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Q: Local iPhone Sync Possible in 10.10 Yosemite, or iCloud Sync only?

With OS X 10.10 Yosemite and iOS 8.x, is there any way to sync contacts (and preferably calendar & notes) locally between Mac & iPhone, using my USB-to-lightning cable, NOT using iCloud? (As in olden days of 10.7?) I simply can't find a way, and none of the IT professionals at the local university know, either.

 

I upgraded from 10.7 -> 10.10, so missed the big furor when Apple omitted local sync in Mavericks 10.9. I read that Apple brought back local sync in a later version of Mavericks due to the backlash. But I can't even find a discussion about how to (or even if you can) sync locally with 10.10 Yosemite.

iPhone 5s, iOS 8.1.2, & Mac Mini with Yosemite 10.10

Posted on Mar 5, 2015 8:16 AM

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Q: Local iPhone Sync Possible in 10.10 Yosemite, or iCloud Sync only?

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  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Mar 5, 2015 11:21 AM in response to roadside
    Level 9 (69,813 points)
    iTunes
    Mar 5, 2015 11:21 AM in response to roadside
  • by Mudge,

    Mudge Mudge Mar 5, 2015 11:54 AM in response to roadside
    Level 2 (364 points)
    Mar 5, 2015 11:54 AM in response to roadside

    I'm assuming you are using the latest iTunes 12 here.

     

    Open iTunes and connect your phone via USB. Click the phone icon at the top of the window, then in the left-hand sidebar click the "info" icon.

     

    You can now select local syncing of contacts and calendars from this screen.

  • by roadside,

    roadside roadside Mar 5, 2015 5:53 PM in response to Mudge
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 5, 2015 5:53 PM in response to Mudge

    I dunno Mudge, I'm not seeing options for local sync, here.

     

    Neither do I see settings on the iPhone (as hinted below) that allow local sync...unless I've missed them.

     

    Sync Shot.png

  • by ckuan,

    ckuan ckuan Mar 5, 2015 5:56 PM in response to roadside
    Level 7 (33,190 points)
    Mar 5, 2015 5:56 PM in response to roadside

    Select Summary on the left panel in your image.

  • by roadside,

    roadside roadside Mar 5, 2015 6:27 PM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 5, 2015 6:27 PM in response to Eric Root

    Eric R: Thanks for the solutions. The first is far beyond my pay grade, but the second, SyncMate, is a possibility.

     

    Main concern is calendar & contacts, so I assume I'd turn off iCloud sync (on both Mac and iPhone) for calendar and contacts, and then DELETE the iCloud calendar & contact data (as I recollect the Cloud data persists, even after you turn off iCloud by Mac and by iPhone).

     

    Do you know if SyncMate will co-exist with iTunes? I don't mind syncing with iTunes except I don't like contacts & calendar in the cloud. Could I sync with iTunes for all else, and with SyncMate for just contacts & calendar? Mix & match? Or is it just best to ditch iTunes altogether and go with SyncMate for all syncing?

  • by roadside,

    roadside roadside Mar 5, 2015 6:33 PM in response to ckuan
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 5, 2015 6:33 PM in response to ckuan

    Not seeing anything regards local sync under summary, Ckuan.  (BTW, this is iTunes 12.1.0.50)

     

    SyncShot2.png

  • by Mudge,

    Mudge Mudge Mar 5, 2015 10:44 PM in response to roadside
    Level 2 (364 points)
    Mar 5, 2015 10:44 PM in response to roadside

    That's odd, the page you show is missing the checkboxes and options that my one shows. Sorry, not at my main computer at the moment, so I can't give a screen grab.

     

    One thought struck me, though. Do you have any local "On my Mac" calendars or contacts, or are they all in iCloud?

     

    Try adding a new "On my Mac" calendar and re-try syncing locally (you may have to quit and re-open iTunes).

     

    To do this, open Calendar, Select "File" -> "New calendar" -> "On my Mac". Give it a name and add a test event to it. See if that works.

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Mar 6, 2015 4:20 PM in response to roadside
    Level 9 (69,813 points)
    iTunes
    Mar 6, 2015 4:20 PM in response to roadside

    You are welcome. I'd try turning off iCloud and see if you get a suitable sync with iTunes. If not, then download SyncMate. They should co-exist as far as I can tell.

  • by roadside,

    roadside roadside Mar 7, 2015 8:05 AM in response to Mudge
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 7, 2015 8:05 AM in response to Mudge

    Mudge & Eric:

     

    Regards the mysterious missing checkboxes, that's a surprise to me. Not sure I'm answering your question precisely, but: both my calendar and my address book were local "on my mac" at the time I started using 10.10 (about 2 weeks ago). I noticed the Mac calendar/contacts were no longer syncing to the iPhone, read around in the forums, got the idea that iCloud was the ONLY sync method, so turned on iCloud: sys preferences > iCloud  > contacts & calendars. Sync then worked. NOW, if I go back and uncheck either contacts or calendars, I see a BLANK CONTACT LIST and BLANK CALENDAR on my Mac. This was a terrifying result, so I turned iCloud back on (the data reappears) and made backups of both files. I suspect the only way I can get local contacts/calendars back is to turn off iCloud, then restore these backups on the Mac. (I hope!) So Mudge, that's my longwinded way of saying "I don't think I have any local contacts or calendars anymore, I think it's cloud only; I don't know what happened to my local data." BTW, If I go to Calendar > File > New Calendar,  iCloud is the one and only option that appears currently. Do you want me to turn iCloud off and then try your diagnostic?

     

    Eric: Do you agree I will have to turn off iCloud (which leaves me with blank calendars and contacts) then restore my backups to both calendar and contacts? I already know that I don't get a working sync with iTunes if iCloud is off. Looks like SyncMate is my future, if I can repopulate my data first!

     

    BTW thanks much for thinking through this issue with me.

  • by Glenn Leblanc,Helpful

    Glenn Leblanc Glenn Leblanc Mar 7, 2015 8:19 AM in response to roadside
    Level 6 (11,011 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 7, 2015 8:19 AM in response to roadside

    If you want to put that information back local to the mac, unchecking the boxes in iCloud will not do it. Enable all the apps you need in iCloud. Once all the information is back in the apps such as contacts and calendars, go to System Preferences and open the iCloud pane. Sign out of iCloud. When you do, you will be asked for each application whether or not to delete from the computer or keep local. Choose to keep the information local on the computer for each application.

     

    Note if you ever sign back into iCloud, it will want to merge that information back to iCloud. Merging back may duplicate information to iCloud and not merging back will create local and iCloud accounts on the Mac.

     

    On the other hand, using iCloud is a great feature. It syncs with not problem. Just because you uncheck a box and it blanks out on the computer doesn't hurt anything. The information is still in the iCloud database and can be seen at iCloud.com website. Just don't uncheck the box and the information remains on the computer. If you feel the need for backups just in case, you can export the Contact list and Calendars from time to time that you can import back from.

  • by roadside,

    roadside roadside Mar 7, 2015 5:38 PM in response to Glenn Leblanc
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 7, 2015 5:38 PM in response to Glenn Leblanc

    I would LOVE to put my contacts & calendar back onto my Mac, and get them off iCloud, Glenn. (My plan, if successful, is to afterward go into iCloud and delete the calendar/contacts info.) So with iCloud functioning, I went to Sys Prefs > iCloud, pressed the Sign Out button, but did not get a "delete or local" option you mentioned. What I got was this:

     

    TurningOffIcloud.png

     

    So those are my options: delete from Mac (I want the opposite: SAVE to Mac) or cancel (i.e., leave in iCloud). Not much of a choice!!

  • by Glenn Leblanc,

    Glenn Leblanc Glenn Leblanc Mar 7, 2015 6:47 PM in response to roadside
    Level 6 (11,011 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 7, 2015 6:47 PM in response to roadside

    Documents won't give you the choice. Contacts and Calendars and I think the rest do. If you actually stored documents in iCloud, copy them to the computer.

    Go through the whole process.

  • by Mudge,Helpful

    Mudge Mudge Mar 8, 2015 1:42 AM in response to roadside
    Level 2 (364 points)
    Mar 8, 2015 1:42 AM in response to roadside

    You've got the right idea as to how to move your calendars:

     

    1) Make backups of your iCloud calendars (which you've done) using File->Export...

    2) Switch off iCloud calendars in System Preferences.

    3) Add new "On My Mac" calendars.

    4) Import your backups into the "On My Mac" calendars.

  • by roadside,

    roadside roadside Mar 8, 2015 9:12 AM in response to Mudge
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 8, 2015 9:12 AM in response to Mudge

    An interm report. First off, a huge thanks to Eric, Mudge, & Glenn! Second, descriptors for anyone searching:

    - - - - - - - - - - -

    How to Remove Your Contacts from iCloud (but Keep Them on Your Mac & iPhone)

    aka, “How to Unfriend iCloud for Contacts.”

    - - - - - - - - - - -

    Caveat: I bungled my way through this process. (Several times.) I’m certain some of the steps I took were unnecessary; this is not a clean instruction set. Since there’s so little info out there at this time, however, I will relay what I did to finally get my contacts list OFF iCloud but ON my Mac and ON my iPhone (and still able to use other iCloud services such as Notes, etc.). Mac Mini running Yosemite 10.10.2, iPhone running iOS 8.1.3.

    - - - - - - - - - - -

    On Macintosh.

    Backup Contacts. (.abbu file)

    Contacts > Preferences > Accounts > Uncheck “Enable Account”

    (Not sure this accomplishes anything.)

    Sys Prefs > iCloud > Uncheck Contacts.

    (Not sure this accomplishes anything either.)

    Sys Prefs > iCloud > Sign out of iCloud.

    (This accomplishes things!)

    When given options for contacts/calendar data, choose

    “Delete from Macintosh.”

    Open contacts/calendar/notes/reminders on Mac, all empty.

    Open Contacts > Preferences > Accounts > there are no accounts.

    - - - - - - - - - - -

    iPhone.

    Settings > iCloud.

    Turn off Contacts, & choose Keep on My iPhone.

    (At least this part is easy.)

    - - - - - - - - - - -

    iCloud via Webpage:

    Go to Contacts.

    Delete them in bunches.

    (Also straightforward.)

    - - - - - - - - - - -

    On Macintosh again.

    Contacts > File > Import > Replace All. (Import the backup you just made.)

    Contacts is (sort of) repopulated with your backup.

    Problem: They’re imported under a contacts group called iCloud, and have a nasty habit of magically disappearing after a bit. To fix that: 

    Contacts > View > Show Groups. A left hand column appears. Notice “All iCloud” is populated with your contacts and “My Mac” empty.

    Select all your contacts (that are in the group ‘All iCloud’) and drag them to the group, “All On My Mac.”  (Takes awhile.)

    Now click “All iCloud” (left column) and delete all contacts from it.

    Want to tidy up? View > Hide Groups, Hide Last Import.

    Open and close your contacts a few times to reassure yourself they’re there.

    Breathe a sigh of relief.

    Sign back into iCloud (via Sys Prefs), but:

    UNcheck the “Use iCloud for mail, contacts, calendars, reminders, notes and Safari.”

    (However I did check the Find My Mac option: “Allow FMM? > Allow.”)

    On the iCloud list of services, Contacts maddeningly appears pre-checked, even though I said NO in the previous step!

    Sign back out of iCloud, and choose “Delete from Mac” for contacts.

    Sign back into iCloud.

    Again, UNcheck the “Use iCloud for mail, contacts, calendars, reminders, notes and Safari.”

    (Again, I did check the Find My Mac option: Allow FMM? > Allow.)

    This time, all iCloud options are unchecked except for “FMM.”

    Open up Contacts on the Mac, they’re all there. (Whew!)

    Look under Contacts > View > Groups and the iCloud group is gone.

    - - - - - - - - - - -

    On iPhone: Open up contacts, they’re all there.

    - - - - - - - - - - -

    Access iCloud via webpage: Open up contacts, they’re all gone.

    - - - - - - - - - - -

    Feeling bold; can I get my iCould notes back on my Mac?

    Sys Prefs > iCloud > check Notes, and after a brief pause, Notes repopulate on the Mac.

     

    …that’s the report so far. Hope this is useful to somebody. I’m going to try calendars next.

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