Contacts changes on Mac not syncing outward to iCloud and iPhone

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Level 1

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Contacts changes on Mac not syncing outward to iCloud and iPhone

I cleaned up my contacts (deleted some, merged a bunch of duplicates) on my Macbook Pro's Contacts app, but the changes have not shown up in my iCloud contacts viewed in a browser, nor have they gotten over to my iPhone's contacts. In those two places, I still see the un-merged cards and the ones I deleted on the Mac. However, it receives changes made on my iPhone or in iCloud's browser interface.

I have all the toggles turned on across devices to sync contacts via my iCloud account, and all use the same Apple ID for iCloud. On the MacOS Contacts preferences, Fetch is set to Automatically.

I created a new contact on my iPhone that showed up in my Mac Contacts app and in iCloud. I then created a new contact in Mac Contacts, but that didn't go out through iCloud, so it seems that although fetch is working on the Mac, push is not working from the Mac outward.

Posted on May 20, 2022 10:49 AM

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Answer 1

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Eric Root

Level 10

684,045 points

May 20, 2022 6:17 PM in response to olaspequenas

Have you tried restarting the computer? Are you running any anti - virus programs? Using a VPN?

If the problem is still there, try booting into the Safe Mode using your normal account. Disconnect all peripherals except those needed for the test. Shut down the computer and then power it back up after waiting 10 seconds. Immediately after hearing the startup chime, hold down the shift key and continue to hold it until the gray Apple icon and a progress bar appear. The boot up is significantly slower than normal. This will reset some caches, forces a directory check, and disables all startup and login items, among other things. When you reboot normally, the initial reboot may be slower than normal. If the system operates normally, there may be 3rd party applications which are causing a problem. Try deleting/disabling the third party applications after a restart by using the application un-installer or by using the developer’s uninstall instructions. For each disable/delete, you will need to restart if you don't do them all at once.

Safe Mode - About.

If it works in the Safe Mode, try running this program when booted normally and then copy and paste the output in a reply. The program was created by Etresoft, a frequent contributor. Please use copy and paste as screen shots can be hard to read. Click “Share Report” button in the toolbar, select “Copy to Clipboard” and then paste into a reply. This will show what is running on your computer. No personal information is shown. If the log won’t post, try posting it in Pastebin and provide a link in a reply. After pasting the report in a PasteBin page, go to the top of the page, and copy the address in the URL bar. Paste that in a new reply. Pastebin

https://etrecheck.com

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Answer 2

Eric Root

Level 10

684,045 points

May 20, 2022 11:39 AM in response to olaspequenas

Try going to System Preferences/iCloud (Apple ID for Catalina or later) and stop Contacts syncing by unchecking the box. Wait a couple of minutes, then check syncing. Allow time for the sync to complete.

Last resort - have you tried signing out of iCloud, restarting, and then signing back in?

See the Apple Support article below.

Contacts, Calendars, or Reminders - Get help using iCloud.

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Answer 3

olaspequenas Author

Level 1

7 points

May 20, 2022 3:58 PM in response to Eric Root

I was on the phone with Apple Support for two hours today, and we tried unchecking the iCloud options on my Mac Contacts and iOS Contacts, restarting both devices, then toggling the settings back on. Still, nothing goes out from the Mac; it only receives changes.

Interesting twist. At one point, in web browser iCloud Contacts, I did a merge of all duplicate accounts. It reflected in the browser interface for a while, but then the dupes returned.

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Contacts changes on Mac not syncing outward to iCloud and iPhone

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