Mac Photos App Not Recognizing Iphone

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Applies To: iPhone XS/XS Max/XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8/8 Plus, iPhone 7/7 Plus, iPhone 6/6s. Many iPhone users have found that the photos from their iPhone not showing up on Mac in iPhoto or Photos App when they try to import photos from iPhone to Mac. Existing and new ‌iPhone‌ Upgrade Program members can use the Apple Store app on the ‌iPhone‌ to go through all of the pre-approval steps to get ready to purchase one of the new iPhones.

  1. Windows 10 Not Recognizing Iphone
  2. Mac Photos App Not Recognizing Iphone Xr

By Nathan E. Malpass, Last updated: December 18, 2019

Usually, when you connect your iPhone to a Mac device and launch iPhoto, photos located on iPhone’s Camera Roll will be displayed. If this happens, you can select any image and import them to your computer. But sadly, not everything happens the way it should.

Here's exactly how to use it to transfer photos from your iPhone to Mac when the Photos or iPhotos app doesn't work on your Mac; before you start, you need to download, install and run the program. Connect your iPhone to iMyFone iTransor, and select 'Export from Device & Backup' and then click 'Export from Device'.

A lot of people experience the problem of iPhone photos not showing up on Mac’s iPhoto or Photos app. But you don’t have to worry. In this guide, we’ll show you various ways you can do to fix this issue. Once you encounter this type of problem, you can simply follow our step-by-step instructions to ensure that your Mac, iPhone, and iPhoto app work as it should.

People Also Read2019 Discovery: How to Extract Photos from iPhone Backup?How to Recover Deleted Photos from iTunes Backup?

Five Manual Ways Of Fixing iPhone Photos Not Showing Up On Mac

In this section, we will show you several ways to fix the issue of iPhone photos not showing up on Mac. Let’s get started.

Solution 01: Update Your Mac And iPhoto App

This is the first thing you should try to do. Outdated software usually brings up a lot of problems, one of which is the issue with compatibility. Here’s how to update your Mac step by step:

  1. Connect your Mac device to the Internet through a Wi-Fi network.
  2. Go to the Apple menu and select Software Update. This will launch Mac’s App Store.
  3. If an update is available, read the user license agreement and then press Agree. This will start the update process for Mac. Wait until it is complete.

Now, you have to update your iPhoto application. Here’s how to do it:

iPhoto would automatically notify you when an update is available. You can also install iPhoto updates manually. If you got iPhoto by buying it through the Mac App Store, then go to Apple menu. After which select App Store. Check out iPhoto and see if there is a tab labeled Update. Click this tab. If your iPhoto app is installed from iLife disc, the update can be acquired through a notification from the app.

Now, you should update the software on the iPhone. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Ensure that the iPhone is connected to the Internet.
  2. Visit Settings and then go to General. Go to Software Update.
  3. Check if an update is present for the iPhone’s iOS.
  4. Press Download And Install if an update is present.
  5. Follow the instructions presented on the screen to finish the process.
Iphone

Once your Mac, iPhoto app, and iPhone are updated to its latest version, the iPhone photos should now show up in your Mac’s iPhoto app. If it doesn’t, then you can check the other solutions we have included below.

Solution 02: Check Your USB Cable

Are you using a third-party cable? iPhone photos might not show up in the iPhoto application. You might want to consider using the original Lightning cable that comes with the iPhone upon purchase. To ensure that the cable is working properly, plug it into another device besides the current Mac device. If it is still not working properly, this means the cable you’re using is broken. You might need to replace it. It is best to consider an authentic cable from the Apple store.

Solution 03: Restart The Mac Device And The iPhone

Force restarting your iPhone and Mac requires the following steps:

  1. Unplug the cable between your iPhone and your Mac. Press the Side button until the Power Off screen is displayed. Move the slider to in order to shut down the iPhone. Wait for about 30 seconds and open the iPhone back on.
  2. Now, use your Mac computer. Go to the Apple menu and press Restart. After which click Restart again for your Mac to reboot.
  3. Use the Lightning cable to connect the iPhone to the Mac computer. A prompt will be displayed onscreen. Press Trust for confirmation.

Solution 04: Close Conflicting Software

Some people use Dropbox on their Mac device and use it a third-party storage platform. The said app may actually conflict with iPhoto. Thus, you should remove it from your Mac. In addition, if you utilize third-party security apps (or software) on your Mac device, you can simply suspend or uninstall it. These might conflict with iPhoto as well.

Solution 05: Check iCloud Photo Library On Mac

Did you activate iCloud settings for photos on your iPhone and Mac devices? This means that photos located within the Camera Roll has already been moved to the computer. Thus, iPhone photos will not show up within iPhoto.

To visit iCloud Phot Library within your Mac device, launch iPhoto and go to the Preferences menu. Then, visit General and go to iCloud.

Using your iPhone device, visit Settings. After which, press [Your Name] and go to iCloud. Finally, visit Photos. In this section, you can set options for the iCloud Photo Library.

Note: If your iPhone is running on versions iOS 10.2 or earlier, the settings for iCloud Photo Library can be found in Settings > iCloud. After which, select Photos.

To ensure that iPhone photos have already been transferred to iPhoto, visit iPhoto. Then, go to Preference and then General. After which, click Show within Finder. Right-clicking the photos is the next step. Then, select the option Show Package Contents to show its details. Generally, if the photos (located in your iPhone device’ Camera Roll) have been transferred towards the album folder, syncing iPhoto again won’t be necessary.

Bonus: How to Speed Up And Optimize Your Mac Device

Windows 10 Not Recognizing Iphone

Now, speeding up your Mac device is a necessity. You don’t want to get bogged down by a slow, lagging computer, do you? With FoneDog PowerMyMac tool, you can simply optimize the performance of your Mac device in a few simple clicks. This is done by detecting and deleting unnecessary files. Plus, you can uninstall misbehaving apps without leaving any leftover files. All of this is possible through this powerful tool by FoneDog.

In Conclusion

Using the tutorial above, you should learn how to fix the problem of iPhone photos not showing up on Mac. The cause of this problem can be complicated, but we’ve shown you various ways to ensure that iPhoto works properly on your Mac device.

The best way to achieve this is through FoneDog iOS Data Backup & Restore tool. However, you can use other methods if you wish. To end this article, we will recommend that you use FoneDog’s PowerMyMac tool to have an optimized computer that’s also lightning fast.

>Tricks >Here's How To Fix iPhone Photos Not Showing Up On Mac
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If the Image Capture app is not working and you are unable to import your iPhone photos over to your Mac, the following guide will teach you how to fix the issue and be able to transfer photos from iPhone to your Mac machine. Read on to learn how.

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Plugging in phone via cable. Image Capture launches and can see the device, but no images or videos show up in the list. Device is accessible in iTunes, photos are showing up in the contents bar so the computer knows I have photos on the phone (there’s over 500 on there), just Image Capture can’t see them. Any help appreciated.

Image Capture is a photo utility app that comes preloaded on most Mac machines. The main purpose of the app is to help you import photos from various photo devices over to your machine. It has support for iOS devices as well so you can use it to import photos, say from your iPhone over to your Mac in a few clicks.

While it seems there are some users who are facing an issue with the app as the above user mentioned. The Image Capture app is not recognizing the iPhones of these users, iPhone photos not loading and as a result, the users are unable to get their iPhone photos on their Macs. If you are one of these users and are suffering from the issue, the following guide should help you out.

The following are some of the common solutions that you can apply to get rid of the issue on your machine. Many of these methods have proven to work for users who were troubled by the Image Capture app not being able to detect their iPhones.

Solution 1. Unplug and Re-plug Your iPhone

If the Image Capture app does not recognize your iPhone in the first attempt, you may want to try unplugging your iPhone from your computer and then plugging it back in after a few minutes. This will deactivate the port you use on your machine and then reactivate it and it will likely resolve the issue for you.

Solution 2. Update Mac System

Mac Photos App Not Recognizing Iphone Xr

Some older Mac system versions are not compatible with the new iOS system. So if you’ve updated your iPhone to the newest iOS version, you need to check your macOS system and update it to the latest version. Here are the steps for How to update the software on your Mac:

  1. Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu, then click Software Update to check for updates.
  2. If any updates are available, click the Update Now button to install them. Or click ”More info” to see details about each update and select specific updates to install.
  3. When Software Update says that your Mac is up to date, the installed version of macOS and all of its apps are also up to date. That includes Safari, iTunes, Books, Messages, Mail, Calendar, Photos, and FaceTime.

Solution 3. Re-trust Your iPhone in the iTunes App on Your Mac

You may wonder why you need to re-trust your iPhone in the iTunes app as all that you want to use is the Image Capture app. Well, iTunes provides universal authentication for your iPhone on your Mac and therefore getting your iPhone re-trusted in the iTunes app will let you use your device in the Image Capture app as well. And you can do as follows:

  1. Unplug your iPhone from your Mac if it is already plugged in. Plug the device back in after a minute or so.
  2. Launch the iTunes app on your computer and you will be asked to trust the computer on your iPhone. Tap on Trust on your iPhone and it will let you move ahead.
  3. Open the Image Capture app on your Mac and you should find that the app has now detected your iPhone.

How to Fix Image Capture Not Working – Re-trust Your iPhone

Solution 4. Delete the Image Capture Preferences Files

If there is any misconfiguration in the settings of the app, it could be preventing it from being able to recognize your iPhone. One way to resolve this is to reset the preferences of the app on your Mac and you can do it as the following.

  1. Open a Finder window and head to the /Library/Preferences/directory.
  2. When the directory opens in Finder, find the following two files and move them to your desktop. Make sure you move and not copy them to your desktop.
  3. Restart your Mac and then launch the Image Capture app.

Solution 5. Enable My Photo Stream on Your iPhone

While not so relevant to the app, there is a solution that asks you to enable the photo stream feature on your iPhone to fix the Image Capture issue on your machine. There is no harm applying the solution to your device although it is not totally relevant and the following is how you do it.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone and tap on Photos.
  2. On the screen that follows, you will find an option that says Upload to My Photo Stream. Enable the option by turning its toggle to the ON position.
  3. Connect your iPhone to your computer and launch the Image Capture app. The app should recognize your device.

Solution 6. Disable the Optimize Storage Option on Your iPhone

When you import photos from your iPhone to your Mac, you probably want to get all of your photos in their original resolution. However, your iPhone will only keep the low resolution photos if you have the optimize storage option enabled on your device. This is because your original resolution photos are saved on the iCloud and your iPhone only shows thumbnails of those photos.

Disabling the option will fetch all of your photos in their original resolution from your iCloud account over to your iPhone and the following is how you do it.

Step 1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone and tap on your name followed by iCloud and then Photos.

How to Fix Image Capture Not Working – Disable the Optimize Storage Option on iPhone

Step 2. Under the iCloud Photo Library option, you will see two options out of which you can only checkmark one at a time. Tap on the option that says Download and Keep Originals to disable the optimize storage option on your iPhone.

Solution 7. Turn Off iPhone and Turn it Back On

If the above methods are still not working – iPhone photos not showing up on Mac. Here is another minor tip that you can use, which is turn off iPhone and turn it back on when it’s connecting with computer. You can follow the steps:

After you plug your iPhone into your Mac and open Image Capture, keep the phone plugged in and Image Capture open. Then, turn off the phone and turn it back on again. As soon as it turns back on and your enter your passcode, Image Capture should detect your iPhone and upload all photos on your iPhone.

Bonus Tip: Fix Photos not Showing Up on Mac without Image Capture

If none of the above methods worked for you, you may want to drop the idea of using Image Capture to import your iPhone photos to your Mac. That does not mean there exists no way to transfer photos from your iPhone to your Mac, though. Meet AnyTrans, an application that makes it possible and extremely easy to import iPhone photos to your Mac or even a Windows PC without the need of the Image Capture app.

  • It enables you to transfer all kinds of iPhone photos. Like My Photos, Shared Albums, My Photo Stream, Live Photos and more, all can be transferred directly to your computer.
  • All photos shall be saved in its original quality. Without quality loss, all photos will be kept in its original picture quality after being transferred to Mac/PC.
  • All photos will be organized in its original categories. Without the need to sort out photos, all your iPhone photos shall be categorized into folders once it is transferred to your computer.
  • Transfers Photos from iPhone to Mac in other formats. You can import live photos from iPhone as MP4/M4V, export Heic photos to JPG to a computer.

It supports transfers of dozens of other file types like music, messages, contacts, apps, however, we will only be focusing on the photo transfer feature of this tool so you can get your job done. Download it to your Mac or Windows computer now and here’s how to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac with AnyTrans:

Free Download * 100% Clean & Safe

Step 1. Launch AnyTrans on your Mac > Plug-in your iPhone to your Mac using a compatible cable > Click on Device Manager at the left-side menu > Then, Click Photos or you can select the option that says Content to Mac.

How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to Mac with AnyTrans – Step 1

Step 2. On the following screen, click on My Photos (or choose other categories like Places, People, and son on) > Select the photos you want to transfer > Tap on the Send to Mac icon to move forward with the process.

How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to Mac with AnyTrans – Step 2

Step 3. The app will start importing photos from your iPhone over to your Mac. It ensures your photo folder structure is intact so you can easily find the photos you want to view.

Further Reading: How to Fix iPhoto Not Recognizing iPhone

The Bottom Line

If the Image Capture app fails to recognize your iPhone, you have a number of ways to fix the issue and get the app to do your task. If all fails, you have AnyTrans which can be used as an alternative to the Image Capture app on your computer. Give a try to it and get an easier iOS data management.

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