iPhone 8/Plus Why can’t I just sync this iPhone with my computer?

[martin2345uk]

So mum has an iPhone 8, it’s just been repaired and we’ve just restored it from a previous iCloud backup, all is ok.

We want to sync it with iTunes on her PC to get her music on it. But when I connect it, it comes up with the option to either restore from a backup or set up as a new iPhone! And you can’t get past that screen without selecting one of those two options!

What am I doing wrong?

 

[rui no onna]

Just set up as new. Iirc, this option doesn't reset the device or anything.

 

[martin2345uk]

Oh really? Ok will try that thanks - it's not very intuitive!

 

[akash.nu]

Just set up as new. Iirc, this option doesn't reset the device or anything.

Set up as new restores the device I think.

This is a security requirement as far as I know, so that people can’t get access to the device without knowing the security passcode of the device.

 

[martin2345uk]

What? I know the security passcode of the device, so how do I get around this?

 

[DiCaprioAngel]

If you download 3utools and have the phone plugged in there’s an option to exit recovery mode. It should turn the phone on as normal

 

[IowaLynn]

Sync iTunes content on PC with your devices

On your PC, sync iTunes content with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod. You can set it up for automatic or manual syncing.

support.apple.com

 

[rui no onna]

Set up as new restores the device I think.

This is a security requirement as far as I know, so that people can’t get access to the device without knowing the security passcode of the device.

Not really. I believe it's for devices that have never been connected to iTunes before. The name is misleading but as I recall, I've used it on devices restored from cloud with no ill effects.

 

[akash.nu]

Not really. I believe it's for devices that have never been connected to iTunes before. The name is misleading but as I recall, I've used it on devices restored from cloud with no ill effects.

Yeah basically if you’ve never synced the phone with a specific laptop then there’s no way to validate if it’s your own laptop or someone has stolen your device and trying to get access to your phone.

It’s been ages since I’ve actually used a laptop to do anything on my device so I don’t really remember the steps properly but think setting up as new does restore the device.

 

[ractdi]

Perhaps I’m missing something here but isn’t it as straight forward as signing into iTunes using the same Apple ID and password that’s used for iCloud on the iPhone?

 

[now i see it]

On a Mac it's straight forward. It's not uncommon for PC users to struggle with it

 

[secretk]

On a Mac it's straight forward. It's not uncommon for PC users to struggle with it

Yeah iTunes for Windows is a bit of a mess.

 

[rui no onna]

Yeah basically if you’ve never synced the phone with a specific laptop then there’s no way to validate if it’s your own laptop or someone has stolen your device and trying to get access to your phone.

It’s been ages since I’ve actually used a laptop to do anything on my device so I don’t really remember the steps properly but think setting up as new does restore the device.

Those are two different things, though.

For security, when an iPhone is connected to a new PC, it requires you to enter the passcode on the iPhone and asks if you trust the computer before data is made available to the PC.

The setup as new is more in terms of content management. As I recall, setup as new leaves the device as it is while restore from backup erases everything on the device and replaces it with the backup.