cng1990 Author

Level 1

61 points

iCloud tabs not syncing/working

iCloud Tabs has stopped working on all of my devices

iCloud Tabs isn't working on any of my devices. I can't see them from my MacBook Pro (macOS Catalina), nor from my iPhone X (running 14.2). I have quadruple checked and iCloud is on and Safari is checked and everything is correct on each device. It was working fine up until I noticed the issued several days ago. I haven't changed any settings or behaviors or changed any features, but for whatever reason it isn't working anymore. And if it does, my computer shows iPhone tabs from the day before and not current tabs and my phone doesn't show my computer tabs at all anymore. Although it's small, it's a feature of iCloud that I use quite often and it's a nuisance to have it not working properly.

I followed all suggestions on forums and articles to turn off iCloud, turn off Safari, etc. on each device and turn it back on but still nothing. I've restarted and rebooted a plethora of times and it's still the same issue. Does anyone have any insights on what could be causing this issue and how to fix it?

Posted on Nov 13, 2020 7:09 AM

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Mocharuns

Level 1

27 points

Posted on Jan 24, 2021 5:01 PM

I know it sure is frustrating. If you call Apple, it is free to talk with an advisor. I worked with a senior advisor, told them the steps I already did. We ran through some more steps and I ended up having to send my diagnostics to their engineers. It took a few days (the engineers work via email only), but they did get mine working. With that being said it took a lot of time and caused heaps of frustration. I made two appointments Apple certified repair locations and they both said it had to do with Apple iCloud servers. So I don’t think you can do anything to fix it, if you already ran through the steps. I think they have to fix it at their end. I had three Apple devices not working. They asked me to clear my device and start again. I refused to do that because there was no way three devices were not working correctly. Also, one of my devices was brand new. I also had an Apple location removed the newest iOS I just put on and replace again, just to see if they could fix it. They could not help me. I’m just trying to save you some time. This is what finally ended up working for me. I hope this helps.

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229 replies

Jan 9, 2021 9:51 AM in response to cng1990

It turns out that Apple engineers have released the ones that should be beta in a corrupt way without testing some improvements again at the product level. This ******** is getting too annoying. Especially macOS and Macbook Pro. I am having the same and multiple problems. They do not respond to feedback and are not interested.

Jan 13, 2021 2:04 PM in response to zecanard

Did that and rebooted the phone...no tabs.

interestingly however, the Siri Suggestions on the phone show the current webpage I'm viewing on the Mac...which happens to be this very page. Not the same as iCloud tabs though....

josefa68

Level 1

40 points

Jan 13, 2021 2:28 PM in response to Tim Baker

Mine have come back but the tabs showing on my iPad for my phone date back to November! (Tabs since closed on phone). Notes stopped syncing last week, and my safari bookmarks are also not syncing between devices.

Jan 13, 2021 3:43 PM in response to josefa68

Tabs will automatically disappear after 7 days by default.

You can also delete a tab from another device by swiping it left. The latter one is handy for getting rid of tabs that have suddenly appeared for some unknown reason from months ago.

Jan 28, 2021 10:52 AM in response to Mocharuns

Mocharuns, I am having the same problem. I am also working with a senior advisor to try to get this fixed. Is there anything specifically you can share with me that might help me to get this resolved more quickly? Thank you.

Jan 28, 2021 11:40 AM in response to Mocharuns

Mocharuns: I have already sent my diagnostics to the senior support person, which has already presumably been passed along to the engineers. To be clear: it was NOT your turning the "safari" setting in iCloud off and on three or four times that fixed the issue, right? Instead, that just confirmed for the engineers that there was a problem, and they then adjusted some setting on their side?

Jan 28, 2021 1:01 PM in response to Emissary1

I think I contacted them and it ended going over the weekend (which doesn’t count). So 4 days. Then 2 days later the adviser called me to check how it was working, and it was fine. I kept asking for the advisor to call me (we set up an appt with her) each time we spoke.

Jan 28, 2021 1:10 PM in response to Emissary1

Ahhh, she never said. Just that they must have. I told her they DID fix it because I could see my iCloud tabs changing over the weekend. At one point all my regular safari tabs disappeared (tabs I had opened and was working on) but then they all came back. So I could see they were actively working on the issue. Plus the fact that I had google searched the issue, had gone to 2 apple genius bars, spoke with senior advisors and am pretty knowledgeable about apple products. We had exhausted all trouble shooting multiple times.

sn72

Level 1

98 points

Jan 30, 2021 5:10 AM in response to Compux72

iOS 14.4 (18D52): Closed iCloud tabs reappear automatically again and again, ghost iCloud tabs and tab groups show up even after erasing the device and restoring it as new without using backup (tabs were closed every time before erasing).

Feb 2, 2021 11:45 AM in response to sn72

Yep, I'm getting the same thing. After not browsing with Safari for hours, the tabs seem to "catch up" and show correctly what's open. Then when I start browsing again, the tabs tend to disappear altogether from my device. Wash, rinse, repeat.

A.Magus

Level 1

13 points

Feb 16, 2021 5:18 AM in response to gaberdine mac

My M1 MBP doesn't show any tabs from my other devices... All of others are on iOS 14 of course, but my iPhone and iPad can synchronize with each other. Anyway it would be a nice feature and it doesn't sound very complex task to keep tabs synced...

josefa68

Level 1

40 points

Mar 1, 2021 1:51 PM in response to Emissary1

I am. I’m in touch with an engineer who says other engineers are looking at it, but I don’t believe it. I think they are pinning hopes on the next iOS release. I’m also unable to make backups and sometimes can’t get into the App Store or Apple TV app. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

Mar 1, 2021 1:57 PM in response to josefa68

Right, this "we're investigating" line is old and tired. It doesn't take months to fix an iCloud tabs syncing issue. I'm afraid we're being given what, in colloquial terms, is known as the "run around."

josefa68

Level 1

40 points

Mar 1, 2021 2:07 PM in response to Emissary1

I think I have to agree. My issue is more not being able to sync unless I’m on 4G- ie it doesn’t sync notes on WiFi! Plus not being able to backup due to “poor network conditions” that have zero to do with my ISP. I’m beyond frustrated.

Mar 12, 2021 7:41 AM in response to cng1990

I have this problem too. actually, Google is way ahead of Apple in terms of web services and performance.

faster photos app sync and download and better backup options and much much better cloud drive. the iCloud drive is a joke compared to google drive

apple is really weak in terms of online services performance. I have not just this problem but the messaging app doesn't sync deleted items sometimes and I should delete them manually and so on... I may go back to android if they continue like this. full of sync issues and online services bugs

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iCloud tabs not syncing/working