Devices Not Showing in/Connecting to iTunes

[rsmmac]

I've made so many mistakes since starting this at 11pm (yes, that was the first mistake) last night - if this is in the wrong forum, I apologize!

MPB 2010 - OS 10.10.5 (Yosemite); iPad Pro 10.5 - iOS 12.1; iPhone 5S - iOS 9.3.5

I wanted to update iOS on both devices to 12.1. Did backup to iTunes (which was then 12.6.2), saw that iTunes wanted to update to 12.8, let it. (Uh. Oh.) Updated iPP without connection, no issue. iPhone requires to be connected to iTunes to update. Connected, tried to update, it refused saying I needed at least 10.11.4 (El Capitan). I have the OS on a flash drive, but don't really want to update. (I need iWeb for a friend's site, I have since seen that it will work with El Capitan).

Searched and googled and searched, found iTunes 10.6.5, thought (HA!) that if I downloaded it, maybe it would let me install 12.1 on the iPhone. Downloaded, installed, all music, cover artwork, playlists, podcasts there. But... no device backups show under Preferences/Devices.

Have connected devices via USB, it doesn't acknowledge them, nothing happens. Checked USB port - works! Checked cable - works! "Previous iTunes Libraries" no longer exists in files through Finder.

Grabbed iTunes folders from backup, copied them to Music/iTunes. Didn't help.

I did a whole bunch of other stupid things, including deleting Trash. I know... I know.

I've now updated, again, to iTunes 12.8. It shows one previous library. All is great except - device backups don't show, and nothing happens when I connect a device. I know the iPad Pro might not be recognized when attached because it's 12.1 (and may still require El Capitan), but thought the iPhone would. No.

The device backups are all still there under Library/Application Support/Mobile Sync

I'm guessing there are some .plist or other files I need to delete, or some other way to get iTunes to see those backups. Or some other way to get iTunes to recognize the devices.

I can update to El Capitan but thought I'd check here, to see if there is anything else i should do. Or do first.

Thank you!!

 

[ferrarr]

Did you have Time Machine enabled, or any other backup/clone strategy in place? I "believe" the issue is the new format system Apple is using, APFS, is making it incompatible with the older OS X version you are using. I had an issue, using Yosemite, with one of the iPhones already updated to iOS 12.

 

[rsmmac]

I backup with Time Machine and CCC. Manual, not automatic, last backup was Nov 1.

 

[dc2bluelight]

I don't have the exact timeline, but Apple "broke" certain combinations of iOS, MacOS and iTunes. You've found a combo that won't work. Sorry. My wife has a similar problem, she's locked into an older MacOS because of two pieces of software that are working and not easily updated for the latest OS. However, her iPhone will not sync, won't even sync photos. It's a pain. My work-around was to synch her iPhone with my more up to date MacBook Pro and recent macOS/iTunes. That works. Yes, this is a pain. Apple's updates are a one-way street that will eventually cost you money. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and move forward...get off iWeb and into something that works with the current OS...if you possibly can. And don't look back.

If you can find a macOS/iOs/iTunes combo that works, you could possibly do a dual-boot on your mac just for that. Again, a pain, costing you time. But that might be an interim solution.

 

[rsmmac]

Thank you! It said that it would work with a minimum of 10.10.5, so thought I was in the clear.

Today I decided it was too important to be able to backup the iDevices, and Safari wouldn't open (I mostly use Waterfox, but...) so upgraded to El Capitan. So far, all is working, iTunes (I reloaded 12.6.2) shows the backups again, I was able to update the iPhone, and all is good. I've gone through all my important apps, all work, needing to update only a couple of them.

I'm campaigning to get my friend to see the value in moving his websites away from iWeb...

Thank you!

 

[ferrarr]

Good to hear you got it all sorted out and working for you.

 

[rsmmac]

Good to hear you got it all sorted out and working for you.

Shhhhh...! (And thank you!)