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How can I get iCloud to sync between iOS 6.1.3, OSX 10.6.8 and OSX 10.8.3?

I am running both OSX 10.6.8 and OSX 10.8.3 on my iMac with iOS 6.1.3 on my iPod Touch.


Everything is checked ON in the iCloud settings where those are available, in iOS, OSX 10.8 and in iCloud.com on my OSX 10.6.8 system.


I either get no synchronisation, or a duplication of events. Apple Store Events which need to be clumsily downloaded from the website, double clicked on and hopefully added to Calendar, only randomly appear and rarely get announced. I can't see a pattern to anything.


It currently won't sync between iCloud.com and Address Book, Calendar etc on the Mac let alone with iDevices (my wife has an iPad as well), despite partially syncing previously.


It is erratic, obscure and totally unreliable as well as being a huge waste of my time.


If I follow the iTunes instructions as well as the iCloud.com instructions generally nothing happens.


In the Advanced pane of iCloud.com settings, I have selected the “In-app notifications” checkbox, and Saved. Doesn't work. Then I unselected and saved and closed iCloud.com. Then checked it all over again, still doesn't work.


According to the settings it says it is sharing with the iPod Touch, but nothing happens.


Previously a few events appeared belatedly at some later time, often after the event they were supposed to announce. Currently nothing is syncing.


Most frustratingly I can't sync my Address Book/Contacts so have to manually include all the contact info in all my individual devices and systems.


Has anybody got a surefire method of making the sync happen?

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)

Posted on Apr 10, 2013 3:07 AM

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37 replies

Apr 10, 2013 3:25 AM in response to PeterBreis0807

Your option with 10.6.8 are extremely limited. You can set Mail up manually to access your iCloud mail, you may be able to sync iCal using an unsupported hack, but that's it. This page gives more details:


iCloud and Snow Leopard


As to Mountain Lion, first off you shouldn't be trying to sync both with iTunes and iCloud; this can cause problems.


You should stop any iTunes syncing; and you should then sign out in System Preferences (or Settings)>iCloud and then sign back in again, enabling the various data types you want to sync. Your iCloud data will disappear from your devices (though not from the iCloud server) but will reappear when you sign back in.

In the Advanced pane of iCloud.com settings, I have selected the “In-app notifications” checkbox, and Saved

Where do you see this? do you mean in iTunes? - this is nothing to do with iCloud or your data syncing.

Apr 10, 2013 2:53 PM in response to Roger Wilmut1

1. I am not trying to use iCloud.com in Mountain Lion, only in Snow Leopard


2. The link fails to mention the recommended method of syncing via iCloud.com in Snow Leopard


3. In iCloud.com click on the app you want to sync eg Calendar > click on the Gear top right > Preferences > Advanced > Invitations > Receive iCloud Invitations as: In-app notifications


4. My browser, Safari, is up to date as is all my software


5. Snow Leopard > iTunes > my iPod Touch > Info:


User uploaded file


I have all my options checked ON in the settings on my iPod Touch …but it is not syncing.


Peter

Apr 10, 2013 3:06 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

1. I am not trying to use iCloud.com in Mountain Lion, only in Snow Leopard

I didn't say you were. I said, if you are trying to sync using both iTunes and the iCloud Preference pane you are asking for problems.

2. The link fails to mention the recommended method of syncing via iCloud.com in Snow Leopard

You cannot set up syncing using the iCloud website, it has to be done using the System Preferences>iCloud pane, which is not in Snow Leopard.

3. In iCloud.com click on the app you want to sync eg Calendar > click on the Gear top right > Preferences > Advanced > Invitations > Receive iCloud Invitations as: In-app notifications

This is an option to receive invitations from other people either in the Calendar part of iCloud or as emails. It has nothing to do with syncing.

4. My browser, Safari, is up to date as is all my software

Safari in Snow Leopard can't be brought up to the latest version, but it's academic (see 2).

5. Snow Leopard > iTunes > my iPod Touch > Info:

This, I assume, means that the iPod is using iCloud to sync the data, and that since it is doing this it can't also sync with iTunes, which is the only way you can sync it with Snow Leopard (barring the Calendars hack). If you sync data with iCloud on a Mac you can't sync it with iTunes, and vice versa, because with iCloud the data resides on iCloud and is read (not actually synced) by the Mac, and with iTunes the data resides on the Mac and is synced using SyncServices.


The bottom line is, you can set up email in Snow Leopard perfectly well, and the hack I linked to in my page has worked for some people; so you may well be able to sync iCal to iCloud that way, but you can't do it with Contacts (a hack has been pubished but I've never actually seen anyone report that it works). In both cases the syncing is done by setting up iCal and Address book to access the iCloud server from the application. The iCloud website doesn't come into it.

Apr 10, 2013 3:28 PM in response to Roger Wilmut1

My take on what is supposed to happen is that the data is stored in Apple's iCloud server no matter how you put it there.


That to sync data from iCal and Address Book in Snow Leopard to the iCloud server you must manually register and connect to the iCloud.com website which I have done.


The syncing to the same data in Mountain Lion is done via the System Preferences > iCloud, which I have done.


Supposedly that means the data on the iCloud server is then shared between the iPod Touch, SL and ML, but it is not.


If I push the sync in iTunes, it seems to dupe some entries and ignore others.


Since iCloud seems to be yet another Apple stuff-up can I get around it using 3rd Party solutions? I have DropBox and could sign up to Google+.


Peter

Apr 10, 2013 3:33 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

PeterBreis0807 wrote:


My take on what is supposed to happen is that the data is stored in Apple's iCloud server no matter how you put it there.

That's correct but your 10.6.8 machine has no way to put it there unless you manually enter it on the website.

That to sync data from iCal and Address Book in Snow Leopard to the iCloud server you must manually register and connect to the iCloud.com website which I have done.

You can't sync from Address Book or iCal in Snow Leopard.


PeterBreis0807 wrote:


My take on what is supposed to happen is that the data is stored in Apple's iCloud server no matter how you put it there.


That to sync data from iCal and Address Book in Snow Leopard to the iCloud server you must manually register and connect to the iCloud.com website which I have done.


The syncing to the same data in Mountain Lion is done via the System Preferences > iCloud, which I have done.


Supposedly that means the data on the iCloud server is then shared between the iPod Touch, SL and ML, but it is not.

Because data entered on the SL machine never makes it from iCal or AB to iCloud or from iCloud to AB or iCal, the link breaks there.. You can use a 3rd party app (Soho) and use it instead of AB and iCal.

Apr 10, 2013 3:35 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

PeterBreis0807 wrote:


Csound1 wrote:


Push the calendars button (top left) and check to see which calendar they are in, your iPod can have more than one.


Done and checked all that. I have All Calendars Checked. You can see that it reports 11 calendars on the top of my iPod screensnap.


Peter

So, which of the 11 calendars are the items displayed contained in?


Do not use 2 connection methods, iCloud, or iTunes, both is a recipe for duplication after duplication.

Apr 10, 2013 3:42 PM in response to Csound1

Csound1 wrote:


PeterBreis0807 wrote:


My take on what is supposed to happen is that the data is stored in Apple's iCloud server no matter how you put it there.

That's correct but your 10.6.8 machine has no way to put it there unless you manually enter it on the website.

That to sync data from iCal and Address Book in Snow Leopard to the iCloud server you must manually register and connect to the iCloud.com website which I have done.

You can't sync from Address Book or iCal in Snow Leopard.


PeterBreis0807 wrote:


My take on what is supposed to happen is that the data is stored in Apple's iCloud server no matter how you put it there.


That to sync data from iCal and Address Book in Snow Leopard to the iCloud server you must manually register and connect to the iCloud.com website which I have done.


The syncing to the same data in Mountain Lion is done via the System Preferences > iCloud, which I have done.


Supposedly that means the data on the iCloud server is then shared between the iPod Touch, SL and ML, but it is not.

Because data entered on the SL machine never makes it from iCal or AB to iCloud or from iCloud to AB or iCal, the link breaks there.. You can use a 3rd party app (Soho) and use it instead of AB and iCal.


But the problem exists on ML as well.


I get only some Contacts and iCal events transferring.


What you are seeing is probably from SL account which I use 95% of the time. Particularly my Address Book entries. I hardly entered any of those in ML, they virtually all come from SL and seem to have transferred previously. Possibly before the latest iOS updates, but I can't swear to that as I didn't check before/after.


The vast majority of my Address Book entries appear in both iCloud.com and my iPod Touch, but not my latest changes.


This is far from the "It just happens!" promised by Apple.


Peter

Apr 10, 2013 3:47 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

PeterBreis0807 wrote:


But the problem exists on ML as well.


I get only some Contacts and iCal events transferring.

You have set it up incorrectly and/or are looking at content (on your phone for exampe) that is not in the iCloud account.


Go towww.icloud.com and look at the data stored there, then compare it with the iCloud account content on your iThings and your Mac, take care to ONLY compare the iCloud calendar (on your phone for example) as the phone can and will display local calendars etc on one screen if you chose to view 'All Calendars' Repeat for all devices until you know what is where. (A simple method is to disconnect from iCloud on your phone eg🙂 and see if any data is left, if it is then it is not in the iCloud account)

How can I get iCloud to sync between iOS 6.1.3, OSX 10.6.8 and OSX 10.8.3?

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