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User profile for user: f8lee50
f8lee50 Author
User level: Level 1
13 points

why are there separate contacts "on my Mac" and in iCloud?

So this is not a MacBook question per se, but what I would like to know is why my contacts listing shows the above two general categories. I realize if I add a contact on my iPhone, for instance, it's going to appear in the "iCloud" section - but why can't that contact also just appear automatically in the "on my Mac" section?


I ask because it appears to me that if I have groups set up in both sections - let's call it "friends" - when I add a friend created on the iPhone to the friends group it does not show up in the 'on my Mac" friends group...but when I send an email out to all my friends and use that group in the CC field to get all of them in there, only the entries in the 'on my Mac' side are included. Very frustrating...

Posted on Apr 26, 2022 5:02 PM

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User profile for user: tygb
tygb
User level: Level 9
64,748 points

Posted on Apr 27, 2022 10:39 AM

The All on my Mac means the contacts saved in address book , they can include some contacts from iCloud , some groups created .

It's the choice of administrator to drag few contacts from All on my Mac to other groups or in All iCloud or vice - versa or randomly save any where .

Suppose there are three contacts in All on my Mac , Mr A , Mr B , Mr C , the contacts that saved in iPhone will be common between All iCloud , but not be same as In All on my Mac .

Mr B , Mr C will be in All iCloud of Mac and iPhone , But Mr A not necessarily saved in iPhone .

Note : you have to manually drag and drop contacts , there is no such settings done automatically , the reason behind if a person don't want to share all contacts from his Mac to iPhone even its signed in with same Apple ID and password on the same network , they can restrict the particular contacts to be synced .

Apple engineers have designed address book in this way only .

Note : when you are travelling on the road , do you carry iPhone and Mac , and iPhone is connected with Mac using hotspot and you are sharing network .

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User profile for user: tygb
tygb
User level: Level 9
64,748 points

Apr 27, 2022 10:39 AM in response to f8lee50

The All on my Mac means the contacts saved in address book , they can include some contacts from iCloud , some groups created .

It's the choice of administrator to drag few contacts from All on my Mac to other groups or in All iCloud or vice - versa or randomly save any where .

Suppose there are three contacts in All on my Mac , Mr A , Mr B , Mr C , the contacts that saved in iPhone will be common between All iCloud , but not be same as In All on my Mac .

Mr B , Mr C will be in All iCloud of Mac and iPhone , But Mr A not necessarily saved in iPhone .

Note : you have to manually drag and drop contacts , there is no such settings done automatically , the reason behind if a person don't want to share all contacts from his Mac to iPhone even its signed in with same Apple ID and password on the same network , they can restrict the particular contacts to be synced .

Apple engineers have designed address book in this way only .

Note : when you are travelling on the road , do you carry iPhone and Mac , and iPhone is connected with Mac using hotspot and you are sharing network .

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User profile for user: tygb
tygb
User level: Level 9
64,748 points

Apr 27, 2022 8:26 AM in response to f8lee50

When you add a contact in iPhone Create and manage groups of contacts on iCloud.com - Apple Support

The iPhone and Mac are signed in with same Apple ID and password on the same network , contacts box is checked on both so they will sync see the details in these articles Set up and use iCloud Contacts - Apple Support

Use other contact accounts on iPhone - Apple Support

Keep contacts up to date across devices

To keep your contact information up to date across all your devices where you’re signed in with the same Apple ID, you can use iCloud.

Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud, then turn on Contacts.

Alternatively, you can sync the information between iPhone and your Mac or Windows PC to keep the information up to date across iPhone and your computer. See Sync iPhone with your computer.

If you use iCloud for Contacts, your contacts are kept up to date automatically, and no options appear for syncing them with your computer.

When " on my Mac " section is enabled in Mac , those contacts are separated and not synced with iCloud ( " on my Mac " is not available in Mac OS catalina , but may be active in previous versions .


When you add a contacts in a group Create and manage groups of contacts on iCloud.com - Apple Support , groups are never shared even the iPhone and Mac are synced , however contacts are synced when mail is composed and sent from iPhone to Mac Send email in Mail on iPhone - Apple Support

Read the section - Add recipients .




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User profile for user: f8lee50
f8lee50 Author
User level: Level 1
13 points

Apr 27, 2022 8:48 AM in response to tygb

Thank you for responding, but perhaps I was not making myself clear.


Here are two screenshots from my MacBook's Contacts. Note the "On My Mac" above, while there is an iCloud listing below


It seems to me that when I email a group (for this purpose, let's say "AX Gang" and the Mail program inserts all the names into the CC field, it only inserts the names that appear in the On My Mac group. So if I were to add a new contact on the road on my iPhone, of course I know it appears automatically (as if by magic!) in the iCloud listing on the MacBook - but the next day if I send an email to AX group that new person does not appear. If I drag that name up to On My Mac, the green plus sign symbol appeard, presumably letting me know it is helpfully adding that name to the On My Mac listings. And vice versa - if I were to add a name on the MacBook, unless I ddrag it to the iCloud section (with that helpful green plus sign symbol again) it does not appear on the iPhone.


In other words, it seems to me I am manually syncing between these two otherwise arbitrary segments of the contacts file - and I am asking, well, beyond, what is the logic behind that programming, if it is possible to have a setting where as soon as a contact is added on either side it just shows up in the other side.


Am I missing something? Or is this a "feature" of the program?




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why are there separate contacts "on my Mac" and in iCloud?

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