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iTunes error 3194 is usually witnessed when you try to restore or upgrade your iPhone or iPad to another iOS. Before moving on to fixes of this error let us understand the possible reasons for this technical glitch and based on that, follow the fixes to resolve the issue.
Possible reasons for iTunes Error 3194 while restoring or updating iPhone/iPad
- Your iTunes is unable to communicate with the Apple?s software update server. This could be either due to blocked connection, security software in the system, or any new entry in the host file.
- The iOS version that you are installing or upgrading to is no longer digitally signed by Apple.
- You used a jailbreak utility to modify your iPhone or iPad device. The jailbreak tweak modifies the host file and blocks Apple servers. This creates issues when you later attempt to update your iOS to a latest version or restore from a backup, by giving iTunes error 3194.
How to Fix iTunes Error 3194 for iPhone & iPad
- Fix 1: Check hosts files
- Fix 2: Use correct firmware version if updating manually
FIX 1: Check Hosts Files
For Windows users
- Go to C:/Windows/System32/drivers/etc/ and locate the file ?hosts?
- Open the file in Notepad with Administrator Rights. Look for 208.105.171 gs.apple.com line at the bottom
- Once you find the line add # in the beginning #74.208.105.171 gs.apple.com
- If the address line is not present, add the line 208.105.171 gs.apple.com in the host file
- Save the hosts file by clicking on the File menu and select ?Save?
- Connect your iPhone to the PC and update through iTunes. The iTunes error 3194 should be resolved now.
For Mac users
- In the Finder, select Applications > Utilities
- Open Terminal
- Type the command sudo nano /private/etc/hosts and press Return
- Enter the password to sign in to your Mac and press Return. Hosts file is displayed
- Look for entry gs.apple.com
- If there is no entry of gs.apple.com then the iTunes error 3194 is not due to the host file issue. Close the Terminal and try another method to fix iTunes Error 3194.
- Add the # with space to the beginning of entry apple.com
- Press Control-O to save the file
- Press Return when asks for the file name
- Press Control-X to exit the editor
- Restart your Mac
- Connect your iPhone to the computer and try update or restore via iTunes
After you finish your iOS update post fixing error 3194, revisit the hosts file and delete line 74.208.105.171 gs.apple.com again. This is necessary for your iTunes to update normally in future and do not generate errors while installing or updating iOS on your iPhone or iPad.Important Note:
FIX 2: Use Correct Firmware Version, if Updating iPhone Manually
The iTunes Error 3194 can also occur because of the wrong firmware version. Always use the appropriate device-specific firmware files for your iPhone and iPad, if doing manual updates. However, it is best to avoid manual updates and let the iOS device update itself through standard software update mechanism.
Also, do not forget to back up the iPhone or iPad data before updating or restoring your device. This will protect you from any kind of permanent data loss situation. Else, you will have to seek respite in iPhone Data Recovery software by Stellar. The software is capable to recover photos, videos, messages, contacts, or any piece of data from iOS devices, iTunes backup, and iCloud backup.
Conclusion
So now you can successfully resolve iTunes error 3194 while restoring or updating iPhone either by checking your system hosts files or using right firmware version.
Although on very rare occurrences, still if you are unable to fix the error with these ways, the last alternative you can opt for is a factory reset of your iOS device. But do remember to take a backup of all your data before performing a factory reset.
