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.
- Open iTunes
- In menu bar choose Account
> Authorizations > Authorize This Computer
- Enter your Apple ID and password
- 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
- Disable restriction in iPhone
- Reset lockdown folder
- Reset/ Factory reset iPhone
- 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.

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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