itunes will stop syncing Outlook calendar and contacts?

...any suggestions for a long term solution? iCloud is a hassle, frequently failed and took a lot to maintain so I went back to syncing. Reliable, secure, backups etc. Presumably replace iTunes for PC-based syncing?

No suggestions. Maybe iCloud syncing works better now? How long ago did you try it? I'm using Office 365/Exchange for work, which works well for me. I seem to recall managing to duplicate contacts back when I first got an iPhone 3 so I've probably avoided syncing with either iCloud or iTunes since then. It is on my phone and iPad, and there are backups, and the crucial stuff is also in my work account.

tt2

3 days ago my 6s+ drowned, and then I found out about stop sync outlook. I do not see any ApplePie about any replacement so I assume that Tim Is cooking a payable or subscription service close to the deadline. I also have an Android phone (in case of a drowning iphone) and found CompanionLink offering sync PC/Outlook/Android for 40USD. That now seems a good deal compared to iPhone’s price premium?

I am really very upset about this. there is no explanation on how you will be able to sync the calendar and contacts with Outlook (the desktop application). Not everyone uses a MAC. We all use a combination of tools (Phones, PCs, etc.) What to do now?

Yes, total crap from Apple. I will not ever store my personal information in a cloud server, too many data breaches happing all the time. The best thing about Windows iTunes syncing is you can force Outlook to overwrite the iPhone or iPad. I have found two way syncing can corrupt and mess up contacts, so I only make changes in Outlook and overwrite my phone periodically. Never had any problems since doing that. The thing that sucks about iCloud is you can't specify a direction to sync. Guess I'll have to see if CompanionLink will work as an alternative.

Hate to say it but I think Apple are making a mistake. If I move away from iTunes for syncing with Outlook then I'll no longer be using it, period. I'll be using somehting else. That means I'll no longer be buying music etc. from others, not Apple.

A large part of Apple's revenues are from iTunes and related sales, which - good or bad - iTunes helps them retain. Lose that centralization and you lose that stranglehold. Maybe it won't be for many, but in the restaurant trade they know well that for every bad meal, seven people know not to go there...

DIsappointing to say the least, given this shouldn't be difficult for Apple to maintain.

I have tried getting it to work twice, each time a major hassle unwinding it. Started working OK but then stopped, with resulting endless annoying error messages. I'm using non-365 Outlook, but I doubt that has any implications.

I spoke to a friend in Canadian local government, they are looking seriously at having to stop using iPhones because the cloud has security implications. They are not allowed to keep sensitive materials on insecure servers, and any server outside Canada is deemed a posisble risk. So for them, the end of iTunes sync is not a small issue and could affect tens of thousands of purchase decisions in multiple countries.

I agree on the comments. I buy music from Apple through iTunes. When I can't sync Outlook, another application to buy music will come into play. Also, the convenience of using my Apple phone will be deminished.

I've used Akruto for a couple of years with great success, but the company has changed...a LOT. Tech support is VERY slow to respond (email only, no other choice), the company doesn't show ANY phone #'s, and honestly I would avoid them. After having moved recently, when you go through the configuration steps, and get to one website (for iPhones) that you're supposed to open, it is now a dead link. Apparently so is the company...!

A temporary workaround will be to decline future updates to iTunes.

tt2

You're welcome. 🙂

tt2

Is this solution on anyone's radar? https://www.akruto.com/sync-iphone-with-outlook/

This is just another example of apple saying FU to its customers