sync calendar/contacts with iCloud versus iTunes

I tried this recently with the help of Apple Support. I was not happy with idea of having to put my info in the Cloud, FYI, but figured there was no other alternative. The main gotcha: It deleted my contacts in Outlook and, when the file uploaded to iCloud, it deleted 100+ of my contacts. Which I discovered immediately after as I happened to search for 2 of the deleted contacts. Luckily, I had a backup of my Outlook PST file and was able to recover my contacts. I then deleted the files in iCloud and deleted the iCloud contacts and iCloud calendar it added to Outlook. The calendar seems to hidden somewhere because I am getting duplicate notices of meetings.

I also posted that they need to reconsider this move at the Apple feedback link and included the link to this discussion. Also told the two Apple Support people that Apple needed to look at the discussion in this forum.

After nothing but silence, I gave up on Apple giving us an guidance.

I'm using Companionlink to sync contacts between PC Outlook and iPhone.

I sold my iPad Pro and bought a Surface Pro.

My next phone will probably be a Samsung.

Thanks, Apple!

I updated to (standalone) iTunes 12.12.1.1 on Windows 10. First launch, I still see the "Support for syncing contacts and calendar has been deprecated and will be removed in a future version of iTunes." warning, and after waiting what seemed like forever for the backup to complete, I can confirm that it did sync my calendar properly (created a few test reminders to validate).

Holy **** was that backup slow, though.

Well just did the full test of syncing a new meeting on iOS 15.4 calendar up to Outlook via iTunes 12.12.2.2 and that worked.

Then deleted a meeting series in Outlook and synced and it pushed the changes out via iTunes down to iOS calendar.

So for the combo iOS 15.4 and iTunes 12.12.2.2 its still working.

Ideally Apple would take a chunk of that mountain of cash it has and just spend it on rewriting iTunes to be a proper iOS management application that does things well, but I'm not holding my breath.

We still don't know exactly when, but it seems iTunes is scheduled to lose the ability to sync calendar and contact data with an iOS device over a USB connection. The plan is that this content syncs through the cloud, either directly with a cloud based account, or at a push using iCloud for Windows. Your existing Outlook .pst file should be compatible with Outlook from Microsoft 365.

tt2

I can confirm the confirmation above. Sync still works normally (Calendar AND Contacts) with:

iTunes 12.12.7.1 + Windows 11 (22H2) + iOS 16.3 + Outlook 2016

Only a bugger each time your code is required to validate your trust in your computer.

Have a nice day :-)

I just bit the bullet and did the upgrade from 16.6 to 17.3. I can confirm that the update worked successfully. I then did a manual sync and my calendars synced. I had no new contacts, but I assume that would sync as well. I still get the popup stating that the syncing will be depreciated.

Calendar sync works with iOS 17.3.... iTunes 12.13.1.3 ... Outlook 2019 (as part of the Office 2019 desktop suite).

hi robertsig

i tested companionlink

satisfied.

https://www.companionlink.com/support/kb/How_to_Convert_from_iTunes_to_CompanionLink_to_securely_sync_Contacts_and_Calendar_to_your_iPhone

Companionlink does support two way synch but I synch one way ACT to Outlook

iOS 14.5.1 and iTunes 12.12.3.5 on Windows 10 with Outlook 2019 sync'ing still works - with Photos, also.

I don't think this is a security issue. I have the same message when I open iTunes on my Windows PC. The problem is that there is no other information ANYWHERE on how we are supposed to sync our contacts and calendars after the next iTunes update. Do I have to re-type/update all my contacts from my computer in the future? This is basic info that should be able to be sync'd. Removing this function without a replacement option is just plain wrong. So is there a replacement option?

I have exactly the same query and concern. The message seems to indicate that in future we won't be able to sync calendars and contacts from PC to iPhone. This will pose a big problem for a lot of PC users. Lately I am already experiencing issues with syncing - sometimes I need to try a few times.

I got this message too. So why is Apple deprecating the function to sync my phone contacts directly with my PC???????? This will be a deal breaker for me when it comes time to upgrade to a new phone. I'm not going to send my phone contacts to the cloud because it's my private information. To anyone reading this: don't by assurances regarding the security of anything that goes into a cloud storage, once it's up there, it's not longer only yours.

If isn't clear which build will introduce the change, only that Apple plan to do it. You might want to turn off any automatic update feature. If needs be there are links to recent builds and downgrade advice in Troubleshooting issues with iTunes for Windows - Apple Community which could be used if you find iTunes has upgraded unexpectedly, which might happen automatically if you're using the Microsoft Store version.

tt2

I saw that message for the first time today. My wife and I both use Outlook and Office 365 on our Windows 10 laptops and have used iTunes to sync calendar/contacts for yers. Recently, she got a new laptop and when we installed iTunes, the sync function was gone. Instead, the solution offered was to use iCloud for Windows. We installed that and it has caused a lot of problems which we have been unable to solve except through time-consuming and annoying work-arounds. For one example, it created multiple contact and calendar files in Outlook, and each time she opens Outlook, she has to "choose" the correct contacts and calendar. It always reverts to unwanted, empty contact folder. I've followed every suggestion I could find to change the default calendar and contact file, but to no avail. She has actually gone back to printing out a paper copy of her calendar and then writing in appointments people send her that, for whatever reason, go to a separate calendar. I'm not looking forward to trying to make iClouds work for me if the sync feature of iTunes I have goes away.