Observed Symptoms & Error Messages
Users encountering this problem typically observe one or more of the following behaviors when running AirCard on macOS:
- AirCard status displays "ReadyForSync..." but does not proceed to the pass modification phase.
- The "Apply" button is disabled or clicks produce no effect.
- Activity Monitor on macOS shows low CPU usage for AirCard, indicating it is waiting on an external I/O response.
Confirmed Technical Context
Investigated in GitHub Issue #114. Most prevalent on iOS 17 and iOS 18 when the iPhone screen turns off during initialization or when an automated iCloud backup is running in the background.
Step-by-Step Diagnostic Checklist
Work through the following checklist in sequence. Each step is designed to be safe, reversible, and targeted toward identifying the exact point of communication failure:
Unlock iPhone Screen Immediately
Safe & ReversibleUnlock your iPhone and navigate to the Home Screen. Keep the display awake. iOS restricts background inter-process communication while the device is locked.
Toggle Airplane Mode on iPhone
Safe & ReversibleOn your iPhone, swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center. Tap the Airplane Mode icon to enable it, wait 3 seconds, and tap it again to disable it. This briefly terminates any lingering network sync tasks that might be holding a database lock.
Disconnect and Reconnect USB Cable
Safe & ReversibleUnplug the USB cable from the Mac, wait 3 seconds, and reconnect it. This triggers usbmuxd to reset the connection session without restarting the entire desktop application.
Restart AirCard Application
Safe & ReversibleQuit AirCard (Cmd + Q). Re-open it while the iPhone remains connected, unlocked, and on the Home Screen.
What the Upstream GitHub Issue Confirms
GitHub Issue #114 demonstrates that "ReadyForSync" is a transient state in the Apple Mobile Device session. When it hangs, the cause is an unreturned callback from the iOS client daemon, not application code failure.
If the Issue Persists
If the issue persists, reboot your Mac and iPhone to clear any deadlock in the usbmuxd communication pipe.
If you have exhausted all steps without success, you can gather non-sensitive macOS Console diagnostic messages (filter by process name usbmuxd or AirCard) and contribute your findings to the upstream issue tracker at Issue #114 on GitHub.
Technical Evidence & Verification
âś“ Verified SourceThis document adheres to the AirCardGuide factual verification policy. Conclusions, system requirements, and diagnostic procedures are confirmed against official upstream releases and technical issue discussions.