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iCloud is ON but contacts from devices still won't sync

ceek

ceek

macrumors member
Original poster
May 14, 2008
52
0
NY
I have iCloud on and signed in on my iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Pro (all updated, running Lion and iOS 5).

Not only are my devices not sharing contacts, but iCloud (web) is not showing new contacts added from any device.

#frustrated

Thanks for any advice.

ceek
 
ceek

ceek

macrumors member
Original poster
May 14, 2008
52
0
NY
Update

Just keeping any would-be helpers posted on progress:

I created 2 contacts, each respectively entered on the device as noted in order to track them: CONTACT - "Created on iPhone," and, "Created on Mac."

Suddenly I see both listed on my Contacts on MacBook Pro, but iCloud and iPhone only show "Created on iPhone."

So confused.

ceek
 
FSMBP

FSMBP

macrumors 68030
Jan 22, 2009
2,712
2,633
Go to your iPhone. Then go to the CONTACTS app. Next, while viewing the list of contacts, click the upper left hand corner button called GROUPS. Then select either ALL CONTACTS or ALL ICOULD (also, click the upper left hand corner button to resync the list).

Personally, I never show use the ALL ON MY IPHONE because it won't store it on the cloud. Just use ALL ICOULD view for your contacts, so that whatever is on your iCloud is on all your devices.
 
H

Hamiltonian

macrumors member
Sep 22, 2008
47
0
Go Settings>Mail, contacts, calendars
Scroll down to the contacts section and makes sure the default is set to iCloud
 
whsbuss

whsbuss

macrumors 601
May 4, 2010
4,183
1,043
SE Penna.
Hamiltonian said:
Go Settings>Mail, contacts, calendars
Scroll down to the contacts section and makes sure the default is set to iCloud
Click to expand...

I don't have that option under Contacts. When I update a contact on my Mac, it gets sent to iCloud (verified on iCloud.com) but it never gets pushed to my iPhone. However if I make an update on the iPhone it shows in my Mac's address book.
 
Arelunde

Arelunde

macrumors 6502a
Jul 6, 2011
980
28
CA Central Coast
If you have iCloud contacts activated on all your iDevices, on the iPad and iPhone, you have to open contacts and hit the circle arrow on the screen to sync. It doesn't do it otherwise. Took me forever to figure that out. :eek:
 
CosmoPilot

CosmoPilot

macrumors 68000
Nov 8, 2010
1,537
373
South Carolina
Wirelessly posted

Since you know your Mac pushes updates to the cloud, I recommend the following.

1. Settings > iCloud. Turn off iCloud contacts on your iPhone.
2. If prompted, delete all contacts from your iPhone (do not select the option to keep them on your phone, or it will create a non-iCloud group).
3. If your contacts are not deleted on the iPhone, manually do so now. Ensure you have zero contacts/groups. Completely remove anything in contacts on your iPhone. (**NOTE** ensure you did step #1. By turning off iCloud deleting your iPhone contacts will not affect the contacts in the Cloud).
4. Log onto iCloud.com from your Mac. Make sure your contacts are still there.
5. On iPhone, Settings > iCloud turn contacts back on. If prompted, select "Merge Contacts" from the cloud to your phone.

This should now sync everything up.

If the thought of deleting all your contacts is unnerving, perform a time machine backup of your Mac before doing any of the above steps so you'll have piece of mind.
 
whsbuss

whsbuss

macrumors 601
May 4, 2010
4,183
1,043
SE Penna.
Arelunde said:
If you have iCloud contacts activated on all your iDevices, on the iPad and iPhone, you have to open contacts and hit the circle arrow on the screen to sync. It doesn't do it otherwise. Took me forever to figure that out. :eek:
Click to expand...

I do have iCloud contacts activated on my iPhone (and Mac). Where do I find the circle arrow? I don't have it in the Contacts app.

----------
CosmoPilot said:
Wirelessly posted

Since you know your Mac pushes updates to the cloud, I recommend the following.

1. Settings > iCloud. Turn off iCloud contacts on your iPhone.
2. If prompted, delete all contacts from your iPhone (do not select the option to keep them on your phone, or it will create a non-iCloud group).
3. If your contacts are not deleted on the iPhone, manually do so now. Ensure you have zero contacts/groups. Completely remove anything in contacts on your iPhone. (**NOTE** ensure you did step #1. By turning off iCloud deleting your iPhone contacts will not affect the contacts in the Cloud).
4. Log onto iCloud.com from your Mac. Make sure your contacts are still there.
5. On iPhone, Settings > iCloud turn contacts back on. If prompted, select "Merge Contacts" from the cloud to your phone.

This should now sync everything up.

If the thought of deleting all your contacts is unnerving, perform a time machine backup of your Mac before doing any of the above steps so you'll have piece of mind.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips. However rather than do all this on my iPhone, I just edit one of the contacts and it syncs all of my changes. You would think changes should be pushed just like iCloud mail and calendar.

----------

AH the circle icon under Groups.... got it!
 
CosmoPilot

CosmoPilot

macrumors 68000
Nov 8, 2010
1,537
373
South Carolina
whsbuss said:
Thanks for the tips. However rather than do all this on my iPhone, I just edit one of the contacts and it syncs all of my changes. You would think changes should be pushed just like iCloud mail and calendar.

----------

AH the circle icon under Groups.... got it!
Click to expand...

What groups do you have? This is what's causing your problems. You need to flush your group tied with th iPhone and force it to use iCloud. When you do that, everything will be automatic as you are wanting. However, you have to flush your contacts on the iPhone first to start with a clean slate. This is done by following my post above.
 
R

rogadodga

macrumors newbie
Nov 21, 2010
3
0
United Kingdom
Contact syncing issues

I have having the problem that al my contacts where on my phone, but not assigned to an account, not mac, not on iCloud. I had to search for a contact using the home right swipe search feature before I found my contact.

Problem was quickly solved by the 3rd party app, "my contacts backup".
It found all the contacts on my phone, and then emailed them as a vCard to my email account. I then opened it on my mac, and it synced every contact to my mac address book and my iCloud.

Fantastic app and will solve the majority of syncing problems people are having.
 
M

MixiMera

macrumors newbie
Jan 15, 2006
1
0
Excellent, this worked also for my Mac

CosmoPilot said:
Wirelessly posted

Since you know your Mac pushes updates to the cloud, I recommend the following.

1. Settings > iCloud. Turn off iCloud contacts on your iPhone.
2. If prompted, delete all contacts from your iPhone (do not select the option to keep them on your phone, or it will create a non-iCloud group).
3. If your contacts are not deleted on the iPhone, manually do so now. Ensure you have zero contacts/groups. Completely remove anything in contacts on your iPhone. (**NOTE** ensure you did step #1. By turning off iCloud deleting your iPhone contacts will not affect the contacts in the Cloud).
4. Log onto iCloud.com from your Mac. Make sure your contacts are still there.
5. On iPhone, Settings > iCloud turn contacts back on. If prompted, select "Merge Contacts" from the cloud to your phone.

This should now sync everything up.

If the thought of deleting all your contacts is unnerving, perform a time machine backup of your Mac before doing any of the above steps so you'll have piece of mind.
Click to expand...

I did this corresponding actions for my MacBook Pro and now my addresses are coming back into synch mode. It seems like that my updates in the Contacts of the Mac might have bee lost, but that was expected.
I did a BackUp of Contacts if somehow they would be needed.
/Claes "miximera" "MacCollector"
 
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