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Troubleshooting and software update issues

Firmware update errors for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch are rare, but this rarity can sometimes cause a lot of inconvenience. Therefore, in order to avoid difficulties in such a situation, you need to know the basic methods of solving the problem. After reading the basic recommendations and studying common situations, the problem of communicating with the iPhone server for a software update will no longer be a horror.

There are several reasons why the user sees the message “Unable to contact the iPhone software update server.” Therefore, problem solving has several action strategies. Let's start with the most common case.

1. Is your computer connected to the Internet?


Yes, this situation seems funny at first, but in reality there may be a case that when iTunes accessed the iPhone update server, the network connection was actually interrupted. This means that before performing more serious actions, you should make sure that your PC has a stable connection to the Internet. And after that we move on to the next stage. Linked directly to iTunes.

2. iTunes version


The application is rarely used by many owners of Apple gadgets, so the release of new versions of the program becomes known only in such a situation - the impossibility of updating the firmware. The old version in many cases does not allow connecting to the update server for iPad, iPhone or iPod touch software.
The only solution is to update the version of iTunes, which is easy to do. You just need to open the “Help” tab, where the “Updates” item will be available. We select it, confirm the download with further installation. Only after this do we try to repeat the procedure, and if the error still exists, move on to the next point.

3. Complete reinstallation of iTunes
Updating the program to the latest version sometimes does not solve the issue, and iTunes continues to refuse to download the required software update. Then you need to go through the procedure of completely reinstalling the application, for which you need to initially remove all program components. It is important to follow the order listed below:
first remove iTunes;
then erase Apple SoftwareUpdate;
AppleMobile DeviceSupport is next;
further removal is subject to Bonjour;
and lastly, if iTunes is version 9 or higher, remove AppleApplication Support.
Upon completion of all these procedures, you need to restart the computer, and then install the latest version of iTunes, presented on the official Apple portal. Often this solves the problem, but if the error has not disappeared even now, then we proceed to more serious operations.

4. Editing the Hosts file
Sometimes on computers running Windows, servers are unavailable when the hosts file is infected with a virus. It would be a good idea to check and edit it, for which we perform the following 5 steps.
1. Open the main drive (usually C:/), then go to the Windows folder and find System32 there. Here we open the Drivers folder and go to the Etc folder.
2. Find the hosts file and make a copy of it, saving it separately.

3. We use any editor to open it (even standard Notepad is suitable).
4. Delete all lines that contain the address gs.apple.com.

5. Save the file and reboot the PC.
Unsuccessful operation will require another attempt to solve the problem with the gadget indicated in the next paragraph.


The problem may be the gadget itself, and not the operation of iTunes, so you can try using a hard reboot. This requires holding the Home and Power buttons for a few seconds, which works on the iPad, iPod touch, and iPhone. You can read additional materials to understand the principle of “hard overload”. If you can’t do the update now, then look at point 6.

6. Update on another PC
Did all the steps described above not help? Then we make one last attempt by connecting your iPhone to another computer, where the software update process can successfully take place.
There are extremely rare cases where the problem may be caused by an Apple emergency. Sometimes servers may be turned off for maintenance or simply not work due to some problem. This happens rarely, and the crashes themselves are often caused only by a major recent update.

iTunes is a unique service that allows you to combine purchases and installations made across all devices linked to your Apple ID account. With this app you can sync phones and tablets, back up data and much more. If iTunes stops working for one of the reasons below, it will become a big problem for the Apple user and cause a lot of inconvenience.

Can't connect to the iTunes Store - why and what to do

When you try to connect to the iTunes servers, you may receive a notification that says something similar to “Unable to connect to iTunes,” “Connection and authorization error,” etc. This will interrupt the authorization process and may cause iTunes to stop working. reply.

The reasons for this behavior of the program may be the following:

  • Unstable or non-functional connection to the mobile Internet or Wi-Fi network.
  • Outdated or outdated version of the iTunes application.
  • Damaged application files.
  • Poorly functioning USB adapter.
  • Incorrect date and time settings on the device.
  • Outdated or outdated iOS version.
  • iTunes servers are down.

How to get rid of the problem

Below we will list methods that will allow you to cope with all the possible reasons described above. If you do not know why exactly the error appeared in your case, then use all the instructions one by one until the problem disappears.

Restart your computer, application, and device

Close and relaunch iTunes, then restart your computer and your phone or tablet. This action will restart all processes running in the background and possibly resolve the error.

Reboot the computer

Problem with servers

It is possible, although highly unlikely, that the iTunes servers are currently down due to technical reasons or a spam attack. You can check this: go to a special tab on the official Apple website (https://www.apple.com/ru/support/systemstatus/), which provides information about the operation of all services. Find iTunes, if there is a green circle next to it, then this means that its servers are working, and the problem arose due to something else.

Checking if the iTunes server is running

Replacing the USB cable

Check if the USB cable has any external damage: fractures, cuts, kinks. Also, the adapter may not work correctly if it is unofficial. If you have the opportunity, try connecting to another computer with the same cable to make sure that the problem is there.

Checking and changing the USB cable

Checking your Internet connection

Try loading a link in your browser or downloading any file from the Internet to make sure the connection is stable. Reboot your router if you are using Wi-Fi, and reconnect to the Internet from the device itself and your computer.

Reconnecting to the Internet

iTunes Update


Reinstalling iTunes

The program files may be damaged, and updating will not help in this case. If you have not accessed the program files yourself, this means that they were damaged by a virus.

Changing time and date settings

The problem may be that the date and time settings on your phone or tablet are incorrect, since synchronization checks the authenticity of the application certificate, and if the dates do not match, access to the program will be denied.

Hello everyone, today we’ll look at what to do if we couldn’t establish a connection with the iPhone software update server?

One of the most pleasant features of modern mobile OSes is over-the-air updates. The times when you had to manually download the firmware, install it using a special cable and then further customize it for your device are gone.

However, depending on a remote server is also a pleasure with pitfalls. After each update is released, Apple servers withstand an influx of people wanting to update faster. What if I can’t establish a connection with the iPhone software update server?

First of all, check whether there is a connection to the Internet at all. To do this, launch a browser, social network client or other “network” program. If there is no connection, then the problem may be with your connection. Delete the connection in the Wi-Fi section and create it again. If this does not help, go to the router settings and switch the broadcast to the “b+g” hybrid mode.

If you're updating via your computer using iTunes, make sure you're using the latest version of the program.

Not the freshest? Update yourself. And in the future, activate automatic check for updates.

The malware may have made changes to the hosts file. Let us remind you that it is located in the folder C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC. Open this file with Notepad. If it contains lines mentioning apple.com, remove them.

It happens that everything is solved by simply restarting the computer or iPhone. This method should not be neglected (although, of course, rebooting is not a panacea).

Finally, errors also occur on the Apple server itself, especially during the busiest hours after the latest updates are released. Then all that remains is to try a little later.

« "iTunes was unable to connect to iPhone because it received an invalid response from the device" or “iTunes could not connect to the iPhone because an invalid response was received from the device”, suddenly this message appears when synchronizing with iTunes, and why did such an error happen?

In fact, when connecting an iPhone or iPad to a computer The certificate exchange procedure takes place. The user sees a dialog box on the computer and mobile device with the ability to “establish a trust relationship” between the devices. If you answer negatively at least on the device, this will lead to the inability to connect and similar errors. But what to do in this situation and we will tell you how to fix this problem?

Simple ways to fix the error

1. Check your iPhone shunt

5. Uninstall iTunes and reinstall it

These methods can simply solve minor errors in the system, if they do not help, then you should try the following methods.

For Windows/Mac operating system

For Mac OS X users

1. Disconnect all iOS devices from your computer and close iTunes. Open Finder, select Go -> Go to Folder. Type the following command in the box and press Enter: /var/db/lockdown

2. Open the View menu and select to display folder files as icons. In the Finder window, you will see one or more files with long alphanumeric file names.

3. Go to Finder via Edit -> Select All. Then select File -> Move to Trash. When prompted, enter your administrator password. Restart your computer.

For Windows XP users

1. Close iTunes and disconnect your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Go to “Start” - “My Computer”.

2. In the window that opens, click on the “Tools” button – “Folder Options” – “View”.

For Windows Vista or Windows 7 users

1. Close iTunes and disconnect your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Next, go to “Start” – “Computer”.

2. In the window that opens, in the top menu, click on the “Arrange” button. Next, select “Folder and Search Options” – “View”.

3. In the additional parameters, at the very end of the list, look for the “Hidden files and folders” option and switch to “Show hidden files and folders”. Save your changes.

4. Then on the local drive C we look for the ProgramData folder, and in it the Apple folder. And finally we find what we need - the Lockdown folder. Let's delete it. Restart your computer.

Fix the problem with Tenorshare ReiBoot in one click

If you have tried all the methods above, but the problem is not resolved, you can only resort to the last option. The problem is probably not in the PC, but in the iPhone. And this means you need to solve this error with help.

First, download and install Tenorshare ReiBoot on your computer. Then run it. Connect your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch to your computer using a USB cable. And then Tenorshare ReiBoot will recognize your device, click “Enter Recovery Mode”, then your device is already out of DFU mode.


After that, click “Exit Recovery Mode”, wait a little and the device will reboot safely. Do not disconnect the device during this process.


One click this program can solve the hang, in addition, if the iphone is stuck in recovery mode (recovery mode), in itunes mode, in update mode, in shutdown, in mode headphones, Tenorshare ReiBoot always allows the device to recover from a freeze.

When updating iPhone, iPad and iPod touch to the latest firmware, errors rarely occur, however, when a problem situation does arise, solving it can be extremely difficult. In this manual, we will look at one of the most frequently encountered problems and tell you what to do if you are unable to establish a connection with the iPhone software update server.

An error with the text “Unable to establish contact with the iPhone update server” can occur for several reasons at once, and accordingly, various actions may be required to solve the problem. Below we have discussed several ways to combat this error.

1. Check if your computer has Internet access

Yes, it may sound trivial, but sometimes the problem may be that at the time when iTunes was accessing the Apple software update server, there was no Internet connection on your computer. Therefore, before you start taking active steps, make sure once again that your Mac or PC has access to the Internet.

2. Update iTunes to the latest version

Many owners of iPhone, iPad and iPod touch use iTunes quite rarely and new versions of the multimedia combine sometimes pass by. But it is the old version of iTunes that may be causing the error when trying to update a mobile device.

Updating to the latest version of iTunes is very simple - you just need to go to the tab Reference and select item Updates, then confirm downloading and installing the latest version.

3. Reinstall iTunes

There are also situations when iTunes completely refuses to cooperate, even if the user has updated to the latest version. Then the only thing that helps is a complete reinstallation of iTunes, which is done as follows.

Remove the following components in a strictly defined order:

  • iTunes
  • Apple Software Update
  • Apple Mobile Device Support
  • Bonjour
  • Apple Application Support (iTunes 9 or later)

After removal, you need to restart your computer and download the final version of iTunes from the official Apple website.

4. Edit the hosts file

On Windows computers, the problem with Apple services being unavailable may be due to a virus-infected hosts file. You can check it and edit it if necessary as follows:

Step 1: Go to C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\Etc

Step 2: Find the hosts file and back it up

Step 3. Open the hosts file with any text editor, for example, standard Notepad (you need to open the editor as an administrator)

Step 4. Remove from the hosts files all lines containing the address gs.apple.com

Step 5: Save changes and restart your computer

5. Hard reset your iPhone

It is likely that the problem may not be in iTunes at all, but in the mobile device. To check this, simply hard reboot your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch by simultaneously pressing the Power and Home buttons for a few seconds.

6. Try updating your iPhone on another computer

If none of the above helps, you need to try updating to the latest version of iOS using another computer.

Well, in very rare cases, Apple itself is to blame for the problem that arises. Its software update servers may be under maintenance or simply “down.” The latter, however, happens only after the release of the largest updates.