My Iphone 16e cannot be seen by Apple Music - but shows in explorer and device manager - not in task bar as well (i.e. can safely remove etc.)

Hi Trevor John,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A!

Thank you for sharing the details of your issue. I understand how frustrating it is when your iPhone 16e (and even your Galaxy tablet) appears unstably across different places on your PC. And you're not alone, this issue is affecting many users after recent updates to Apple’s Windows apps and Windows 11 itself. Here are some solutions for your iPhone and Windows connectivity issue:

1 - Force a reinstall of the Core Apple Mobile device driver

• Connect your iPhone to the PC with a USB cable.
• Open Device Manager > look for your iPhone under:
  • Portable Devices
  • Or Universal Serial Bus controllers
• Right-click on the Apple iPhone > Uninstall device.
• Check Delete the driver software for this device if prompted.
• Unplug your iPhone > Restart PC > open Apple Music (or iTunes)
• Connect your iPhone > Accept Trust This Computer if it appears.
• Do the same with your Tablet if this fixes the issue.

2 - Enable or refresh Windows Media Player features:

• Press Win + R > type optionalfeatures.exe > Enter to open Windows Features
• Find Windows Media Player > uncheck its box > Restart PC
• Open Windows Features again > Check Windows Media Player
• Click OK and allow the process to complete > Restart PC again.

3 - Ensure critical Windows Services are running:

• Press Win + R > type services.msc > Enter > Find:
  • Apple Mobile Device Service
  • Portable Device Enumerator Service
• Right-click the services > Properties > Ensure:
  • Startup type is set to Automatic.
  • Service is Running (if not, click the Start button)
• Click Apply > OK > Restart your PC for the changes to take full effect.
• Do the same with your Tablet if this fixes the issue.

4 - Switch from Apple music app to Classic iTunes

• Uninstall Apple Music, Apple Devices, and Apple TV apps (if any)
• Download and install the classic iTunes for Windows (64-bit)

Note: This is a download file. Be careful before clicking it.

5 - Enable the Safely Remove Icon:

• Go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Other system tray icons
• Enable Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media

Note: iPhones and Android tablets often don’t appear here unless mounted as USB storage.

It's worth noting that a lot of Apple apps and devices are not fully compatible with Windows/Microsoft systems, which can cause malfunctions. In addition, if you believe that the new updates are the source of the issue, you can also rollback/uninstall them in Settings > Windows Update if the installation wasn't too long ago. Thanks for your patience!

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