How to fix iTunes “Waiting for changes to be applied” iPhone & iPad

When users try to sync their iPhone or iPad with iTunes, the process is stuck on waiting for changes to be applied.

This problems happened in iTunes 11 & iOS 7 and iTunes 12 & iOS 8.1.3.

Reasons for this problem

1. On your iPhone -> iCloud settings, you have enabled “Find My iPhone” option.
2. Your download of music through iTunes on your iPad or iPhone not completed.
3. Your phone might have corrupted voice memo and it causing duplication of each sync.

Solutions:-

Before doing these steps make sure you have a back up of your Voice Memos. Check this details in iTunes. You may need to copy these files.
Delete all files from “Recordings” directory

On your iOS device (iPhone, iPad or iPod)

1. Disable “Find My iPhone” on the iCloud settings of your iPhone.
2. Go to iPhone iTunes app -> Download section and delete every in-progress download.
3. Launch Voice memo app and check if there are recordings in the list may duplicated. Also check iTunes library voice memo playlist. Delete all voice memo duplicates. If you can’t delete some memos and they grayed out, see below.
4. Reboot your iOS device. Hold down Home button and power button together until Apple logo appears. Then turn on again.

On your iTunes

1. Go to iTunes -> Devices preference and change it to “Prevent iPods, iPhones, iPads from syncing automatically”.
2. In Tunes, iPhone summary tab, choose “Manually manage music and videos”.
3. In Tunes, iPhone music tab, you can see the list of music at the bottom named “manually added music”. If any music present, select all the items in the list and delete it.
4. At the top of the music tab un-check “Sync Music” and click “Apply”. Note : This will remove all music from your iPad or iPhone.
5. If the iTunes sync properly completes, do a local backup of your iOS device.
6. Now re-enable “Sync Music” but uncheck “Voice Memos” and choose “apply”. If this process is fails you have corrupted memo.
7. If sync completes, go to iTunes -> Devices preference and disable “Prevent iPods, iPhones, iPads from syncing automatically”.

Before doing these steps make sure you have a backup of your Voice Memos. Check this details in iTunes. You may need to copy these files.

• Delete all files from “Recordings” directory
• If  the Voice Memos database is corrupted, you need to clear iPhone internal database.
• Repeat the same above steps again until problem solves.

Other solution:-

1. Disconnect your iOS device from computer
2. In iTunes, sign out your Apple ID account via iTunes Store -> Sign Out and close iTunes.
3. Connect your iOS device again to computer (Mac or Windows PC) using  USB cable. But do not open iTunes yet.
4. Now check the Libraries you need to sync.
5. Press the “Sync” button. If you gets stuck on “waiting for changes to be applied” message again, click the small (X) cancel. Now your content will beginning to copying again on your device.

If the above solutions does not work, restore iPhone.