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Serious issues with iCloud Contacts syncing

I installed MtnLion on my SnowLeopard 2009 MacBookPro about a month ago. For the most part it went well with only minor issues and improved performance. This week that all changed as my Contacts suddenly were doubled on the MBpro but still appeared normal on the iPhone/iPad. At the same time I noticed that the MBpro had essentially stopped responding and was showing 99% RAM usage (4GB onboard.)


When i was finally able to get to Activity Monitor to see what was causing the slowdown I saw the iCloudHelper process was consuming 2.75GB of Memory! Assuming that there was some sort of Sync problem I went to iCloud PrefPane to turn off Contacts sync but each time I deselected the box, closed the PrefPane, and reopened it, the checkmark had mysteriously been re-entered. Next I tried to Sign Out of iCloud but that put iCloud Sys. Pref into a hang with the spinning ball. Next I went to Activity Monitor to Force Quit iCloudHelper but the computer did not seem to like that and iCloudHelper popped right back up at about the same massive usage level.


After multiple iterations of turning off syncing/iCloud and turning off WiFi to get disconnected from the iCloud server I was left with my "On My Mac" contacts but the entries were almost completely duplicated. I used Contacts Cleaner to resolve all the duplicates so that the Contacts application looked normal with my ~2200 contacts in 6 or 7 Groups. I then turned WiFi and Syncing back on but soon ran into the same massive iCloudHelper-driven slowdown. That went on for two or there attempts before I disabled sync again and now I had to once again get rid of duplicated Contacts. This time, though, I found that all my Groups had also been duplicated or tripled, but much of the data in the groups was badly corrupted. I figured I could deal with that later.


I then checked the iPhone/Pad and found that all the Contacts on those devices had disappeared, which I then confirmed at iCloud.com. Back to the MacBook Pro to re-enable Sync and iCloud. That restored the Contacts to the iOS units although the Groups were, of course, corrupted.


I have reviewed the other complaints about losing access to Contacts after Lion/M.L. upgrades and see that a variety of solutions have worked to some degree. Apple does not like the idea of trashing the Sync Services folder but does suggest a Terminal reset of SyncServices (http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1627). I have tried that but do not see any help from it.


What sort of success have people had from trashing the Sync folders and forcing a rebuild?


In Snow Leopard one could keep one "Truth" database on one computer and force MobilMe to use that set of Contacts, but that approach does not seem to be available on iCloud/MountainLion. I had really hoped that the sync problems in MobilMe were a thing of the past - but my experience says that is not true.


[Other solutions]

SYNC Diagnostics

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3783ADV. Troubleshooting Sync -

Posted on Oct 15, 2012 4:26 PM

Reply
17 replies

Dec 4, 2012 11:42 AM in response to Csound1

Csound1 wrote:


Open Contacts, see what accounts are attached to it, only the contacts in the iCloud account 'pushes' to iCloud.

Understood. But if I really want the iCloud contacts to synchronize with the contacts "On My Mac", do I have to manually copy and paste (or drag) in the Contacts application? Is this really the definition of "synchronization" ?

Additionally - will the iCloud contacts remain visibile on the computer when a web connection is unavailable? And - if so - what is the function of "On My Mac" contacts. (Just a bit confused over the concept, I suppose...)

Dec 4, 2012 11:53 AM in response to deekaygee

deekaygee wrote:


Csound1 wrote:


Open Contacts, see what accounts are attached to it, only the contacts in the iCloud account 'pushes' to iCloud.

Understood. But if I really want the iCloud contacts to synchronize with the contacts "On My Mac", do I have to manually copy and paste (or drag) in the Contacts application? Is this really the definition of "synchronization" ?

Again. The 'On My Mac' account is a local account, it's on your Mac (hence the name) but not anywhere else.

You may be trying to sync it to iCloud but you will fail, put the contacts where they need to be, if you want them distributed by iCloud they will need to be in the iCloud account.


One simple way to move them is to export the On My Mac account to a vcard file and then import the vcard file into the iCloud account (do all this in Contacts, not the website)


deekaygee wrote:


Additionally - will the iCloud contacts remain visibile on the computer when a web connection is unavailable? And - if so - what is the function of "On My Mac" contacts. (Just a bit confused over the concept, I suppose...)

Yes to the first question and as for the second, if you didn't have iCloud where would you keep your contacts?

Dec 4, 2012 12:15 PM in response to Csound1

Well - Now I am doubly confused.

#1 - The contacts remain visibile on the computer when NOT web-connected

#2 - "If you didn't have iCloud where would you keep your contacts?" But since I DO have iCloud why does the Contacts Application not use the iCloud data exclusively?


In other words, what purpose is served by presenting me with two databases, especially since I choose to play within the Apple ecosystem? Seems that since I have iCloud Contacts enabled the Contacts app should use that database and not ask me to maintain two non-synchronized databases. I must be missing something here but this does not seem to be in concert with "It Just Works..." !

Dec 4, 2012 12:20 PM in response to deekaygee

deekaygee wrote:


Well - Now I am doubly confused.

#1 - The contacts remain visibile on the computer when NOT web-connected

#2 - "If you didn't have iCloud where would you keep your contacts?" But since I DO have iCloud why does the Contacts Application not use the iCloud data exclusively?

I have no interest in ranting, do you want to fix this or just debate it, if the latter I will go and let others do the debate.


So which is it?

Dec 4, 2012 3:42 PM in response to Csound1

FIXED!


Found the solution. Here's what I did:


  • logged out of iCloud on all my devices and in the browser.
  • turned off Internet connection
  • went through a laborious process of getting the Groups and Contacts in order (there were many duplicates and the groups each needed to be checked- some merged, some deleted
  • saved a clean copy-- export archive AND vcards, just to be safe
  • turned Internet access back on
  • logged back in with my @iCloud.com Apple ID instead of my @me.com Apple ID
  • lo, the contacts did sync, and the iCloud did populate, and the iPad and the iPhone, and there was much rejoicing.


And that was in the wee hours this monring all after 3 hours on the phone last night with tier 2 AppleCare tech. We both essentially gave up after a mighty good try, concluding the **** thing was possessed. As others experienced, it would randomly develop double groups or no contacts or they'd be there and then disappear.


It was another example of technologies inhumanity to Man. But we won this round!

Serious issues with iCloud Contacts syncing

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