iDevice syncing issues?

[iKor]

Hi,

I am having issues keeping three apple devices synced together. I have a iMac , a macbook pro, and a iPhone. I would really like to have everything synced together but I seem to keep hitting issues. Since I got my macbook, I have been using it more than my iMac, but I would like to be able to go to my iMac and have it be like I am on my macbook. I've done some searching and got some help, but still have issues, maybe you all can help!

1. iTunes: I mainly download music on the macbook. Right now it is set to automatically download to my iMac when it is on. So that works fine, the issue is when I get new music, if I don't like a certain track I will delete it, but it will still be on my iMac because it was transferred over. I know its petty but it would be nice if they both deleted.

2. Mail: Same issue, I would like for it to delete messages on all devices. So if I deleted on my macbook. the message on my iPhone and iMac is deleted as well.

3. iPhoto: I think it is severely messed up on all accounts. Its synced. but since I plug into my macbook and iMac I think it'll sync to what ever its plugged into and not the other device.

I think thats it. I hope that was understandable, and I hope I can get some help!

 

[ApfelKuchen]

1. iTunes: I mainly download music on the macbook. Right now it is set to automatically download to my iMac when it is on. So that works fine, the issue is when I get new music, if I don't like a certain track I will delete it, but it will still be on my iMac because it was transferred over. I know its petty but it would be nice if they both deleted.

One approach is to use Home Sharing, with the MacBook hosting the library that is shared. The library on the iMac could still download every song you've ever purchased (for the convenience of anyone else who may use the library at home), and the library on the MacBook can be managed exactly as you wish. On the iMac you can then choose to view either the shared library from the MacBook, or the iMac's local library.

2. Mail: Same issue, I would like for it to delete messages on all devices. So if I deleted on my macbook. the message on my iPhone and iMac is deleted as well.

This is a function of your mail account. An IMAP account (iCloud.com, Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) should behave this way - it's cloud-based. A POP account does not. If it's "On My Mac" it is not synced with other computers and devices, so when you create new mailboxes, create them in the specific account (eg. "Gmail," not in "On My Mac"). If an iMAP account does not behave as expected, you need to look at your settings on all equipment.

3. iPhoto: I think it is severely messed up on all accounts. Its synced. but since I plug into my macbook and iMac I think it'll sync to what ever its plugged into and not the other device.

I think thats it. I hope that was understandable, and I hope I can get some help!

iPhoto is not built to be synced between multiple computers. Your iMac and MacBook each have their own libraries. If you import the same photos to both libraries, then both will have the same photos. If you don't, there's a mis-match. If you create an album or edit a photo on the iMac, it's not going to appear on the MacBook, or vice versa - UNLESS you use a single library. You can do that either by copying the library back and forth between the two machines as you need it (incredibly time-consuming), or by connecting to one of the libraries over a network, or use an external drive for the library, and connect it to whichever computer you're using. None of these options are wonderful - iPhoto libraries perform best when they're on the local hard drive.

Photo Stream, on the other hand, is cloud-based. Your iPhoto iCloud preferences can be set so that all new photos added to Photo Stream will be automatically downloaded to both computers, and so that photos that are imported to a computer will be uploaded to Photo Stream. This should keep the two computers pretty well synced, going forward. There are limits on how many photos can be uploaded per hour and per day - so if you come home from a vacation with thousands of images, you won't be able to import them all at once. There's also the 1000 image limit for Photo Stream, but as long as you're automatically downloading new Photo Stream images, that shouldn't be a problem.

Overall, try to take full advantage of iCloud - that's designed to keep multiple iOS devices and computers synced. iTunes was never meant as a solution for syncing the same info to multiple computers.

 

[iKor]

One approach is to use Home Sharing, with the MacBook hosting the library that is shared. The library on the iMac could still download every song you've ever purchased (for the convenience of anyone else who may use the library at home), and the library on the MacBook can be managed exactly as you wish. On the iMac you can then choose to view either the shared library from the MacBook, or the iMac's local library.

This is a function of your mail account. An IMAP account (iCloud.com, Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) should behave this way - it's cloud-based. A POP account does not. If it's "On My Mac" it is not synced with other computers and devices, so when you create new mailboxes, create them in the specific account (eg. "Gmail," not in "On My Mac"). If an iMAP account does not behave as expected, you need to look at your settings on all equipment.

iPhoto is not built to be synced between multiple computers. Your iMac and MacBook each have their own libraries. If you import the same photos to both libraries, then both will have the same photos. If you don't, there's a mis-match. If you create an album or edit a photo on the iMac, it's not going to appear on the MacBook, or vice versa - UNLESS you use a single library. You can do that either by copying the library back and forth between the two machines as you need it (incredibly time-consuming), or by connecting to one of the libraries over a network, or use an external drive for the library, and connect it to whichever computer you're using. None of these options are wonderful - iPhoto libraries perform best when they're on the local hard drive.

Photo Stream, on the other hand, is cloud-based. Your iPhoto iCloud preferences can be set so that all new photos added to Photo Stream will be automatically downloaded to both computers, and so that photos that are imported to a computer will be uploaded to Photo Stream. This should keep the two computers pretty well synced, going forward. There are limits on how many photos can be uploaded per hour and per day - so if you come home from a vacation with thousands of images, you won't be able to import them all at once. There's also the 1000 image limit for Photo Stream, but as long as you're automatically downloading new Photo Stream images, that shouldn't be a problem.

Overall, try to take full advantage of iCloud - that's designed to keep multiple iOS devices and computers synced. iTunes was never meant as a solution for syncing the same info to multiple computers.

Sweet! So Mail is definitely solved. My comcast account is POP, and thats why it wont delete all over. So I just converted the account to IMAP and that should take effect within 24 hours.

iPhoto, I will just have to workout something, or come back with more questions.

and iTunes I plan to work with later. But before I do, Should I maybe clear the library on my iMac, and then set up the home sharing? cause I am not quite sure how I am sharing between my computers now?

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Sweet! So Mail is definitely solved. My comcast account is POP, and thats why it wont delete all over. So I just converted the account to IMAP and that should take effect within 24 hours.

iPhoto, I will just have to workout something, or come back with more questions.

and iTunes I plan to work with later. But before I do, Should I maybe clear the library on my iMac, and then set up the home sharing? cause I am not quite sure how I am sharing between my computers now?

Unless you need disk space on the iMac, I'd leave that library alone. Even if you were to delete it, iTunes is going to automatically create a new, empty library. From that moment onward, you'd still have the same confusion over which library is which.

Unless you're using Home Sharing already, or are copying the library back and forth between the two computers (and you'd certainly know if you were doing that), the only way you're "syncing" would be limited to the following:

a) Downloading purchases to each computer individually (whether automatically downloaded or not).

b) Syncing the same iOS device(s) to both computers. When you connect the iOS device to a computer and the iOS device has purchases that are not currently in the computer's library, you're asked whether you want to copy purchased items to the computer.

Going forward, you simply need a plan. What the plan is can depend on who, if anyone, uses iTunes on the iMac when you're not home, and what their needs are.

#1 - Always sync your iOS devices/iPods to the same machine. This avoids potential confusion. If it's a multi-person household, and each has their own iOS devices/iPods, then it's just a matter of each person choosing the more convenient computer for their needs, and sticking to it.

If other people use the iMac, then the local iMac library should be managed for their benefit - you may want to automatically download all purchases, so that anything you buy on your MacBook or iOS devices will be available to them.

If you're the only person using both computers, no matter what, I suggest that you actively manage the library on the MacBook, so that it's with you when you travel.

On the MacBook, go to iTunes menu > Preferences > Sharing, and turn on Home Sharing. You'll then be able to locate that library in iTunes on the iMac, and use the MacBook's library from the iMac.

If your MacBook will always be booted-up when you're at home, then you'll always be able to connect to it from the iMac using Home Sharing.

If your MacBook is not always booted, you may still want to manage the library on the iMac as well - download all past purchases and automatically download all new purchases. That way, you'll have everything at your fingertips.

 

[iKor]

Unless you need disk space on the iMac, I'd leave that library alone. Even if you were to delete it, iTunes is going to automatically create a new, empty library. From that moment onward, you'd still have the same confusion over which library is which.

Unless you're using Home Sharing already, or are copying the library back and forth between the two computers (and you'd certainly know if you were doing that), the only way you're "syncing" would be limited to the following:

a) Downloading purchases to each computer individually (whether automatically downloaded or not).

b) Syncing the same iOS device(s) to both computers. When you connect the iOS device to a computer and the iOS device has purchases that are not currently in the computer's library, you're asked whether you want to copy purchased items to the computer.

Going forward, you simply need a plan. What the plan is can depend on who, if anyone, uses iTunes on the iMac when you're not home, and what their needs are.

#1 - Always sync your iOS devices/iPods to the same machine. This avoids potential confusion. If it's a multi-person household, and each has their own iOS devices/iPods, then it's just a matter of each person choosing the more convenient computer for their needs, and sticking to it.

If other people use the iMac, then the local iMac library should be managed for their benefit - you may want to automatically download all purchases, so that anything you buy on your MacBook or iOS devices will be available to them.

If you're the only person using both computers, no matter what, I suggest that you actively manage the library on the MacBook, so that it's with you when you travel.

On the MacBook, go to iTunes menu > Preferences > Sharing, and turn on Home Sharing. You'll then be able to locate that library in iTunes on the iMac, and use the MacBook's library from the iMac.

If your MacBook will always be booted-up when you're at home, then you'll always be able to connect to it from the iMac using Home Sharing.

If your MacBook is not always booted, you may still want to manage the library on the iMac as well - download all past purchases and automatically download all new purchases. That way, you'll have everything at your fingertips.

hmmm. I already have home sharing on? but its not deleting tracks i delete from my macbook from the imac, and its syncing them back to the macbook