iPod touch Notes disappear - ideas?

[IQ140]

Notes disappeared -- same problem on iPad

I just discovered all my Notes gone. The only related solution I've found is to turn the Notes setting to OFF in the Gmail settings -- although I don't know for sure if that prevents it from happening. Not sure why one would want to 'sync' the Notes with gmail in the first place (it it seems to be set to ON by default).
Why does Apple make it so hard to report problems like this? I could not figure out how to report either as an app problem or OS4 problem

 

[IQ140]

Notes disappeared -- found them in Gmail

Per my previous reply, I found the same problem on my iPad. But I just found a posting that said they found the notes in their gmail account.
So, I opened my gmail (on my PC) and found them in the Trash folder. There was even a colored "Notes" label in the each note mail.
Apparently, when the Notes option is ON in the settings for Gmail, the iPad syncs with gmail and puts all the notes in Gmail. This might apply to Yahoo mail accounts, too.
Although this might be useful for storing large files of notes (saving space on the iPad), at least Apple should EXPLAIN why and how this works. And this feature should NOT be set to ON by default.

 

[bevhoward]

Notes Sync Failure Cause Found

Finally tracked down the cause of notes ceasing to sync to google.

I rarely sync my itouch using itunes... but I finally made the connection that notes stopped syncing after an itunes sync.

I sync nothing other than music and photos via itunes. For example, nothing is checked under the device's info tab. As far as I can tell, that tab contains the only "notes" option within itunes.

Until this bug get's resolved, here's a workaround... it's a pita, but it prevents loss of notes.

Before connecting device to itunes to sync, assure that device is connected via wireless, that notes is open and that the google notes match the notes on the device... i.e. this is to assure that the notes stored on google are up to date so they can be used following a "restart" of notes sync on the device.

Sync the device using itunes

Disconnect the device

Assure the device is connected via wireless

Go to Settings/Mail.../NotesAccount

Toggle notes sync off, then back on

Open notes

Notes on the device will disappear

Then notes will be restored to the device from the google copies

Notes will continue to sync until the next itunes sync.

NOTE! If you do not do this, know that any notes added or edited following the itunes sync will not be synced and will be lost if you then take the above steps.

Hope that this information is of value.
Beverly Howard

 

[Plus5]

It almost seems to be selective

I had important notes I had relied on and info I only ...foolishly kept in "Notes". All of a sudden, certain notes have gone pouff into thin air, not anywhere in email, nor iPhone......please tell me someone has found a means of recovering them!

 

[bevhoward]

You didn't say, but I am assuming that you use GMail to sync your iOS notes.

I feel for you, but unless you have a setup where you pick up your gmail using pop3, loosing everything is a real danger.

Have you tried a restore from iTunes?

Your message prompted me to go in and take another look for options.

Using the GMail web interface, looking in "All Mail" and searching on keywords or strings you _may_ find recent copies of edited notes.

Getting back to prevention, a couple of tips.

I use a short keyword followed by "====" at the beginning of each note. I pick up my mail via pop3 on my desktop at least once a day.

My desktop email client has a rule/filter that automatically moves any message "from" me with "====" in the subject line to a "notes" folder.

This assures not only that I have a full backup of all of my notes, the backup is incremental... i.e. if I need a note that I entered two years ago with important information, and edited it later to remove that info, it's still there and searchable.

Note, however, if you "sync" using itunes, remember that gmail notes sync _STOPS_ when you sync.

So, while you have copies of everything up to that sync point, you will loose everything after that point if you restart gmail sync by turning it off and back on in mail settings unless you manually copy notes edited or added after the itunes sync.

Beverly Howard