Contacts on iPhone will not update to those stored on my iMac.

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Level 1

23 points

Contacts on iPhone will not update to those stored on my iMac.

I have always manually enter my contacts on my Macs. When I manually sync/backup my iphone to my iMac (direct connection between the two devices), I check the box to replace the contacts on the phone with those on my mac. But the contacts on the phone do not update. I don't use iCloud. I just want to manually sync the contact list on my phone with the one on my mac. Note, I have had this problem for years. Apple has told me I need to have the latest operation systems on my devices, well, I now have the latest iOS and MacOS and it still does not sync contacts. There is no option with my internet provider to store contacts, but I do not see why that would be necessary. The contacts are stored on my iMac. Note, there is no problem syncing the calendars. Also, my wife has the same problem between her iMac and iphone. Any ideas?

iPhone SE, iOS 15

Posted on Mar 13, 2022 1:33 PM

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Answer 1

Mar 13, 2022 3:04 PM in response to photrain

I've not done it that way in a very very long time. I really don't understand why you wouldn't turn on a cloud based Contact even if it is not iCloud. I love how iCloud syncs over air and I don't have to manually sync. But to each their own, I suppose.

On the Mac, Go to System Preferences -> Internet accounts and make sure none of your accounts have Contacts turned on. With a Mac there is an "On my Mac" listing but I am not seeing that on iOS. On iOS go to Settings -> Contacts and see if you have anything in Accounts. If you do have any Internet accounts with Contacts enabled the iPhone may just be displaying them instead of the sync'd contacts.

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Answer 2

K Shaffer

Level 8

36,016 points

Mar 14, 2022 3:51 PM in response to photrain

Perhaps an answer may be to use iCloud to update Contacts across your systems.

Then backup that detail: learn how to restore or replace, from your own backups.

Sometimes you get feedback in the Mac or iOS, about your iCloud; not set right.

But that matters not; there's times when with backup, you use a 'non-cloud' copy.

An offline duplicate of iCloud will allow a disassociated version from iCloud's.

These things change, allegedly for security; original good ideas may be lost.

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Contacts on iPhone will not update to those stored on my iMac.

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