iCloud Bookmarks not syncing

[CalabiYau]

Hi.

Some months ago I upgraded from to 12.4 to 13.7 and then my bookmark sync was broken between iPhone and MPB and iCloud windows (3 devices). Now I have upgraded to 14.4 and it is still broken.

I have tried the usual stuff with no success (iCloud on/off, safari sync on/off, delete and rebuild bookmarks, even a clean install without restoring, just using safari after install)

I am almost sure that it is a problem on apple icloud's side. When I have a look to console report I receive constantly yellow errors from safaribookmarkssyncagent such as "Failed to set up new record zone: Error Domain=CKErrorDomain Code=1 "Request UUID: (null)"

When I monitor a device with succesful sync with another apple ID (my wife's iPhone or her iPad), the messages are different (actually the final one, has en exit code of 0 instead of 1)

I have the same problem in my MBP, with the exact same errors reported in console.

However my iCloud bookmarks in a windows machine (Chrome/Firefox) are working fine. I can sync through iCloud between Chrome and Firefox flawlessly, and what is more important, if I restore bookmarks from my iCloud.com account, then the bookmarks in both Chrome/Firefox are restored correctly to the set I choose.

So my guess is that somehow the iCloud data is corrupted for the apple devices so that they can't access the bookmarks.

Unfortunately I am not under the apple care coverage right now, so I can't contact them.

But anyway, maybe someone has suffered a similar problem, and can tell me if there is a way to reset the bookmarks and avoid this yellow error.

I read some time ago that one user had a similar issue fixed through a reset from Apple's side. I can't find this post but I'm afraid is the only way...

I would accept to lose all my synced bookmarks (I have a copy of them) but I have a lot of photos and apps so a brand new ID apple is not possible.

BTW, photos and iCloud drive works flawlessly across all devices. Even iCloud open tabs are working perfectly between MBP and iPhone . It is just the bookmarks...

Thanks!

 

[CalabiYau]

Hi again.

I have more info. I have used a very old macbook (Mavericks) and to my surprise as soon as I enable icloud sync there, I have my bookmarks synced along the windows one. Ios14.4 and MBP with safari 14.0.3 are still our of sync.

To sum up. 4 devices in the same icloud account:

1) Windows icloud Firefox and MBP Mavericks are perfectly synced. Any change appears on the other end. And also they are coherent with any icloud.com restore. If I choose an old bookmarks restore point, both of them sync perfectly to whatever my bookmarks were at that time.

2) ios 14.4 iphone is independent of 1). No change is reflected in any direction.

3) MBP with safari 14.0.3 it is also out of sync from 1) and also from iphone. So newer MBP and iphone are completely independent.

Any clue?

Thanks

 

[Vlti]

Hi CalabiYau,

I wanted to let you know that I have experienced exactly the same problem as you with my Safari Bookmarks not syncing on newer Apple devices running the current version of BigSur and iOS. My windows machine and an old Mac running 10.7.5 sync perfectly. I called it in to Apple support about the same time you posted this on here and it was escalated from Tier I to Tier II. Tier II was unable to resolve the issue and the case was again escalated to the Apple Engineers. After a few weeks of weekly scheduled phone calls with the Tier II rep collecting diagnostics, log files, and relaying information to the Engineers, the last phone call ended with "This is a known issue and others have reported the same behavior. The Engineers are working on resolving it; be on the lookout for system updates that will patch it."

That's it. No ETA on when it will be fixed and no indication that it is an urgent matter for them to fix. I hope that it will be in the next incremental updates, but who knows. It is an annoying issue for sure!

 

[CalabiYau]

Wow. Our cases are almost identical!

I am in the middle of a similar process. I finally decided to contact apple. My case was also escalated, and I have received 3-4 calls form tier II. Also my logs have gone to engineering.

Last week they told me that I had to repeat the icloud Windows log since apparently they saw something that wanted to re check.

I uploaded it but no news so far. Hopefully they will call me this week. but I am afraid that it will end with a similar answer, i.e they won’t fix anything. We can wait incremental versions but the fix is in our accounts.

Actually I discovered an important clue that points directly to an icloud account corruption.

I signed out my original icloud account in both of my up-to-date devices (Ios 14.4 and icloud windows 12.2) and sign in with a brand new icloud account. Guess what? Bookmarks synced instantly as it should be.

After restoring the old account, no sync at all again.

So it is not a problem in ios or macos which was pretty obvious since this is not a very extended issue (my wife or my workmate don’t suffer this problem with the same ios/macos versions)

It is clearly a particular problem of some old icloud accounts (mine is ancient…)

I’ll update as soon as I have more news. If you figure out something useful, please post it or send me a PM!

PS1: If you try to sign out/ sign in with a new icloud user, I’d strongly recommend you to backup your iphone with itunes before signing out and once you finish your test, then restore the backup instead of sign out/sign in the old one. Otherwise you can accidentally merge your cloud info and it could be a real mess.

PS2: Actually if apple support fails to fix this issue, I am considering to create a new account and carefully migrate everything (photos contacts, etc). With a family plan activation theoretically you can also have the same itunes purchases. My main concern is Fantastical 2, which I bought some years ago and now is subscription based. I hope that family plan will be able to deal with this.

PS3: I upgraded from ios 12 to ios 13 through itunes instead of OTA, just before bookmarks sync got broken. I also had some problems with geotagging in my old photos. Since then I only use OTA which appears to work better. Did you upgraded your iphone via itunes or OTA when your bookmarks issue appeared?

 

[tu00tf]

Hi,

I'm having this same issue. My iCloud account is, like yours, ancient. I went through the support process and generated multiple logs for the support engineer. The end result is that they send the issue over to engineering with no ETA and no more information possible.

I also came to the conclusion that there is something corrupted or improperly migrated in old iCloud bookmark backups. iCloud tabs works just fine between my Mac & iPhone. If only they had a way to just completely clear out the bookmarks I have stored in iCloud--I'd be happy to do that and just backup my bookmarks again.

Let us know if you hear anything different from support.

 

[CalabiYau]

Hi tu00tf!

I remember your post from apple discussions:

iCloud bookmarks won't sync! - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

I was the other poster and as you can guess I am still with the same problem. I tried to update that post but it was closed...

To be honest I don't think this issue is going to be fixed. It is very isolated and I'd understand that apple focus on other bigger problems. As an engineer, I'd probably do the same. I realize that this is a very low priority bug affecting some random accounts.

As soon as Apple tells me that there is no fix, I'll probably devote myself to figure out how to safely migrate my account to a new one.

Good news is that a new account can sync properly. Also you can use the same phone number and eventually change the email and use the original one. And also creating a family plan you can have the same purchases (as I said Fantastical 2 is my only concern)

What are your thoughts? Any drawback which makes this migration not recommended?

Merging data is quite tricky so I have to think it carefully to avoid a massive mess. I plan to backup (itunes and CCC) but it is important to keep the cloud backup intact or even with a backup the damage is done.

So any step must be in the precise order...

Anyway, I still have a minor hope that they see something in my last log... A really tiny one...

 

[Vlti]

I too am feeling a bit like they aren't actively working on trying to resolve the issue and I also noticed that signing in with a new iCloud account works fine; My main account is probably about 15 years old. I asked the tech if there was a "nuclear option" for my iCloud account/bookmarks on their servers to see if that would fix the bookmarks not syncing and they pretty much refused unless I was to delete my account completely. ...problem solved, right?

I'd be fine with migrating to a different account but I don't want to lose my iTunes purchases. I am starting to think this is why Apple lets you sign on to iTunes with a different account than your iCloud account on all of their devices. They are basically providing a workaround because they don't know how to fix the problem. Throw in COVID where everybody is working from home and can't collaborate in person and society is starting to lose it's edge on maintaining and improving what it has built thus far. It is already evident to me in the medical and service based fields, it's like everybody is getting lazier/dumber because they don't have to put in any effort anymore. </rant>

Looks like I'll just have to stick with using Firefox until they work this out, or have two Apple accounts going for everything. One for purchases, the other for iCloud sync. What a pain in the butt.

 

[Phantom iCloud tabs]

Same kind of issue going on with Safari in regards to iCloud tabs for me (interestingly, the bookmark syncing works fine). I've had to migrate over to Chrome to get syncing tabs. Like you, I have been in constant touch with Tier II support, and like you, I am just told it's being "investigated." Not helpful. That this has gone on for many months now has badly undermined the previous high estimation in which I held Apple's support system, its quality assurance, etc.

 

[CalabiYau]

if that would fix the bookmarks not syncing and they pretty much refused unless I was to delete my account completely. ...problem solved, right?

Hahaha. No bookmarks, no problem

I'd be fine with migrating to a different account but I don't want to lose my iTunes purchases

Apparently both apps and itunes purchases are perfectly shared if you use a Family plan. So the idea is to build a plan with your old and new account and most likely you'll have full access to the old content.

Family Sharing

Family Sharing lets up to six family members share Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, iCloud storage, and more. All without sharing accounts.

www.apple.com

Actually I have a family plan with my wife and it works perfectly. She can access my purchased apps. So what I am considering is to add my new account so that I can use my purchased apps and at the same time rebuild bookmark sync.

Sadly is the only way. I don't expect a fix at all...

Firefox is fine for windows but I prefer by far Safari both in ios and macos.

 

[cmcbhi]

I had/have an identical problem with syncing if Keychain. Same response)s) from Apple. No "engineer" solution yet.

 

[petvas]

Hi CalabiYau,

I wanted to let you know that I have experienced exactly the same problem as you with my Safari Bookmarks not syncing on newer Apple devices running the current version of BigSur and iOS. My windows machine and an old Mac running 10.7.5 sync perfectly. I called it in to Apple support about the same time you posted this on here and it was escalated from Tier I to Tier II. Tier II was unable to resolve the issue and the case was again escalated to the Apple Engineers. After a few weeks of weekly scheduled phone calls with the Tier II rep collecting diagnostics, log files, and relaying information to the Engineers, the last phone call ended with "This is a known issue and others have reported the same behavior. The Engineers are working on resolving it; be on the lookout for system updates that will patch it."

That's it. No ETA on when it will be fixed and no indication that it is an urgent matter for them to fix. I hope that it will be in the next incremental updates, but who knows. It is an annoying issue for sure!

I have an open case with Apple support for 19 months now! Apple acknowledged the issue and said they are working on it, but nothing has happened so far. The problem ist that the Bookmarks database cannot be migrated to CloudKit and that’s why all newer OSes do not sync the bookmarks. Windows and old Macs Sync correctly since they are using the old format. I am tired of Apple trying to solve this. I contacted Tim Cooks mailbox and an escalation engineer was assigned to the case 15 months ago...

 

[cmcbhi]

As I stated above, I have a similar problem w/ passwords/key chain not syncing W/ similat (non)results from Apple engineers. Anyone else have this problem?

 

[CalabiYau]

I have an open case with Apple support for 19 months now! Apple acknowledged the issue and said they are working on it, but nothing has happened so far. The problem ist that the Bookmarks database cannot be migrated to CloudKit and that’s why all newer OSes do not sync the bookmarks. Windows and old Macs Sync correctly since they are using the old format. I am tired of Apple trying to solve this. I contacted Tim Cooks mailbox and an escalation engineer was assigned to the case 15 months ago...

19 months! Wow...

I am sure that this won't be fixed.

After reading your post I have decided to start an account migration without waiting more apple support feedback. It really makes a difference to know that there is a technical explanation and not a mysterious bug. And it seems quite certain that it is a very low priority bug, so waiting seems just a waste of time.

Hopefully I'll be able to create a new one and move all my content... Not an easy operation though, but I prefer to spend my time in this process than collecting useless logs for 19 months...

 

[petvas]

19 months! Wow...

I am sure that this won't be fixed.

After reading your post I have decided to start an account migration without waiting more apple support feedback. It really makes a difference to know that there is a technical explanation and not a mysterious bug. And it seems quite certain that it is a very low priority bug, so waiting seems just a waste of time.

Hopefully I'll be able to create a new one and move all my content... Not an easy operation though, but I prefer to spend my time in this process than collecting useless logs for 19 months...

I understand. For me it is still not worth it though, since my bookmarks do not change that often. I prefer to wait, even if the hope that Apple will fix it is low. Creating a new Apple ID and manually moving everything is a lot of work. My Photo library, my iCloud Drive and my Apple Music, not to mention that purchases cannot be transferred. I know that some have said that you can use a family plan and so use purchased software, but this doesn't work with a lot of in App purchases...
I am stuck with my AppleID..

 

[CalabiYau]

I understand. For me it is still not worth it though, since my bookmarks do not change that often. I prefer to wait, even if the hope that Apple will fix it is low. Creating a new Apple ID and manually moving everything is a lot of work. My Photo library, my iCloud Drive and my Apple Music, not to mention that purchases cannot be transferred. I know that some have said that you can use a family plan and so use purchased software, but this doesn't work with a lot of in App purchases...
I am stuck with my AppleID..

Yes, it is a mess.

In my case I use intensively the bookmarks sync as I use several browsers in several devices...
I plan to use family sharing. I barely have a couple of purchased apps and I hope they work fine...

Anyway if one day apple fixes this I could migrate back...

 

[DimaVR]

Stop using Safari and move to edge from MS and be done e

 

[CalabiYau]

Stop using Safari and move to edge from MS and be done e

Nice for windows 10. Maybe I could use it in MacOS instead of safari. But I am afraid that is not a good option for me in iOS. I use a content blocker to block ads and works flawlessly with safari. And I guess that there is a battery impact vs Safari which is quite relevant in an iPhone (not that much in a computer).

 

[DimaVR]

Stop using Safari and move to edge from MS and be done e

Edge I been using for 3 years now it works on iOS windows Mac OS and it’s better than safari and had everything you talking about plus more ! You need to get with the times

 

[CalabiYau]

I'll have a look... Which AdBlocker do you use with it?
And what about privacy? Safari seems outstanding in this department.

 

[DimaVR]

I'll have a look... Which AdBlocker do you use with it?
And what about privacy? Safari seems outstanding in this department.

You don’t need to add anything to edge at all, everything OeM is more than enough trust me. Had all your blocking needs and tracking off etc etc it eats less ram it loads faster etc etc it’s based on chrome engine so it’s google chrome but a much faster version and not a bloated pig.

inhave on my Linux windows and all apple devices and it works amazing

 

[CalabiYau]

You don’t need to add anything to edge at all, everything OeM is more than enough trust me. Had all your blocking needs and tracking off etc etc it eats less ram it loads faster etc etc it’s based on chrome engine so it’s google chrome but a much faster version and not a bloated pig.

inhave on my Linux windows and all apple devices and it works amazing

Nice...I'll try it...

Anyway I have just done the migration to have a functional safari sync.
Not straight forward but not difficult at all.

As expected I have my bookmark sync back across all my devices (iOS, macOS and windows10) and apparently without any issue in my otheriCloud data (still uploading photos...) and purchased apps (fantastical2)

I'll keep an eye on future updates just in case this bug gets fixed...

 

[petvas]

This thread has been inactive for a long time but I have good news. Two days before Christmas I noticed that my bookmarks started to sync again! I don't know what triggered the sync, but it now works. After two years with no syncing, my Safari Bookmarks work. It might have been the 12.1 macOS update, but I think Apple just did something on my iCloud account. I have contacted my Apple principal engineer assigned to the case and he just said that he is glad it is now working...He didn't mention anything about the how..

 

[Madonepro]

For many years, I have noticed that bookmarks saved, or items that were added to my 'reading list', from my iphone (iphone 12 pro at the moment) didn't want to sync to my macbook pro, it would frustrate me, as i'd sit there waiting for it. It would show in my safari history on the mac.
I did all the trouble shooting tricks that I got from here, and Apple, without success. However, whenever I would go to System Preferences, Apple ID, to check there to see if Safari was ticked, the bookmarks would sync.
Don't have an issue going the other way, but whenever I have noticed them not syncing, I'd go to Apple ID prefs, and they would sync! Happened again today.

Anyone get any ideas?

 

[tu00tf]

Bookmark sync is now working for me too! I'm ecstatic! I don't know exactly when it started working--I can't pin down a particular OS update. It's possible that they did some data migration or iCloud infrastructure changes that fixed it also.