iTunes Could Not Connect to This iPhone. The Value is Missing

“My iPhone 7 is disabled and when I trying to restore it by connecting to iTunes, a message ‘iTunes could not connect to this iPhone. The value is missing’ message pop up. I am unable to continue from here. How can I fix it? Please help”

iTunes is the official data management software from Apple, allowing users to manage, backup, restore or update iOS devices. However, users have been troubled with various iTunes errors. One of the most common ones is “iTunes could not connect to this iPhone. The value is missing” when trying to restore or update an iPhone/iPad. The missing value error message indicates that the iTunes fails to detect the device, and therefore it cannot be restored or updated as normal.

If this is the error that you keep seeing, don’t worry, this post will offer you several troubleshooting tips to fix the problem. Follow one of the solutions below to get out of the annoying situation.

Tip 1: Update iTunes to the Latest Version

The value is missing error can occur when you are running an outdated version of iTunes on your computer. Therefore, the most effective solution is to update iTunes to the latest version. Follow these simple steps to update iTunes:

• Step 1: Open iTunes on your computer and then click on “Help”.
• Step 2: Click on “Check for Updates” and if updates are available, iTunes will download and install it automatically.

Tip 2: Remove Restrictions on iPhone

The Privacy & Restrictions settings on your iPhone can also cause iTunes fails to detect the device, giving rise to this value is missing issue. To remove these restrictions, follow these simple steps:

• Step 1: Open Settings on your iPhone and then go to General > Restrictions.
• Step 2: Enter the devices passcode and then turn off any restrictions on the device. You can always turn them back on when you need to.

Tip 3: Uninstall and Reinstall iTunes

If updating iTunes doesn’t work to fix the problem, you should consider uninstalling and reinstalling it. Keep in mind that you can only do this on Windows PC; you can’t uninstall iTunes on a Mac (especially for macOS Catalina 10.15 where iTunes has been replaced by Finder). To uninstall iTunes on your PC, follow these simple steps:

• Step 1: Open Control Panel on your computer and click on “Programs > Programs and Features”.
• Step 2: Click on “iTunes” to select it and then choose “Uninstall”.
• Step 3: Once iTunes has been uninstalled, follow the same steps to uninstall all other items related to iTunes like Apple Support Software, Apple Mobile Device Support, Apple Application Support, and Bonjour.
• Step 4: Restart your computer and reinstall iTunes from Microsoft Store. Or you can download the latest version of iTunes from Apple’s official website.

Tip 4: Restore iPhone Use Recovery Mode

If iTunes fails to detect your iPhone in normal mode, putting the device into recovery mode is one way to mitigate this error and allow iTunes to detect it. To restore the iPhone in recovery mode, follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Open iTunes and then connect the iPhone to the computer. If you are use a Mac with macOS Catalina 10.15, open Finder.

Step 2: Now follow the procedure below to put your device in Recovery mode depending on the device’s model:

• For iPhone 8 and earlier - Press and quickly release the Volume Up button, followed by the Volume Down button. Then keep holding the Side button until you see the recover mode screen.
• For iPhone 7 and 7 Plus - Keep holding the Side and Volume Down buttons at the same time until the recover mode screen appears.
• For iPhone 6 or earlier - Keep holding the Home and Side buttons at the same time until the recover mode screen shows up on the screen.

Step 3: iTunes should now be able to detect the iPhone and will offer you the option to either “Update” or “Restore”.

Step 4: Click on “Restore” and keep the device connected until the process is complete.

Tip 5: Put iPhone into DFU Mode

If recovery mode fails, you can go one step further by putting the device in DFU mode. Like recovery mode, DFU mode will allow iTunes to easily detect the device, allowing you to update or restore it as needed. Here’s how to put your iPhone in DFU mode:

• Step 1: Connect the iPhone to the computer and open iTunes or Finder.
• Step 2: Turn off the iPhone and press the power button for about 3 seconds and while holding the power button, hold the volume down button (home button for iPhone 6) for at least 10 seconds. If the Apple Logo appears, you’ve held the buttons for too long and you’ll need to start all over again.
• Step 3: If a logo doesn’t appear, release the power button but keep holding the volume down button or the home button for another 5 seconds. If the screen goes black, it means that you have successfully entered DFU mode.
• Step 4: iTunes will detect the device and all you have to do is follow the on-screen prompts to complete the process.

Import Note: Putting iPhone in Recovery mode or DFU mode will erase all the existing data on the device. So, you’d better ensure that you have the latest backup either in iCloud, iTunes, or using third-party iOS Data Backup & Restore tool. Therefore, you can easily restore your important iPhone data from backup.

Tip 6: Use iTunes Alternative Way

If you are still experiencing iTunes errors, we recommend you get rid of it. There are many alternatives to iTunes that can help you manage, backup and restore your iOS devices. The follow is a breakdown of three useful tools for your reference:

FoneGeek iOS System Recovery

If you see the error “iTunes could not connect to this iPhone. The value is missing” when your iPhone is disabled due to some reason, you can use FoneGeek iOS System Recovery. This tool is ideal for resolving of all iOS issues without an iTunes restore. Some of its features including the following:

   

• It can fix all kinds of iOS system issues such as iPhone stuck on Recovery mode, Apple logo, boot loop, locked or disabled, etc.
• It can help to repair iOS system and bring your iPhone back to normal without causing any data loss.
• It supports all iPhone models including the new iPhone 11/11 Pro and all versions of the iOS including iOS 13/12.
• It has a simple to use interface that makes the whole process of fixing the iDevice easy even for the beginner users.

FoneGeek iPhone Data Recovery

When you encounter data loss problem on your iPhone and you need to restore it from iTunes, you can use FoneGeek iPhone Data Recovery. This professional iOS data recovery tool allows you to access, extract and recover data from iTunes/iCloud backup. Also, you can directly recover data from iOS device without backup. Some of its features include the following:

   

• It can recover any type of data that you’ve lost on your iPhone, including photos, videos, contacts, messages, WhatsApp, notes, and more.
• It can recover data regardless of how you lost it, like accidental deletion, iOS update, factory reset, jailbreak, system crash, device broken is disabled, etc.
• It can directly recover data from iOS device or selectively extract data from iTunes/iCloud backup, meaning you don’t have to restore the whole backup to get the lost data back.
• It allows you to preview the data before recovery and save the data you need only to computer in readable formats.

FoneGeek iOS Data Backup & Restore

When your iPhone is working fine and you want to connect it to iTunes for backup, we suggest you try FoneGeek iOS Data Backup & Restore. Comparing with backing up with iTunes or iCloud, this tool lets you backup data on your iPhone more flexibly and then selectively restore data without overwriting existing data. Here are some of its features:

   

• It allows users to create a full backup of all the data on iPhone or iPad to the computer in a single click.
• It supports to backup and restore contacts, text messages, notes, photos ,videos, WhatsApp, Viber, Kik, voice memos, voicemail, Safari history, and more.
• You can preview the data in the backup before restoring to device, allowing you to restore only the data you need.
• It also allows users to selectively restore data from iCloud or iTunes backups, instead of performing a full restore.