iTunes has stopped syncing my Contacts and Calendar between my iPhone and iMac

Question

iTunes has stopped syncing my Contacts and Calendar between my iPhone and iMac

Hi

I wasn't sure which catagory to post this in so I hope you can help me.

I've noticed that my Contacts and Calendar on my iPhone and my iMac are no longer syncing, they used to be exactly the same but now if I make a change to a contact or add something to my calendar on my iPhone it only updates on my iPhone and not my iMac (and vice versa).

I'm not sure exactly when this stopped happening but I am guessing it could have something to do with either an iTunes update, iOS update or the new OS X update.

When I connect my iPhone to iTunes it doesn't even mention syncing Contacts/Calendar anymore and I'm sure it used to.

Does anyone know what the problem is?

Thanks.

iPhone 4, iOS 7.0.4

Posted on Apr 19, 2014 8:28 AM

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Answer 1

Chris CA

Level 10

82,434 points

Apr 19, 2014 8:52 AM in response to LindsayLohanIsMyIdol

On the Mac...

System prefs > iCLoud - Contacts & Calendars ON.

On the iPhone...

Settings > iCloud - Contacts & Calendars to On.

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Answer 2

Apr 19, 2014 9:30 AM in response to Chris CA

Yeah I tried that and it totally screwed everything up, lost all my contacts and calendar events etc. Thanks for that... 😠

I don't want to use iCloud, I want to sync it manually through USB.

Anyone else able to help?

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Answer 3

Chris CA

Level 10

82,434 points

Apr 19, 2014 9:45 AM in response to LindsayLohanIsMyIdol

Are you using Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks?

If so, you have to use iCloud to sync Contacts & Calendars.

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Answer 4

Apr 19, 2014 9:55 AM in response to Chris CA

Yes I am... I did what you said but everything was deleted off my iPhone and Mac....

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Answer 5

Apr 19, 2014 10:22 AM in response to Chris CA

Seriously all of my contacts and calendars are GONE because of you. How do I fix it and get them back??????????

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Answer 6

Chris CA

Level 10

82,434 points

Apr 19, 2014 3:06 PM in response to LindsayLohanIsMyIdol

Restore them from your backup.

Also, you can go to iCloud.com and see if they are there.

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Answer 7

Apr 19, 2014 3:28 PM in response to Chris CA

I've tried. Firstly I don't know my encryption password (I don't even recall creating one and have tried my Apple ID password which didn't work) and secondly it only gives me the option of restoring to the last back up which was done during a sync AFTER I synced everything to iCloud and lost it all on my iPhone.

I've checked on iCloud.com and my contacts are there, they've somehow managed to get back on my phone now thank god but the most up to date calendar (which was the one on my phone) is still nowhere to be found. There is a calendar on iCloud and on my iMac which are similar although I think the one on iCloud doesn't have all the info on it but the new appointments etc which I inputed on my iPhone seem to be lost.

Any suggestions on what has happened and how I can rectify this?!

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Answer 8

Chris CA

Level 10

82,434 points

Apr 19, 2014 3:36 PM in response to LindsayLohanIsMyIdol

LindsayLohanIsMyIdol wrote:

I've tried. Firstly I don't know my encryption password

Actually, I meant restore them to your computer from your computer backup.

On your iPhone, open Calendar, tap Calendars at the bottom and make sure all calendars are ticked.

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Answer 9

Apr 19, 2014 3:46 PM in response to Chris CA

I don't understand how this will help, the calendar I want is the one that was on my iPhone until I synced it to iCloud and it disappeared.

Edit: Just in case it is relevant when I syned on my phone the calendars to iCloud I did ask it to merge so shouldn't it have kept them the same?

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Answer 10

Chris CA

Level 10

82,434 points

Apr 19, 2014 6:50 PM in response to LindsayLohanIsMyIdol

LindsayLohanIsMyIdol wrote:

I don't understand how this will help, the calendar I want is the one that was on my iPhone until I synced it to iCloud and it disappeared.

Because it will show all the calendars on your iPhone.

Edit: Just in case it is relevant when I syned on my phone the calendars to iCloud I did ask it to merge so shouldn't it have kept them the same?

Yes, it should have merged the calendar on your iPhone with your iCloud calendar.

So open Calendar, tap Calendars at the bottom and make sure all calendars are ticked and see if the calendar on your iPhone is simply unticked.

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Answer 11

Apr 21, 2014 6:41 AM in response to Chris CA

There is no option to have just an iPhone calendar checked, and all the other checkable calendars are not my up to date one (my iPhone one was) so they're basically useless. Thanks to you I'm going to have to chase up all future booked in appointments and reconfirm as there is no way to recover this information. Last time I take someone's advice on here. This is soo not what I need right now. Plus it seems to me that you don't even understand what my problem is because you're suggesting all this irrelevant stuff that is not going to get my original latest calendar from my iphone back which got deleted in the process you advised me to do <edited by host>.

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Answer 12

Chris CA

Level 10

82,434 points

Apr 21, 2014 6:36 AM in response to LindsayLohanIsMyIdol

"I don't understand"

Sorry.

"Plus it seems to me that you don't even understand what my problem is"

I do.

With Mavericks, in order to sync your contacts and calendars between, iPhone and computer, you must use iCloud. You cannot sync contacts and calendars using iTunes.

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Answer 13

Apr 21, 2014 7:14 AM in response to Chris CA

Yes I know about having to do it via iCloud that's not what I don't understand. I'm saying that the calendar that was on my iphone completed disappeared (or was overwritten I don't know) and I want the calendar that was on my iPhone back.

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Answer 14

Chris CA

Level 10

82,434 points

Apr 21, 2014 9:46 AM in response to LindsayLohanIsMyIdol

Let's rehash this a moment.

LindsayLohanIsMyIdol wrote:

I want the calendar that was on my iPhone back.

I understand.

If it did not merge when you enable Settings > iCloud - Calendars... and selected Yes when it asked to merge calendars...You can recover it by restoring from your backup.

However, you wrote...

Firstly I don't know my encryption password

See this -> iOS: Troubleshooting encrypted backups

and this -> iTunes: About iOS backups

"Warning: Make sure it's a password you will remember or write it down for safekeeping. If you encrypt an iPhone backup in iTunes and forget your password, you can't restore from backup and your data will be unrecoverable.

If you can't remember the password and want to start again, you must perform a full software restore and choose set up as a new device when iTunes prompts you to select the backup from which to restore."

Then you cannot recover your calendar (or anything else).

You will have to recreate these items.

FYI: If you do not know your backup encryption password, it is still encrypted. Backing up your phone will simply provide a false sense of security as you will not be able to use this backup.

You should restore as new to start a new unencrypted backup.

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