SaveMyRoll

Fix “The device is unreachable” when copying iPhone photos to a PC

By Adrián Lengyel, who built SaveMyRoll · Facts about other products checked on 11 November 2026

Fix: on the iPhone, Settings → Apps → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC → Keep Originals. Unplug, plug in again, unlock the phone, and copy again.

Why it happens

When you drag folders out of the iPhone’s DCIM folder in File Explorer, the phone may convert each file to JPG or H.264 first (“Automatic” transfer). Large videos take long to convert, Windows gives up waiting, and the copy stops. It also happens when the phone locks or the cable moves.

Fixes

  1. Choose Keep Originals (above). Windows 10 and 11 can open HEIC with the free HEIF extension from the Microsoft Store.
  2. Keep the iPhone unlocked and on the original cable, in a port directly on the PC.
  3. Copy one year or month folder at a time instead of the whole DCIM.
  4. Files that did copy may be incomplete. Check sizes, or use a tool that verifies.

SaveMyRoll talks to the iPhone directly, copies originals without conversion, continues after a break, and reads every copied file back from the drive and compares its SHA-256 checksum with the original, then shows a report.

Questions

What does “The device is unreachable” mean when copying from an iPhone?

The copy timed out, usually because the iPhone was converting a HEIC photo or HEVC video to a compatible format on the fly, or because the phone locked or the cable moved.

How do I stop it happening?

Set Settings → Apps → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC to Keep Originals, keep the phone unlocked, and copy in smaller batches or with a tool that resumes.

Try SaveMyRoll on your own iPhone. The first 100 files are free, with every feature, no account and no time limit.

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Sources