iCloud bookmarks won't sync!

Hello again

Yesterday I used the console. Apparently I have different errors.

This is from Safari 14 before downgrading. No sync working:

Also the iphone one. No sync at all:

After this, I downgraded macos. Pretty easy. To 10.14.6 without SU and safari 12.1.2.

As expected my sync with icloud windows / icloud.com was live again.

But even though it synced, I still had the same pattern of bookmarks error. The last 4 errors in the first capture were constantly repeating. Each minute approximately. And what is most funny, even if I had disabled the safari icloud sync from settings (and re start safari).

And Synced tabs was not working now between macos and iphone. This is more or less expected since in the apple docs say that you need certain versions up to date.

Then it was time to a clean install of ios13.7. First a itunes backup, then full reset and install as new. After 5 minutes, I could open safari with sync enabled and as expected no sync at all. I reverted to my previous backup ( I only lost touch id finger configuration. Nothing else)

Then I captured the iphone sync with the downgraded macos. Similar to the previous one:

As a final test, I deleted all bookmarks in my newly synced Safari. Then as I did in the windows one, I restored my bookmarks from icloud.com

At first nothing happened. And I was shocked. But then I remember reading something about adding a bookmark to kick the process. So I added a dummy bookmark and then it started to sync and recover the restored bookmarks after some seconds.

Please, try this in your windows test. Add a dummy one just in case it starts the whole process.

BTW, why did you tried Edge? In the icloud panel it only allows Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer. Have you installed the chrome favorites?

Well, I hope thay you can find something. Please, as soon as support tells you something, post it here!

If you need further console test, please ask me.

MAybe this afternoon I'll update 10.14.6 to security update 2020-05 just in case improves sync tab.

And then I'll decide if I keep safari 12 or upgrade it to safari 13/14. If I don't have full sync between all my devices it is not really that useful.

Right now I am using a third party app to sync all of them (app in ios, and extension in safari/chrome). It works ok but I prefer the native solution...

Thanks!

Hello

You are in my exact same situation. Windows 10 seems to be synced properly with iCloud bookmarks, at least the ones you can manage from the .com

Also in my case I checked that the restored bookmarks corresponded to those I checked in the iCloud.com panel which are not synced with the mac ones.

But if you revert your safari to 12.1.2 (which I assume it is not possible as you are in Catalina, but it was for me reinstalling Mojave over Mojave), you would verify that Safari mac is again synced to these iCloud - Chrome bookmarks.

Maybe if you have a CCC copy of a Mojave in an external HDD you could try. But you can trust me. As soon as Safari is reverted to 12, then it syncs perfectly. Although the iPhone is still out of sync (2/3 then)

Finally, I am not sure that a full upgrade to last version is going to fix anything. So I'm not doing so and avoid further bugs.

As a final remark, i insist that a workmate has my same versions (13.7 / 10.14.6 / safari 14) and it works ok. The only difference I can find is that he has an iPhone 11 that was shipped with iOS 13 and I upgraded from 12.4.1. Maybe something got broken.

Anyway, please inform me if you find a clue...

Regards

I am out of my apple care period. Can I open a support ticket?

Anyway, in another thread somebody told me that I should upgrade all my devices.

Otherwise they are not going to consider it.

And as you have checked, it is not the solution. And obviously I'm not willing to be affected by new bugs of unpolished versions...

Not the whole mac. Just the safari version. But iPhone won't sync. Actually with safari 12 the cloud tabs are lost.

I really don't know what is our problem. I work as a RD engineer and I am used to chase bugs, but in that case I feel there is no logic.

In my case, I had a pristine sync between windows-mac-ios and the very first minute after iOS 13.7 I noticed that it was broken. I tried to remove a bookmark from my computer and then I waited and waited and nothing happened in my iPhone while it has worked flawlessly for ages...

Being a random bug, not a deterministic one, I am quite pesimistic. It doesn't affect to all users. Just a minor fraction (see your wife or my workmate as an example).

If you finally discover something or magically it starts to work again, please update this thread even if it is next year. I am following it so I'll be notified.

My last bullet was an ios 13.7 clean install with no restore. Just icloud signing and all default settings. No success. So it seems that the key reset is not in our side, but in apple's servers.

At least, the itunes restore worked so fine that I could recover my iphone status after this test.

Hi!

I am in your situation and it is quite frustrating. I can explain what happened to me just in case we can get a clue from this data:

Some weeks ago I was a happy camper with my iphone 6s 12.4.1, macbook pro 10.13.6 (safari 11) and icloud for windows 11.2.

Then I decided to install ios 13.7. Bad idea!

Before updating my bookmarks were flawlessly synced between safari mac, safari ios, and chrome windows (work computer). Not a single problem in more than a year and this is something I intensively use.

As soon as I updated 13.7, iphone was out of sync with both macbook pro and windows pc. However both computers were still synced.

I thought it was because safari 11 was too old. So I abandoned my beloved extensions and update to 13.1.2 but still in high sierra. Ios 13.7 was still unsynced. But also macbook pro and windows 10 stop syncing!

So I thought maybe it is a macos related problem and decided to abandon my rock solid High Sierra and install Mojave 10.14.6. It didn’t bother me because I had already planned to do it sooner or later.

After Mojave upgrade, safari was downgraded to 12.1.2. Iphone was still out of sync but windows-macbook pro sync was recovered.

So I decided to upgrade safari again to 13.1.2. And failed. Not only ios13.7 is still unsynced but also broke windows-macos sync.

Finally I installed safari 14 with no success.

So, all in all, I have 3 devices with unsynced bookmarks! Really disappointing.

A curious fact. Bookmarks are not synced between safari ios and macos BUT tabs are. I can manage remotely ios tabs from macos and viceversa. And I thought that this was more restrictive than plain bookmarks.

To sum up:

Ios 12.4, macos 10.13.6, safari 11.x.x, icloud windows 11.2: Everything synced

Ios 13.7, macos 10.13.6, safari 11.x.x, icloud windows 11.2: Both computers synced, iphone not

Ios 13.7, macos 10.13.6, safari 13.1.2, icloud windows 11.2: Nothing synced

Ios 13.7, macos 10.14.6, safari 12.1.2, icloud windows 11.2: Both computers synced, iphone not

Ios 13.7, macos 10.14.6, safari 13.1.2, icloud windows 11.2: Nothing synced

Ios 13.7, macos 10.14.6, safari 14.0.0, icloud windows 11.2: Nothing synced

Ios 13.7, macos 10.14.6, safari 14.0.0, icloud windows 11.4: Nothing synced

Unfortunately my CCC was after I upgraded safari to safari 13. Otherwise I’d perform further tests with this safari 12 version.

Another interesting fact. It seems that icloud windows is the only one working. For example. I delete all the bookmarks there. Nothing happens. But then I go to icloud.com and restore old bookmarks and some minutes later they appear again in the chrome/windows. Exactly the ones I restored. So I guess that the bookmarks stored in the icloud are correct and correspond to the ones that windows 10 icloud sees.

I have also tried all the typical stuff: turn on/off sync, delete all, sign out icloud, change apple id password with no success at all. Dozens of times.

A final curious fact. A workmate has a similar setup (but without icloud windows). He has a 13.7 iphone, macos 10.14.6 (although I don’t know which security update. Mine is 2020-04), and safari 14.0.0. And his bookmarks sync are working fine!!! He has an iphone 11 so he hasn’t upgraded from 12, but just minor 13 versions. Just in case it is related to a 12 to 13 upgrade.

I’ll try to connect the console to ensure that I have a similar error… Probably something is corrupted and impossible to fix on our side. Apple should do it.

Please, inform me if you have any news or idea.

Perfect! I'll try this and share the result.

I honestly don't think it is generalized problem (my workmate has synced bookmarks with the very same sw versions as me)

But my guess is that something can get corrupt for some users (maybe because certain upgrade order or settings or apps) and then you are in troubles.

Apart from the console I'm planning two other actions:

1) Reinstall mojave 10.14.6 to recover safari 12.1.2. Apparently it is possible to do just from recovery menu without wiping your data. I expect that my windows-macbook pro sync works again. If not it will be a surprise because past week it worked before upgrading safari 13.

I'll try the console as well to see if there are differences before/after reverting it.

2) Clean install in my iphone. Not a restore from icloud but a full clean install. But before any futher waste of time, I'll just check if it syncs without any other app/settings. Just safari/icloud.

If it works, then I'll install things incrementally.

If it doesn't work I'll restore my last backup and forget about it.

Anyway, if you have performed this clean install without restoring unsuccessfully, please tell me...

Really a waste of time but it is clear that this won't be fixed alone...

I am also interested in your windows test. Please, inform me if it works ok for you... I have the 2004 windows 10 version, plus icloud 11.4 (last one).

Thanks!