Syncing Contacts and Calender Events across multiple Mac Desktops, iPhone and iPad

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Level 1

4 points

Syncing Contacts and Calender Events across multiple Mac Desktops, iPhone and iPad

I am helping a friend who has multiple Mac Desktops, an iPhone and an iPad. No non-Apple products.

He keeps these devices up to date with the updates as and when they are released/offered on each device (although the desktops are not in the same geographic location so there can be some time between each one being used).

We have set up all 4 devices to sync using iCloud for contacts and for calendars.

The functionality the he wants to achieve is to have all the contacts and calendar events synced across all his devices. He understands that there may be a delay between adding a contact on one of the devices and it appearing on another. The issue we're having is that some events/contacts do sync fine, but some don't sync.

If there was a systematic issue of x being added to y device not showing on z device(s) then we could work with that. The issue we're having it is seems to be intermittent as to what is and isn't syncing.

I understand there isn't an actual force sync button on any of the devices.

Has anyone had this issue and found a way to either force syncing or to make it more reliable?

Posted on Aug 12, 2024 11:13 AM

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Answer 1

muguy

Level 10

82,483 points

Aug 18, 2024 10:43 AM in response to The Moose PH

So long as the accounts are the same on all devices, the data will sync. Is there a common denominator between. the items not syncing? Have you reviewed, If your iCloud Contacts, Calendars, or Reminders won’t sync - Apple Support

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Answer 2

The Moose PH Author

Level 1

4 points

Aug 19, 2024 8:43 AM in response to muguy

Yes - same iCloud account. There doesn't appear to be any common denominator between what is syncing and what isn't. E.G. it's not like an individual calendar within the calendar app isn't syncing.

He has around 7,500 contacts and there's a different number on each device. Haven't manually compared across all devices to see what's missing on each but checked that there is no other List in Contacts.

I think we've done everything in that article but will double check.

As an interesting aside, I just compared my own contacts count on my MacBook and my iPhone. I was missing 1 from my MacBook. I went on iCloud on the browser and it was reflecting the number of contacts on the iPhone. I found that on both the contacts app and iCloud I could select all the contacts within each letter and it would tell me how many contacts were selected. With that, I quickly went through each letter until I found the 'culprit'. I can't see anything different about this contact other than it's a business (i.e. no First and Last Name, just Company name) and it has an apostrophe in the name. I am going to remove and test to see if it then appears on my MacBook.

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