Huh? “Could not backup the iPhone…” when trying to update to iOS 17.3.1

[DominikHoffmann]

I am old school. I like to perform iPhone updates in the Finder on my Mac. So, today, with iOS 17.3.1 having been released I hooked up my iPhone 15 Pro to my MacBook Pro via a Thunderbolt cable and proceeded to back it up and update it. A few minutes in (every time with several attempts) I get this message:

For the search engines out there:

Could not back up the iPhone “######## iPhone” because a session could not be started with the iPhone. Please disconnect and reconnect the iPhone, then try again.

How can I remedy this?

I will update my Mac to macOS 14.3.1 overnight, and maybe this problem will go away. I will then try again in the morning.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

It’s happening because you’re “old school” and it may not have a trust setup with whatever computer you’re using. Check your phone/computer permissions or join the 21st century and update over the air (OTA) like most folks

 

[DominikHoffmann]

It’s happening because you’re “old school” and it may not have a trust setup with whatever computer you’re using. Check your phone/computer permissions or join the 21st century and update over the air (OTA) like most folks

First I’ll post a bug report.

 

[MacCheetah3]

I will update my Mac to macOS 14.3.1 overnight, and maybe this problem will go away. I will then try again in the morning.

That’s definitely a good step. Have you also restarted the iPhone?

If you can't back up your iOS or iPadOS device to a computer or restore it from a backup - Apple Support

If you can't back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to a computer, or if you can't restore your device from a computer backup, learn what to do.

support.apple.com

 

[DominikHoffmann]

A backup to my Mac proceeded without issues, after having updated my iPhone to iOS 17.3.1 over the air. However, now I no longer will have the ability to test this in conjunction with an iOS update, until iOS 17.4 is released.

 

[MacCheetah3]

Ah.

I’ve been doing the x.x.1 updates OTA but still prefer to “upgrade” to the “major” and significant subversions via USB (i.e., full IPSW). The fact I have few of the problems ever complained about is probably coincidence and the practice probably a placebo, but it’s working for me.