iPhone 17 Pro backup to computer

If your iPhone 17 Pro (iOS 26) freezes at “Photos” while backing up to your MacBook Pro running macOS Sequoia, try the following steps in order.

First, confirm whether Finder freezes during the backup or the Mac’s Photos app freezes during import. These are separate processes.

Restart both devices and install any available software updates. 

Connect the iPhone directly to the Mac using a known-good, data-capable USB-C cable. Unlock the iPhone and tap Trust if prompted. Quit Photos before trying the backup again.

Next, check the Mac’s available storage under Apple menu >> System Settings >> General >> Storage. 

Free up space if necessary, then open Finder, select your iPhone, click General, choose Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac, and click Back Up Now. Allow sufficient time for the backup to finish.

If the backup repeatedly stops at “Photos,” check whether pictures and videos open normally on the iPhone and whether iCloud Photos is enabled under Settings>>→ [your name] >> iCloud >>> Photos. Do not disable iCloud Photos or delete any pictures as a troubleshooting measure. If the Photos app itself freezes during import, try importing a small batch of images separately.

Important: Do not delete existing backups or reset the iPhone. If the problem persists, try another cable or, if available, another Mac. You can also make an iCloud backup as a precaution, provided sufficient iCloud storage is available.

Apple's relevant support guides are How to back up your iPhone to your Mac, Troubleshooting computer backups, and If your Mac doesn't recognize your iPhone.

Once Finder completes the backup, confirm that the Latest backup to this Mac date and time have updated.

What stands out most in your description is that the problem began immediately after two specific software updates, and it persists across multiple iPhones, Macs, and cables. That is an important diagnostic clue.

You have already done the obvious troubleshooting, and I would not ask you to repeat restarts, cable swaps, cooling periods, or routine backup attempts. Given that you are abroad and depend on your phone for banking and other important services, the priority is to protect your existing data and maintain access to those services — not to keep experimenting with a failing backup.

What I think is happening

There are three plausible causes worth investigating:

1. A software compatibility or backup-service regression. The timing points toward a change in the interaction between macOS Sequoia 15.8.1 and iOS 26.7.1, possibly in the Finder device-management or backup process. I cannot yet confirm that this specific combination has a known bug.
2. A failure during the Photos-related stage of backup. Finder may be stalling while processing photo-library metadata or communicating with the iPhone. That does not necessarily mean the photos themselves are corrupt.
3. A device communication or thermal problem. Persistent overheating and a device that will not eject normally deserve investigation in their own right. The two symptoms may share a cause, but that is not established.

The fact that you can reproduce the problem with replacement hardware makes another cable purchase or another Mac a particularly poor next step.

The next steps I would take, in this order

1. Preserve your data before doing more troubleshooting

• Do not erase, restore, or reset either iPhone.
• Preserve any existing successful Mac backup. Do not delete or overwrite it while troubleshooting.
• Avoid repeatedly triggering a backup that causes sustained overheating.

If the iPhone becomes abnormally hot even when idle, or displays a temperature warning, disconnect it from charging and let it cool in a safe place.

2. Check whether you can make a iCloud device backup without syncing your photos

I understand that you do not want your photos in iCloud. iCloud Backup and iCloud Photos are separate features. If iCloud Photos is off, iCloud Backup can include photos stored locally on your phone, along with other device data, subject to available storage and backup eligibility.

You can check Settings → your name → iCloud → iCloud Backup. You do not need to enable iCloud Photos to use iCloud Backup. Apple explains the distinction in its backup instructions.

This is an optional emergency safeguard, not a claim that iCloud will solve the Finder problem. If you prefer not to store a backup in the cloud, skip this step.

3. Escalate this as a reproducible software failure to Apple

Apple's published notes describe Sequoia 15.8.1 as a bug-fix and security update, but I could not verify a published fix or confirmed known issue matching your exact combination of versions. 

I would ask Apple Support to escalate the issue to its macOS and iOS engineering teams, rather than repeat its standard cable and restart checklist.

You can give them this concise summary:

Subject: Finder iPhone backup freezes at Photos after iOS and macOS updates

I have a reproducible iPhone backup failure that began after upgrading macOS Sequoia and iOS.

Original equipment

• MacBook Pro M1, 4 TB storage, approximately 2.5 TB used
• macOS Sequoia 15.8.1 (24H32)
• iPhone 17 Pro running iOS 26.7.1

Symptoms

• Finder backup consistently freezes at the Photos stage.
• The iPhone becomes excessively hot.
• After the freeze, the iPhone does not eject normally.
• Restarting Finder does not resolve the problem.

Testing already completed

• Repeated backup attempts with adequate cooling time.
• Three different data cables purchased from Apple.
• Repeated troubleshooting and restarts.
• A new MacBook Pro M4 and iPhone 18 Pro purchased in an attempt to establish a reliable backup arrangement.

I need to preserve my data and maintain access to banking and other critical services while travelling abroad. I cannot risk migrating my work and software to a new macOS release that I have not validated.

Please escalate this beyond standard cable and restart troubleshooting. I would like engineering to investigate a possible regression in Finder's iPhone backup process, particularly the Photos stage, and advise how to collect diagnostic logs safely without risking existing data.

Restarting just Finder on the Mac is not the solution.

Completely Shut Down and Re-Started both.

Then reconnect them and try again.

Shut down or restart your Mac - Apple Support

Restart your iPhone - Apple Support

Eject and disconnect the iPhone from the MacBook Pro.

Restart both the iPhone and the MacBook Pro.

Then reconnect the two and try again.

How to back up your iPhone or iPad with your Mac - Apple Support

I've done that several times, and it still doesn't eject. I have to pull the cable. I tried restarting Finder, but it didn't help. Overheats constantly and freezes. I'm abroad and using the iPhone for banking and other important things. I even bought an iPhone 18 Pro to have a backup on another phone...

I've already done all that, several times. I don't have photos on iCloud. Bought 3 different data cables at the Apple Store. As I said, everything tested over and over, leaving time for the iPhone to cool off. I have a MacBook Pro M1 with 4TB (2.5 TB used) running Sequoia 15.8.1 (24H32), and an iPhone 17 Pro running 26.7.1. Everything started after I upgraded Sequoia to the latest patch and my iPhone to 26.7.1. Before that, backups worked just fine.

To be more precise, I even bought a new MacBook Pro M4 4TB and an iPhone 18 Pro. Just to back up to this new iPhone or the new MacBook. The problem is that this MacBook release no longer supports Sequoia, and I can't risk losing all my work and software on a new, unstable OS.

P.S.: The same is happening to a friend at home, same configuration, but iPhone 17 Pro Max. Same freezes, same problems. Same OS, same iOS

I did it, every time.

Done! Sent it to Feedback - iPhone - Apple

Now I'll wait and pray... Thank you for the hint