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    iPhone Data Recovery

    How to Fix iTunes Error 0xE8000015


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      Summary: You receive iTunes Error 0xE8000015 when iTunes fail to recognize your iPhone on PC or Mac. Learn how to quickly fix iTunes error 0xE8000015. You can apply the solutions to all iTunes versions and iPhone models.

      Does iTunes fail to recognize your iPhone on computer? Is it giving iTunes error 0xE8000015 when trying to access?

      This post guides you in the most comprehensive and smart way to quickly fix iTunes error 0xE8000015. Read on…

      The solutions here apply to all iTunes version and iPhone models including XS, XS Max, XR, iPhone X, and below.

      Whenever you encounter iTunes error 0xE8000015, suggest to follow the order of troubleshooting, as given here.

      Things to check/do first:

      • No other USB device is connected to the computer.
      • Ensure Internet connection is up and working.
      • USB port is working fine. Always use an Apple USB port.
      • Ensure your iPhone is unlocked and on the Home screen, when you are accessing iTunes.
      • If you receive ‘Trust this Computer’ alert, unlock your iPhone and tap ‘Trust.’

      Above checks did not work? Further, try these simple workarounds

      1. Restart your iPhone and computer

      Restarting the device is a kind of hack, which mostly fixes the issues.

      2. Update iTunes and Windows/macOS to the latest version

      Updates fix bugs and improve performance. Apple recommends even minor updates to iTunes for Mac and Windows.

      To update iTunes on Mac: In the App Store on Mac, at the top click Updates. If you see any macOS or iTunes updates, click on Install.

      To update iTunes on Windows: In iTunes menu bar, select Help > Check for Updates and follow the on screen instructions to install the latest iTunes.

      Windows or macOS updates resolves common computer problems, which may in turn fix iTunes error 0xE8000015. Thus, ensure, your system is updated.

      To update macOS: In the main menu bar, click Apple icon > Software Update. If you see any update is available, click on Update Now. To automatically install macOS updates in future, check in ‘Automatically keep my Mac up to date’ option.

      To update Windows OS: Open Control Panel, under System and Securityclick on Windows Update. Install, if any updates are available.

      3. Connect through another computer

      May be the computer drivers, OS or any third-party software is conflicting with iTunes settings. Try accessing iTunes once with another computer. For this, you need to authorize another computer in iTunes.

      1. Open iTunes
      2. In menu bar choose Account > Authorizations > Authorize This Computer
      3. Enter your Apple ID and password
      4. Click Authorize

      Note: You can authorize up to 5 computers to access iTunes.

      Above workarounds did not fix iTunes error 0xE8000015?

      The above checks and hacks most of the time work. Several iPhone users were able to fix iTunes error with these troubleshooting methods. However, not everyone may benefit.

      There may be specific problems, which need to be addressed. Below are the methods that you can further try to fix iTunes error 0xE8000015.

      Methods to fix iTunes error 0xE8000015

      1. Disable restriction in iPhone
      2. Reset lockdown folder
      3. Reset/ Factory reset iPhone
      4. Delete Ensure enough space in iPhone

      1. Disable restriction in iPhone

      When you enable Restrictions in iPhone Settings, it prevents access to certain content, apps, and features. It is possible that iTunes access on your iPhone is blocked due to the Restrictions. So, try accessing iTunes after deactivating Restrictions.

      To disable Restrictions on iPhone follow – Setting > General > Restrictions > Disable Restrictions and enter in your passcode.

      2. Reset lockdown folder

      Sometimes iTunes may not recognize your iPhone because of the problem in its lockdown folder. The lockdown folder on your computer contains iTunes temp data. This data can get corrupt, resulting in iTunes errors. Thus, deleting the folders from your computer can fix error 0xE8000015. iTunes recreates fresh directory after deletion.

      To delete Lockdown folder on Windows:

      • Sign in as the administrator on your PC
      • Go to Start and click Run
      • Type %ProgramData%, and press Enter
      • Double click on the Apple folder
      • Select the Lockdown folder and delete

      To delete Lockdown folder on Mac:

      • In Finder follow Go > Go to Folder > Type /var/db/ lockdown
      • Press Enter
      • Select all the files and move to trash.

      Note: On Mac, don’t delete the Lockdown folder but delete the files within the folder.

      3. Free up space in iPhone

      Due to insufficient space on iPhone, iTunes may not connect to the device and give errors. At least 1GB free space on iPhone is required to run iTunes smoothly. You can delete unnecessary apps, photos, videos or music from the device to free up space.

      To check iPhone storage visit Settings > General > Usage > Storage > Manage Storage.

      4. Factory Reset iPhone

      Factory reset or hard reset commonly fixes iTunes error issue. Before factory reset, backup your entire iPhone data on iCloud. Factory Reset sets the iPhone as new, deleting the entire stored data on it.

      To perform Factory Reset: Go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.

      TIP: Unfortunately, if you fail to restore iPhone from iCloud or iTunes backup, recover it with the help of Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone. It is an advanced recovery solution for lost iPhone photos, videos, messages, contacts etc. The software works in all lost scenarios such iTunes does not recognize iPhone, factory reset, jailbreak, etc. Download the free demo preview your recovered iPhone data.

      iPhone Data Recovery iPhone Data Recovery Mac

      5. Enter Recovery Mode and Reset/Restore your iPhone

      Caution: This solution wipes out the iPhone data. Thus, ensure you have the backup on iCloud before trying it.

      If you want to access iTunes to update/restore iPhone, then put your iPhone to recovery mode and then restore. This may fix iTunes error 0xe8000015.  

      Steps to put iPhone in Recovery Mode:

      • Close iTunes on your computer, if open
      • Connect your iPhone to computer
      • Now open iTunes
      • Turn off your iPhone
      • Press and hold both the home button and power button until the iTunes logo appears.
      • A dialog box giving Restore or Update option appears
      • Choose Restore.

      Conclusion

      iTunes error 0xE8000015 does not let you access iTunes on your computer. It usually occurs when iTunes doesn’t recognize the iOS device connected to the computer. The error can be resolved by various troubleshooting methods, as described in this post.

      However, it is advisable not to jump to hard troubleshooting such as starting iPhone in Recovery mode or Factory reset, which may result in data loss. Begin with simpler checks and workarounds like restarting iPhone, updating OS or removing Parents Control feature from iPhone etc.

      Hope the post was helpful.

      Also, which method to fix iTunes error 0xE8000015 worked for you, do share with our readers in the comments box below.

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      About The Author

      Harsha Alamchandani linkdin

      Harsha is a technical expert who loves Mondays, technology and is a big time Apple fan. She knows her way around the data loss problems and is always looking for ways to help out people.

      7 comments

      1. For my silly Lenovo mini laptop, I had to switch USB ports. The iPad would enter recovery mode on the left port, but iTunes kicked the 0015 error on the right port. Every other device I own works fine on either side. I later learned the left port is straight off the USB root, but the right port is on an internal hub shared with the keyboard and touchpad.

        1. Hi Jack,
          I appreciate your comment about resolving the iTunes Error 0xE8000015 in your machine. It seems there are many other machines that most people use and faces this error while connecting iPhone through iTunes, and it doesn’t get recognized. Thanks for sharing this information. This error can also be a part of a machine, which may help many of our other readers.
          Thanks again.

        1. Hi Dwight,
          I am glad that you liked my content. So keep on reading and sharing whatever you like from our Articles & Blogs section to the users who might need help in their cases. Stay tuned for more updates on more.

      2. Thanks for the informative post! It has worked after restarting iPad and iTunes and when the internet connection was reestablished!!!

      3. I was trying to update my iPhone but when I plugged my phone into my laptop and load up iTunes, this very message popped up. Thankfully your workarounds helped me. Cheers!

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