Hello everyone,
I'm having serious problems with Apple Devices on Windows 11. This affects multiple iPhones in my family (iPhone 14, 15 and 16), so it does not appear to be specific to my iPhone. Can't Upgrade/Restore/Back up because it loses connection even when Windows detects the iPhone.
Setup:
- Windows 11 Pro — clean installation
- Apple Devices 1.1540.24088.0 (Current ver. available at MS September, 2026)
- My iPhone 15: iOS 27.0
- PC connected via Ethernet; iPhones via Wi-Fi to the same router
USB connection issue
Apple Devices initially detects the iPhone normally, but randomly loses it without the phone or cable being touched. During synchronization it eventually reports that the iPhone could not be found.
I have tested original Apple cables, USB-A and USB-C, every available USB port, and multiple iPhones.
The important part is that Windows does not actually lose the iPhone when Apple Devices does.
While reproducing the problem, Windows continues to report:
OK - Apple Mobile Device USB Device
OK - Apple Mobile Device USB Composite Device
OK - Apple iPhone
There are no corresponding USB/PnP disconnection events. AppleDevices, AMPDevicesAgent, AppleMobileDeviceHelper, AppleMobileDeviceLauncher and AppleMobileDeviceProcess also remain running and responsive.
So Windows still sees the iPhone, but Apple Devices loses its communication session.
Music synchronization / backup
My main use is synchronizing my local music library. When Apple Devices does not disconnect the iPhone, synchronization frequently gets stuck indefinitely at:
Step 2 of 5 — Creating Backup
I also cannot find a way to sync my music without Apple Devices attempting another backup each time.
Wi-Fi Sync
I enabled "Show this iPhone when on Wi-Fi", due to wired connection issues but the iPhone never appears wirelessly.
I verified:
- PC can ping the iPhone.
- Both are on the same 10.0.0.x network.
- Windows network is Private.
- Tested with Windows Firewall and my AntivirusFirewall disabled.
- Reset Location & Privacy and paired/trusted the PC again.
- A new pairing record is successfully created.
I also captured mDNS traffic. The iPhone correctly advertises:
_apple-mobdev._tcp
_apple-mobdev2._tcp
Windows receives these advertisements on UDP 5353 and AppleMobileDeviceLauncher is listening on 5353. Therefore, network discovery reaches the PC, but Apple Devices still does not establish the Wi-Fi connection.
Clean Windows installation
I previously had iTunes and Apple's newer Windows apps installed. I suspected conflicts or leftover components, so I eventually formatted the PC and performed a completely clean Windows 11 installation.
The same problems continue.
Going back to iTunes does not appear to be an option either. The current iTunes no longer manages/detects my iPhones because "newer version is needed" when I already installed latest version available from both Apple.com and Microsoft Store before formatting.
At this point I feel forced to use Apple Devices, but it is effectively unusable for managing our iPhones and syncing my local music library.
Has anyone experienced this across multiple iPhones?
More importantly, how can I formally report this to the Apple team responsible for Apple Devices for Windows? I can provide packet captures, logs, screenshots and additional diagnostics if needed.