R.I.P. Sync Services, hello ...eh wait what to use now??

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R.I.P. Sync Services, hello ...eh wait what to use now??

Hello everybody,

silently SyncServices have disappeared in OS X Lion. What kind of options to we have now to synchronize? I'm currently working on an application that makes use of contacts and keeps them in sync via sync services. Right now it still works, but as sync services have disappeared, it seems like it is not much future proof at all. After a few hours of searching around, I couldn't find anything related to it, so my questions is, what to do now? What options do we have to keep our applications in sync with contacts, safari bookmarks etc. ...

Mac OS X (10.7)

Posted on Jul 24, 2011 10:13 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 24, 2011 10:16 AM in response to 80leaves

Restore iSync from your backup.

Did you install 10.7 over 10.6.8?

Or was this a clean installation of 10.7 followed by migration from backed up data?

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Answer 2

Jul 24, 2011 10:18 AM in response to 80leaves

in all likelyness icloud will be replacing isync

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Answer 3

80leaves Author

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Jul 24, 2011 10:51 AM in response to Graham Perrin

Hey Graham,

it was an upgrade from SL, but worked like a charm. I still can use Sync Services though, and I see everything in Syncrospector, but I would appreciate, what's the "official" way to go now? And iCloud is no option at all that is satisfying. Or is it possible to use icloud without saving data to apples cloud services?

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Answer 4

Jul 25, 2011 12:47 AM in response to 80leaves

Absence of iSync

This is slightly surprising to me.

Was the upgrade from 10.6.6, 10.6.7 or 10.6.8?

If reaping etc. during installation does lead to removal, then I guess that re-use in Lion of iSync.app from Snow Leopard is not supported by Apple.

That said, I do use iSync 3.1.2 (586.1) on Mac OS X 10.7 (Build 11A511):

apparently with success with a battered Nokia N73 that I have used for years
without success with a less battered N73, which was donated to me — this failure may relate more to contact data than to iSync or sync services.

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Answer 5

Jul 25, 2011 12:46 AM in response to 80leaves

iCloud storage APIs

What's New In Mac OS X: Mac OS X v10.7 Lion: iCloud Storage APIs

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Answer 6

Jul 25, 2011 1:29 AM in response to jamesp1989

iCloud is not a replacement for iSync in any shape or form.

iSync allows syncing of contacts and calendars to non-Apple mobile devices only via a local Bluetooth or USB connection. iCloud works with Apple mobile devices only.

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Answer 7

80leaves Author

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Jul 25, 2011 1:41 AM in response to Graham Perrin

Hey,

it was 10.6.8, but I'm actually not relying on iSync itself, but more the Sync Services that come along with. Quite frustrating is also to read the API for Address Book in 10.7 as the links for the Sync Services Programming Guide have been simply removed, and everything has been declared as "deprecated" without the notice -> use that now! And seriously, iCloud is NOT a replacement, its nice and shiny on its own, but doesn't work out at all for a bunch of reasons.

So is there really no replacement?

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Answer 8

Jul 25, 2011 1:47 AM in response to 80leaves

silently SyncServices have disappeared in OS X Lion.

What makes you think it has disappearded? It's still there: /System/Library/Frameworks/SyncServices.framework and was updated from v5.2 to v6.0 in Lion.

MobileMe still uses it for bookmark and contact syncing, as do other applications for a variety of inter-app syncing.

Only the iSync application (which is nothing more than a front-end for configuring and initiating a sync with non-Apple mobile devices) has disappeared. All the underlying frameworks still exist that your application is using.

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Answer 9

80leaves Author

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Jul 25, 2011 2:23 AM in response to Julian Wright

SyncServices will disappear within the next releases as they have been declared as being deprecated.

http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#releasenotes/General/MacOSXLionAPIDiffs/ SyncServices.html

It's just a matter of time...

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Answer 10

Jul 25, 2011 2:56 AM in response to 80leaves

Yeah, the writing has been on the wall for SyncServices for sometime. What I'm saying is, its not disappeared yet.

MobileMe calendar syncing switched from SyncServices to the open CalDAV protocol some time ago. Although MobileMe still uses SyncServices for contact syncing, I'm assuming that when MobileMe is finally switched off in June 2012, by then iCloud will be using (most likely) CardDAV for contact syncing. Presumably Safari Bookmarks will sync using one of the aforementioned iCloud APIs.

With regard to your application specifically, you might find more relevant discussions in the public Developer Forum, or the developer-only DevForums.

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Answer 11

Jul 25, 2011 5:51 AM in response to 80leaves

Most informative, thank you 80leaves.

Can you estimate wither it's risky to continue with iSync.app from 10.6.8?

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Answer 12

80leaves Author

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Jul 25, 2011 6:41 AM in response to Graham Perrin

I don't think it's "risky" to use, the syncservices framework might just disappear in the next version or even a later one. I assume that you will get a new phone sooner or later, and then you might not miss isync at all. 😝

@Julian

thx I'll make a post there and see whats happening 😀

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