Skip to main content

iOS 4.2: How to get your lost media back

SyncIOS 4.2 is finally here, and with it some obligatory glitches. One that Apple Forums seems to be seeing a lot of is lost media. Users are complaining that post OS upgrade, their Apple devices are missing podcasts, videos, audio books, and most significantly music. The amount of space the invisible files are taking up still appears and re-syncing won’t do any good.

It looks like the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPod Touch are being affected by this technical error (any iPad users out there experiencing this?). Before you start from scratch and re-sync every single thing to your device, try this quick fix that’s circulating the web:

  1. Connect the iPhone (or iPod Touch if it be the case). Allow iTunes to open, and then select the name and/or icon of the device so that it displays the media loaded on it.
  2. Select “music,” and play a song from the phone’s library.
  3. Sync your iPhone. This should be quick: You aren’t actually loading any new content, you’re just trying to get the device to recognize the files that were already there before.
  4. After clicking eject, disconnect the iPhone from your computer. Now check the phone’s iPod library. Everything should be there.

Editors' Recommendations

Molly McHugh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
How to download iOS 17 on your iPhone right now
iOS 17 logo and renders on Apple's website.

Apple has officially released iOS 17, the latest major release of its mobile operating system for the iPhone. After three months of beta testing, iOS 17 is finally ready for public consumption, and it brings with it fun new features like interactive widgets, Contact Posters, a new StandBy smart display mode, multiple timers and improved notifiations, and much more.

Read more
I’ve been using iOS 17 for months. These 4 new things are the best
Spotlight on iOS 17.

Spotlight on iOS 17 Prakhar Khanna / Digital Trends

The rollout of iOS 17 is official, and it freshens the software experience on iPhones dating as far back as the iPhone XR. I’ve been testing it on my iPhone 14 Pro ever since the first public beta rolled out, at the peril of unreliable battery life and random stutters all across the board.

Read more
Can my iPhone get iOS 17? Here’s every supported model
Someone holding an iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro next to each other.

The latest version of iOS, iOS 17, comes with a host of new features, including phone call customizations, Live Voicemail, updated iMessage features, and many more. While the update is compatible with many iPhone models, it is not supported by all.

Apple's iOS 17 was announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2023) alongside iPadOS, macOS, and more updates. It's an exciting update, but is it one you can get on your iPhone?
Which iPhone models can download iOS 17?
Apple iPhone 8 Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Read more