I often watch movies on Netflix on my 27" iMac. I'm a power user and always have my Mac and Windows 7 running in the background as I switch between applications for design work from Mac/PC all the time. My suggestion for improvement involves charging your iOS devices; iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Apple Watch. Right now the way it currently works is I could be watching a movie on Netflix on my Mac side. Late at night I realize my iPhone needs to be charged so I plug it in using by base station. Immediately I'm taken away from the movie still playing audio on my Mac side to Parallels Windows side as if I had pressed Ctrl + right arrow. The prompt asks me "Where to connect this USB device?" and select what operating system I want to connect my iPhone to. I always select Mac as that's where I sync my iPhone to, but I sometimes want to sync it to my PC side to get photos, so I don't select remember my choice. After a few seconds iTunes opens on my Mac side and I'm abruptly taken back to my Mac side again. This switching back and fourth between the 2 operating systems HURTS MY EYES!! ** I simply wanted to CHARGE my iPhone, not sync it. It should not matter what side Mac or PC you are connected to, just charge your device. I have 2 iPhones, an iPad, old iPod Touch and an Apple Watch. What should happen is you get that prompt on both your Mac and PC side simultaneously and the prompts communicate with each other If you select an option on 1 the other prompt on the opposite OS gets canceled out. The prompt should NOT interrupt you from watching a movie on either Mac or PC popping up over your movie or switch you to your PC side nor should it interrupt you from working in a design app or Final Cut/Avid etc. It should not force you out of watching Netflix, QuickTime, VLC, YouTube, Hulu, HBOGO, SHOGO, Xfinity, Amazon Prime Video, or any other streaming service soon to be released like Peacock, Apple TV+, Disney etc. With all these streaming services coming out this issue will soon be more evident. Whatever movie you are watching full screen should be allowed to continue playing full screen without interruption and allow you to power your iOS deice. If someone does not want to sync their device or sync by default there should be an option for this so it's taken care of once and from then on you can seamlessly work and watch movies. If you don't want to sync your device and only charge it, let people do this. My girlfriend sometimes wants to charge her iPhone in my Apple base station. I want her to be able to do this without syncing or taking us out of an intense or scary scene in a movie we're watching. Imagine watching Alien for the 1st time when the alien is about to burst out, you're on the edge of your seat, place your iPhone in the charging cradle and are abruptly taken away from the action movie and miss the scene. I'm often watching a movie for the 1st time and miss the scene and then have to rewind. Please fix...
Hi JeffreyT3, Thank you for the suggestion and the vivid description! For your scenario the best way is to save your choice of connecting iPhone to Mac side. And whenever you need to sync photos in VM - just select iPhone in Parallels Desktop menu > Devices > USB & Bluetooth > your iPhone. And if you don't want the popup at all for all devices (e.g. your girlfriend got a new iPhone from you on Christmas) - then you can disable it in Parallels Desktop Preferences: Devices > When a new external device is detected > select "Connect it to my Mac". Tune iTunes to do not do their popup or upgrade to macOS Catalina, where iTunes is gone. And enjoy watching!
I'm sorry this is too complicated. I simply want the thing to work. I don't want to have to perform minor surgery to simply charge my phone. If I select to always connect my iPhone to my Mac side than what happens when my girlfriend connects her iPhone to my base station to charge? It will try to sync her phone to my computer. I don't want that. I SIMPLY want to be able to charge. Maybe you could program a button check box that says only charge? Constantly being interrupted while watching movies or doing design work is very very annoying and shows to me that you did not think out this process very hell at Parallels which is a little unprofessional if you ask me.
If I upgrade to MacOS Catalina then many of my Macintosh Adobe design programs will stop working. I heard from other designers Adobe inDesign stops working. If I have to pay for Creative Cloud it will be $57 per month with taxes.
To disable Parallels dialog: Parallels Desktop Preferences: Devices > Select "When a new external device is detected: Connect it to my Mac". To disable iTunes sync and dialog: iTunes Preferences: Devices > Select Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically. Source: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/stop-itunes-from-opening-when-you-connect-your-iphone/
