hi, thank you for your help!i tried the instructs you wrote and they worked!
however, the links you providedbrought up a question for me:-- it says "You can choose to sync your Mac and your device automatically whenever you connect them. To turn on automatic syncing, select General in the button bar, then select “Automatically sync when this [device] is connected”."
I would very much like to sync my Mac and my iphone automatically whenever i connect them! ---- but how can i when the "automatically sync when this iPhone is connected" checkbox is grayed out?
also, i recently bought a new iphone SE 2020, and i have a macbook air 2012.i used to have an iphone 5c, but i took it off my icloud account.
but now my messages no longer sync, my contacts dont either,
and plus, somehow apple seems to think my macbook IS my other device, because every time i come here to this forum and sign in via my macbook, a message pops up saying my "apple id is being used to sign in to a new device, enter this verification code to sign in, and i have to enter the code on my macbook right on my macbook's blanks that appear.
also, i have this persistent notice on my iphone's settings asking me to "update apple ID settings", then i AGAIN enter my password, but then it always AGAIN asks me to "approve this iPhone": "go to one of your other devices signed in to iCloud to approve this iphone."
BUT, all it does is say "waiting for approval" and shows that spinning wheel, and when i go to my macbook there is NOWHERE i can find to "approve the iphone" FROM!
ve tried going into my macbook settings/icloud but nothing is in there waiting to be approved.i can generate a verification code, but there is no where to put it!
and when on my iphone i try hitting that "cant approve this iphone?" message, these 2 choices pop up:reset encrypted dataor cancel.
i finally out of desperation tried that "reset encrypted data",' but it did not fix anything!
when i go to my online icloud account, i see both my macbook and my iphone se 2020 there and signed in.I have also tried signing out of my icloud on both devices, turning the devices off then back on, and re-signing in.
I also tried unchecking, then re-checking, the icloud messages and contacts.No luck!
another thing is, in iphone settings messages, if i try to turn on "share name and photo", this message appears: "sharing name and photo not available: because icloud and imessage accounts are different or are not signed in." but how can this be? i want them to be the same, and i only have one account anyway! and as far as i know i am signed in.(my macbook message account shows as my apple ID)
also, in macbook message prefs general, i have "message received sound" checked, play sound effects is too, but i never hear a sound! why, and how to fix? (and yes my macbook sound is up)
and, in macbook settings internet accounts, i see that i can check "messages" under the google account, but that option does no exist under the icloud account! for icloud there is only icloud drive, photos, mail, contacts, calendars, reminders, safari, notes, keychain, and find my mac.
I have spent hours on the web trying to find answers, with no luck! What to do???
thanks again in advance :)