iTunes: How to remove and reinstall the Apple Mobile Device Service on Mac OS X 10.6.8 or Earlier
Summary
If your device is not recognized in iTunes on a Mac, you may need to remove and reinstall the Apple Mobile Device Service. These steps may resolve issues with the following devices:
- iPhone
- iPad
- iPod touch
- iPod nano (5th generation)
Products Affected
iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, iTunes 10 for Mac
This document is for Mac OS X. See this article if you have Windows XP or Windows Vista.
If you haven't already, try these troubleshooting pages:
- iPhone Assistant
- iPad Assistant
- iPod touch Assistant
- iPod Assistant
- iPhone, iPad, iPod touch: Device not recognized in iTunes for Mac OS X
- iPod not recognized in iTunes and Mac desktop
If the issue continues after using the assistant, follow these steps to remove and reinstall the Apple Mobile Device Service on Mac OS X. Note that you'll need authenticate with an administrator account and password to complete these steps.
- Disconnect your device from your Mac.
- In the Finder, locate iTunes in the Applications folder and drag it to the Trash.
- Move the iTunes icon to the Trash.
- Choose Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /System/Library/Extensions and click Go.
- Locate the file AppleMobileDevice.kext and drag it to the Trash.
- Choose Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Receipts/ and click Go.
- Locate the file AppleMobileDeviceSupport.pkg and drag it to the Trash. If prompted, authenticate with the administrator password.
Note: This file may not be present in Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard; skip to the next step if this is the case. - Restart the computer.
- Choose Finder > Empty Trash and restart the computer.
- Download and install the current version of iTunes.
- Connect your device to the Mac again and open iTunes
Additional Information
In rare circumstances, an iOS device may not be recognized in iTunes on Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard after the Mac is restarted. If you reinstall iTunes, your device may be recognized. However, restarting your Mac may result in the device not being recognized again. If this is the issue, follow this article.
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