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Contacts and Mac OS Address Book won't sync anymore

I have an iPod touch, 2nd generation, with iOS 4.2.1, which has worked perfectly well for years.


Since I got an iPad 2 with iOS 5.0.1, and iTunes 10.5.1, and set up iCloud, and synced the iPad to my Mac, now my iPod touch will no longer sync any address book entries between iOS Contacts and Mac OS X 10.7.2 Lion's Address Book.


I've tried restoring the iPod touch to its factory-fresh setting and syncing with the Mac. I've tried rebuilding the Mac OS Address Book index, and repairing permissions on Mac OS X. Nothing seems to help.


Another clue is that the iPod touch Contacts stopped syncing at 512 Contact entries, while the Mac's Address Book had 521 entries. I think 512 is a suspicious number; is it an upper limit on entries that sync with iTunes and Address Book?


Any help would be appreciated.

Posted on Nov 26, 2011 9:48 AM

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Posted on Nov 26, 2011 10:00 AM

I've figured out the problem, and it is disappointing. The problem is iCloud.


When iCloud is configured to sync Contacts with Address Book on the Mac, then nothing gets synced to my iPod touch with iOS 4.2.1.


If I go into the iCloud System Preferences and disable syncing of Contacts, while retaining the Address Book entries on my Mac, suddenly iTunes can sync my iPod touch Contacts with my Mac OS Address Book again.


The reason that I set up iCloud in the first place was to work with my new iPad 2 with iOS 5, but apparently you can't have it both ways.


So for now I'm disabling iCloud, because I really need an updated and synced Contacts on my iPod touch.

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Question marked as Best reply

Nov 26, 2011 10:00 AM in response to Wheat Williams

I've figured out the problem, and it is disappointing. The problem is iCloud.


When iCloud is configured to sync Contacts with Address Book on the Mac, then nothing gets synced to my iPod touch with iOS 4.2.1.


If I go into the iCloud System Preferences and disable syncing of Contacts, while retaining the Address Book entries on my Mac, suddenly iTunes can sync my iPod touch Contacts with my Mac OS Address Book again.


The reason that I set up iCloud in the first place was to work with my new iPad 2 with iOS 5, but apparently you can't have it both ways.


So for now I'm disabling iCloud, because I really need an updated and synced Contacts on my iPod touch.

Nov 26, 2011 11:03 AM in response to Wheat Williams

GOOD ONE Wheat!!! I've been tearing my hair out trying to get my MBP contacts on my old 3G IP. I started to install them manually and then I saw your piece above. Gave it a shot and WOW, all my contacts shot over to the 3G.


What a piece of crap iCloud is to have to jump through this hoop in order to sync older Apple devices. IMHO, iCloud should automatically ID older devices and revert to the old sync method every time one of these "legacy" devices is plumbed to iTunes.


There are lots of threads on this forum about this problem and yours is the only one that solves the problem

Nov 26, 2011 12:26 PM in response to Wheat Williams

In System Preference: iCloud on Mac OS you can enable or disable different kinds of information to sync. So for now I disabed Contacts and left everything else I wanted enabled.


But you have to pay close attention to this dialog. When you turn iCloud Contacts sync off, Mac OS offers to delete all your Mac OS Address Book entries(!?!) Obviousy you don't want that, so you must click "Keep Contacts".


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Dec 1, 2011 7:13 AM in response to Wheat Williams

Thank you for the contact sync information. I have just spent over an hour with my wife's iTouch trying to resolve the lost contact information, including doing a full restore and I finally found this thread. It worked and the contacts are restored, but I have to agree that being unable to use iCloud for older Apple devices is disappointing, especially since Mobile Me had worked just fine on the iTouch - IOS 4.2.


I have three Macs, an iPhone 4 that sync nicely using iCloud, but not with the iTouch.

Dec 5, 2011 12:01 PM in response to Wheat Williams

I am so pleased I found this thread. I too have been so frustrated with this problem. I'm actually loving iCloud on my 3GS iphone, but rely also on my ipod touch - but I have no contacts!! Before I follow your very precise instructions, do you think it would be ok to switch off icloud for just a while so that I can USB sync my ipod touch and get the contacts back, then turn icloud back on again? Exactly where do I turn icloud off? Both on iphone and iMac? I also use wifi sync with the iphone but not with the itouch.. advise greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Dec 5, 2011 12:28 PM in response to Stressed Mum

You just have to turn-off iCloud on your iMac, don't touch your iPhone. Go to System Preferences either by clicking on the icon in the Applications folder or by clicking the Apple icon on the top bar and then clicking on System Preferences. Go to the Internet & Network section and click on iCloud. Click Sign Out and when the message box appears make sure you click "Retain Contacts". Then sync your iTouch on iTunes (make sure the appropriate sync boxes are checked in the "info" section for your iTouch) and the contacts will be restored. Then go back to system Preferences and turn-on iCloud by entering your account and password. Nothing will be lost and iCloud will work as it did just before you turned it off.

Dec 6, 2011 12:04 AM in response to cruisingjack

ok - that's realy helpful - thank you. I got as far as signing out and then thought about my calendars - I don't have the option to keep them the same as I do contacts. Eeeekk... didn't go ahead with it! What should I do? Then when I unticked Contacts and reticked it - I was asked if I wanted to merge... hope I don't get all contacts duplicated. I though perhaps ticking and unticking both contacts and caldendar would work as well as signing out to avoid having to merge?? JUst checked contacts - they appear ok at the moment - no duplicates.....


Message was edited by: Stressed Mum

Dec 6, 2011 4:33 AM in response to cruisingjack

Yes - it was just contacts that I wanted to get back on the ipod touch - but when I attempt to sign out of icloud I get a warning that my calendars will no longer be on my mac 😟 - I get the option to save contacts but not calendars - so in fact I haven't signed out of icloud at all yet - I really can't afford to mess up my calendars - do you think I am just going to have to live without contacts on ipod touch?

Dec 6, 2011 5:28 AM in response to Stressed Mum

The messaget is correct, that is, your iCloud calendar will no longer be on your Mac as long as you are signed out of iCloud. Your calendars will still be on you iPhone and on iCloud. After syncing your contacts to your iTouch, you then sign back into iCloud on your Mac and everything will be back as it was before you signed out. I did it on my Mac and have all my calendars and contacts as well as my wife's iTouch has all calendars and contacts.


You seem to be concerned about losing data, which is a valid concern. Do you back up your Mac using Time Machine? It is a great resource installed on the Mac to assure that if you commit any errors that resutls in the loss of data, then you can easlily restore it via Time Machine. If you have not been backing up your Mac then consider doing it. The Apple Store sales personnel recommended to me the LaCie Storage devices since they easily interconnect with the Mac. A Google search will find them at competitive prices as compard to what Apple charges. I am so paranoid about losing data that I have three separate 1TB LaCie drives backing up my Mac. I will be installing a forth as a network backup drive for my wife's Mac and my MacBook Air.

Dec 6, 2011 6:39 AM in response to cruisingjack

Wow! backups?? Yep - I have time machine backing up to external hard drive and I have had many occasion when I have needed it! My worry is that I have frecently started using BusyMac - which I find very good - which then syncs with iCal and then iCloud. When I was setting this all up I had numerous - far too many to mention duplicates and date changes in the calendar which I really do not want to have to expierience afgain - so I wonder if I sign out of iCloud and my calendar clears on the iMac, sync ipod touch manually, then turn iCloud back on will I get a messed up calendar again?? ... uuuummmm I wonder?

Contacts and Mac OS Address Book won't sync anymore

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