How to fix iPhone update error 4037
Per Apple, this simply means the device was locked with a passcode when the computer tried to update it. Unlocking it resolves the error. Jump to your situation below or work through the methods in order.
Per Apple, this simply means the device was locked with a passcode when the computer tried to update it. Unlocking it resolves the error. Jump to your situation below or work through the methods in order.
iPhone update error 4037 has a simple, Apple-documented cause: the computer cannot update a device that is locked with a passcode. When iTunes or Finder tries to update the device while its screen is locked, the update is refused with 4037. The fix is equally simple, unlock the iPhone or iPad with its passcode and keep it unlocked while the update runs. If prompted, tap Trust This Computer and enter the passcode so the computer is authorised. Then start the update again. If you have forgotten the passcode, you cannot simply unlock it; you will need to follow Apple's forgotten-passcode process, which erases and restores the device. For a normal update, keeping the device unlocked and trusted throughout is all that is needed.
For security, a computer is not allowed to update a device that is locked behind a passcode. Error 4037 is that protection working: the device was locked when the update started, so it declined rather than proceeding.
So there is nothing broken to repair. Unlocking the device and confirming that you trust the computer authorises the update. As long as the screen stays unlocked while the update runs, it completes normally.
“4037 is the friendliest error on this list, it just means the phone was locked when the computer tried to update it. Apple will not let a locked device be updated, for good security reasons. So you wake the device, punch in the passcode, tap Trust This Computer if it asks, and keep the screen unlocked while it works. That is it. The only time it gets tricky is if you have genuinely forgotten the passcode, and then it is the recovery route instead.”
4037 means the computer could not update the device because it was locked. Unlock the iPhone or iPad with its passcode, tap Trust This Computer if prompted, and keep the screen unlocked while the update runs, then retry. If you have forgotten the passcode, use Apple's forgotten-passcode recovery instead.
If the device is unlocked and trusted but 4037 keeps returning, the screen may be auto-locking during the update; raising the Auto-Lock time in Display settings, or tapping the screen to keep it awake, prevents it from re-locking. You can also submit your error to us for a tailored fix.
