I added several events to my MS Outlook and after several days, checked the iCloud Calendar and the new events did not show up. Accordingly, my iPhone or iPad calendars did not update either. I believe I have everything set up correctly, and have selected the option to sync with iCloud in iTunes. Am I doing something wrong? Shouldn't iCloud automatically sync with Outlook?
Thanks for your help.
iPad 2
I'm afraid the answer is that notwithstanding representations by Apple to the contrary, iCloud doesn't work with Outlook. I have experienced, as posts over the internet confirm is uniformly common, that using iCloud with Outlook in the hopes of creating a seamless, wireless updating functionality for calendars and contracts isn't yet a reality. Instead, introducting iCloud results in blocking your ability to create calendar reminders from Outlook on your PC, creating annoying duplications of calendar items and contracts, no functionalilty in uploading dates from Outlook PC to the iCloud to be synced with your iPhone or iPad, and having old calendar invitations that you both created and received in the past randomly sent out again. The most frustrationing question seems to be - How did this ever got out of beta testing from Apple? Maybe Apple is just trying to take some sick kind of revenge out on those of us who use Outlook on a PC.
Well, after considerable time, I have figured things out and iCloud does in fact work with my Outlook 2007. I think most problems stem from the fact that iCloud doesn't work well if you also have a Mobileme account and that it works differently than traditional syncing when tethered with iTunes.
Let me attempt to explain how I got it to work on my iOS devices and Outlook on my PC. First, if you have a Mobileme account, uninstall the software on your PC before setting iCloud. Next, download and install the iCloud control panel from Apple on your PC from here http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1455 . Go to Control Panel and click on iCloud to set it up for Calendar, Contacts, etc. After setup, open Outlook and go to Calendars. You should see the “Calendar in iCloud” as one of you choices in the left panel. Select the iCloud Calendar as your default Calendar and point to it for your address book. On your iOS devices, turn on iCloud and select the iCloud calendar to view. The iCloud Calendar will update when you make changes and Outlook and all you devices will see those changes because they are all looking at iCloud Calendar. Your standard device Calendar or the default Calendar in Outlook does not sync with iCloud. Contacts in Outlook will include “contacts in iCloud” on the left panel and works the same as Calendars. When you are done out can see Calendar events and Contacts sync instantly on all you devices and in Outlook... very cool.
If you neglected to remove Mobileme or want to keep it, you will most likely end up with duplicates in iCloud, as I did. Even if you do, go ahead and install iCloud using the Control Panel icon. You can easily remove duplicates in the iCloud Calendar or Contacts in Outlook. See instructions here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/299349 Apple’s new iCloud software works, but they could have done a better job in anticipating these type of problems and removing them or at least explaining in detail how to deal with them.
I hope this helps!
Can you share how you were able to set the icloud calendar as the default calendar in Outlook? The issue I am having is when I accept meeting requests they go into the old outlook calendar and not the newly created icloud calendar (which imported all of my current meetings and recurring meetings). So I'm having to manage two calendars which is a pain.
I am having the SAME issue and would love for it to be resolved! I "think" I have tried everything!
In Outlook select Calendar then right click on the iCloud Calendar and move up to the top of the list of Calendars. Outlook defaults to the Calendar at the top of the list for me anyway. I'm not sure if this will cause meeting requests to go to the Calendar on the top of the list or not, because I do not receive requests. If you have to use both Calendars, you can overlay them into one by checking both Calendars and then clicking the arrow at the top to overlay the side-by-side calendars.
Thank you for the suggestion. I tried that yesterday and accepted meeting requests still went into the "old" calendar. I'll try it again though.
This also happened to me. 3.5 hours on the phone with Apple and I have my data back, my dups are gone, but my Outlook color-coding of each calendar item is still gone (hours of work), and it still trumps the default 15 minute reminder for each item. You CAN resent reminders for items manually, but it doesn't support your default reminder settings in Outlook. Call support, ask for Carlos, in the highler level of support. He knows how to fix this.
Im so keen for fix or workaround for this... Ive spent two days trying to make it work. I just want to be able to click add task and add appointment in outlook and have them added to the cloud by default. Not have to copy and double up items and work. Any answers from official apple people?
I would love to know how to accept a meeting into the iCloud calendar instead of local Outlook calendar as well. Using the iCLoud calendar with outlook is sorta useless if this doesn't work...... Anyone???
Outlook permits users to create and access multiple calendars. When you install the iCloud add-in for Outlook (including the Calendar sync option) a new Calendar is created, called "Calendar in iCloud." After installing the iCloud add-in, when you click on the "Calendar" button (lower left portion of Outlook 2007, which is the version I have) the sidebar on the left of the screen lists "All Calendar Items" and "Calendar in iCloud" is listed there, along with Outlook's previously-installed (default) "Calendar" (which is listed under "My Calendars").
It appears to me that when the Calendar in iCloud is created (i.e., when the iCloud add-in is installed), everything that can be transferred from the user's default Outlook Calendar is automatically copied to the new "Calendar in iCloud." It appears that some things (notably recurring events) cannot be transferred automatically. You have to create new recurring events in the Calendar in iCloud.
Now here my perception of the key limitation regarding syncing calendar events between Outlook and iCloud: It appears that only the "Calendar in iCloud" is synced with iCloud. So if you want to use Outlook to add a calendar event and have that event show up on your iCloud-enabled device (e.g., you iPhone) you need to add it to the Calendar in iCloud. It will not show up on your iPhone if you add it to one Outlooks "My Calendars." Similarly, and calendar event that you create on your iPhone will only show up on the Calendar in iCloud.
If you want to have every calendar event synced through iCloud, it is easiest to uncheck every calendar in Outlook's "All Calendar Items" except for "Calendar in iCloud." Then you will only be working with that calendar in Outlook, and everything will sync.
If only it was that easy. The problem is still that when you "accept" a meeting in outlook, it gets added to the Outlook default calendar, not the "Calendar in iCloud." I have to manually drag it over to the iCloud calendar--which defeats the purpose. I have no issue seeing my iCloud calendar, I have no issue going into it and addng a meeting. I still can not accept one and have it go to the cloud though. I am starting to think there is no way around this issue......
Yes this is the key issue I am having - I really like iCloud Calendar but it won't accept Outlook Meeting Requests sent by others. There does not seem to be a way to change the Outlook setting to accept meetings in a specific calendar. Unfortunately it would appear to be an Outlook limitation and I would imagine Microsoft doesn't have much incentive to change their programming for iCloud. So iCloud Calendar is great but not as good as it could be. If anyone figures this out please pass along!
Exactly.
Luckily for me, I don't always use Outlook. I use Mac Mail at home, so depending on when I accept a meeting, I'm good. I've found myself just using my iphone to accept a meeting when I see it come through Outlook. Pretty silly, but does the trick....
From everything I read, Outlook will not let you designate a specific calendar as default--which pretty much means this is not useful for Outlook users---unless you get creative with using google sync to an interim calendar. But who wants to deal with thinking through that mess.....
That's actually a work-around I think I can live with. Thank you for suggesting. Can you tell me how I can accept .ics meetings on the iphone (this is the format they come over to my phone in)? I can see where I can add it to my calendar (this works) but I can't see where I can send my reply. Perhaps this is because my firm doesn't use an exchange server?
Actually I don't know how to "accept" it. I can add it to my calendar, but don't see how to accept. I thought it was just me because I have my phone set up with my email alias. And I was sorta fine leaving folks guessing :-) I'm not on exchange either--which is a whole different ball of wax anyway.
What's really stinks is even if you add it to calendar via phone, then it shows up in iCloud calendar in Outlook--you still can't accept it there.
I could (but won't) add to calendar via phone - this pushes to cloud, but since you didn't actaully "accept" it stays in your inbox. Then go into Outlook and "accept" it, which pushes to local calendar (who cares) but sends the reply. You have to do it in this order though, becuase if you accept in Outlook first, then it deletes the mail from your inbox (assumign you kept default mail options)
This is a long way around just to accept a meeting though......
Outlook Calendar won't sync with iCloud
