you start sync over Wi-Fi.

Method 1: Check the Wi-Fi Connection on Both Devices

If the iPhone and PC are not connected to the same Wi-Fi network, then the Wi-Fi sync cannot work as it should do.

In your home or office, you may have more than one Wi-Fi network available. I once made that mistake. My Windows 10 PC is connected to the 5G Wi-Fi network while the iPhone is connected to the 2.4G network.

If the network is not a problem, then you may try the Apple suggested solutions for this issue.

Method 2: Restart Apple Mobile Device Service

Many users have found out that simply restarting the Apple Mobile Device Helper service on both Windows and OSX can fix the problem iTunes Wi-Fi sync not working.

If you are using Windows 10/8/7, follow the steps below.

Step 1. Right-click on the Taskbar and select Task Manager.

Step 2. Within Task Manager, click on the Services tab.

Step 3. Locate the Apple Mobile Device Helper service. Then right click on it and select Restart or Stop.

Step 4. Restart your iTunes on Windows and you should be able to see your iOS device and use the iTunes WiFi sync feature successfully.

If you are using a Mac, then you can find this process through Application > Utilities > Activity Monitor.

Method 3: Rebuild Trust

If you have not been using the iTunes Wi-Fi Sync for a long while, the trust established before may be broken, which could result in iTunes Wi-Fi Sync not working. To fix it, you can connect your iPhone and iTunes via lightning cable to re-establish the trust.

Under the Summary section, scroll down to recheck the option Sync with this iPhone over Wi-Fi and apply this change. Tap “Allow” to trust this PC if prompted on your iPhone. After that, you should be able to sync iPhone without being plugged in.

Needless to say, you have to use iTunes 10.5 or later and iOS 5 or later to be able to use iTunes Wi-Fi Sync. If you see the iTunes Wi-Fi Sync option is greyed out, it is most likely your iOS device or iTunes is not updated to the required version.

Bonus Tips: Wi-Fi Sync without iTunes - Fast & Reliable

If you still unable to solve the problem iTunes Wi-Fi sync failed, then you can use the iTunes alternative IOTransfer to transfer files between iPhone and PC wirelessly. With IOTransfer, you do not even need a USB lightning cable to build connection in the first place.

You can refer to the following to see how it works.

Step 1. Free download and install IOTransfer on your Windows 10/8/7 computer.

Step 2. Open this program and go to AirTrans section. Click on the Start Transfer to continue.

Step 3. Now it asks you to install AirTrans app on your iPhone. Just get it from AppStore on your iPhone.

Step 4. Once you've installed the AirTrans app, you can scan the QR code to build connection instantly.

Step 5. After that, you can transfer files from your computer to iPhone wirelessly and vice versa.

Besides iPhone Wi-Fi transfer, IOTransfer has many other useful features including convert videos , download online videos to your iPhone, clean iPhone for junk files, etc.

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