Q: My recent calls appearing on another iPhone!?

aychray wrote:

 

My husband and I have been sharing the same ID for 4 years.  This just started happening!  It is driving us nuts! (the calls showing up)  I wish someone could figure out why this is happening, there has to be a technical answer, and how to reset the phones so it doesn't continue.

The answer is right in this very thread.  It is happening because you are sharing an ID, and you likely did an iOS update to 9.x recently which kicked in this feature (yes, a feature ... those who use one ID actually want their history replicated on their devices, except those who use multiple devices for different purposes, i.e. work and personal).

The solution is so simple, get a 2nd ID and move on, you can still share everything you need to with your husband through Family Sharing.  Besides, if you're sharing an ID you're probably getting more than just shared call history, like iMessages (unless you've jumped through hoops to avoid that issue, which has the same correct solution -- use separate IDs).

On one of the phones: open the Settings App, go to iCloud, set "iCloud Drive" to Off.  It'll stop.  It's a bug that somehow is sharing phone call info across phones via iCloud Drive.  Worked for me instantly, but you won't be able to use iCloud drive on your phone (no biggie unless you routinely edit iCloud docs on your phone)  There is no requirement that you use a separate ID per device.  Those who claim so do not understand how the apple ecosystem works.

If iCloud Drive is an absolute must on both phones then you *can* create a new separate apple ID, then link it to your spouse's or vice versa, but you lose a lot of functionality (particularly: Photo stream, img. quality and meta data) and add a lot of hassle.  Either way you lose something until the bug is fixed, but at least for me iCloud drive is a smaller feature to sacrifice while they fix this.

Thendil wrote:

 

There is no requirement that you use a separate ID per device.  Those who claim so do not understand how the apple ecosystem works.

So neutering iCloud's capabilities instead of following Apple's own recommendation to not share IDs across users makes you understand Apple's ecosystem better?  Riiiiiiight ...

As I mentioned in a previous post, I myself had this issue and I simply opened [Settings / Phone / Calls on other Devices and then I clicked When Nearby, That opened a list on devices and enabled and disabled as I choose and it worked! Doing more then that I suspect can cause other issues! So remember any further steps you may take just in case you need to undo them

Just for the record I would like to say I do not agree with this solution, Sorry Thndil

Please see below copied from my previous post, its really so much simpler. unless theres something going on that's over my head. which I doubt but is always possible!

I myself had this issue and I simply opened [Settings / Phone / Calls on other Devices and then I clicked When Nearby, That opened a list on devices and enabled and disabled as I choose and it worked! Doing more then that I suspect can cause other issues! So remember any further steps you may take just in case you need to undo them

Maybe it don't work for all but it works for me!

Fred

I add a confirmation of Bearcat2005 solution. With shared ID, my phone calls just now started showing up on my wife's phone and vice versa. I had FaceTime on with only my number listed, and she had it off altogether. I turned my FaceTime off (and restarted the phone) and the problem is fixed.

That method may work too but then what if you actually want to use face-time? You can't because you just disabled it.

With my method you don't need to  disable face time, basicly you just tell your phone "Hay don't do that ring on other devices stuff anymore... and it stops!

It worked for me anyway...

Fred

No, it happened because I turned on iCloud Drive.  Upon turning off this feature, no more seeing his missed calls or calls received.  Also, he no longer sees my calls.

This worked for me!  I had mindlessly turned this feature on with my new iPhone 6S.  Upon turning off this feature, no more crossed calls!

I was able to fix this problem. I was receiving call log from my son's phone.  On my son's phone, I went to Settings; iCloud; select iCloud drive and turn it off.  You will still be able to access photos and calendars.  I was having a hard time believing that it was because we shared an account.  4 other devices share this account and no one else's missed call log shows up on my phone.  The only difference was my son got a new phone recently and we couldn't replicate settings from old phone because it crashed (and the back up on the computer was code locked and wouldn't turn off).

Been fighting with this problem (yes, it is a problem becauce every unwanted, undocumented and unexplained behaviour what user struggles with is PROBLEM) since bought iphone 6 with ios 9.2.

I have 2 iphones- iphone 4s with ios 8 and iphone 6 with ios 9 (which replaced my previous iphone 5 with good old ios 6) and since I switched to iphone 6 my problem with call history syncing between both devices started.

On both phones I use same Apple ID (of course, because both phones belong to me and since upgrade to new phone=new ios all sync options was ok). Now, without my will (or against my will) both phones sync call histories. I've tried all possible settings mentioned here and none worked for 100%. Final is that I was able to stop appearing other phones call history on 4s with ios 8 but still receive it on iphone 6 with ios 9 (so this could be called 50% success).

icloud drive is not enabled and never been enabled. Facetime is enabled to only one phone number on each device. Handoff is off on ios 9 and is not available on ios 8, Calls on other devices is off on ios 9 and not available on ios 8.

I would agree that this behaviour is not a bug but feature if not these inconsistencies in settings. Why I can disable call history syncing to one device but cannot disable to another? How Apple imagine separation of missed/received calls between devices if these different devices can have different contact books so "missed calls" on device which is not initially called device are not recognizable? I cannot even figure out- is particular missed call belonging to one device or another as there are not notes which phone number was called?

Please, don't reply to my post if you can tell me only "don't use one ID on both phones" or "you must upgrade latest ios to have full functionality and bug-free operation". I'm not so dumb. I'd like to hear from those folks who know exactly which setting of any iphone/ios provide which functionality.

Thanks in advance!

The only solution I have found is to turn off iCloud Drive.  I'm mystified why yours is turned off and you still have the problem.  I've seen some answers where it only has to be turned off on one device.  I've not tried that.  I thought with the latest IOS update the problem would be solved.  When I wrote to Tim Cook in November a member of the customer service team contacted me and told me the issue was not widely known by Apple and that they would try to make it a granular solution - meaning just a switch could turn it on or off.  Obviously, two updates later it is still not fixed. 

I'm not sure if this is a bug or a feature.  There is obviously a difference of opinions on this forum whether or not it is the one or the other.  The cold fact is that many of us use the same ID on more than one device because we are one person, and the issue popped up all of a sudden without advance warning.  For me it is totally unwanted and I wish there was a way to disable it without disabling iCloud Drive - a feature which I want.  I'd love to share documents between my devices - not call logs. 

I sent another email to the boss at Apple yesterday.  I asked him to simply tell me whether it was a feature which Apple will not allow us to turn on or off without disabling other features; or, a bug - which they will fix.  If I get an answer I will come back here and share it with everyone.

Thanks for your reply! iCloud drive is not enabled on both phones so this is not my case.

I wouldn't call it "feature" as normally new features are announced, explained and documented. In this case you can read only poor users experience- how they experiment switching on and off different settings trying to get rid of call history sharing between devices. Weird is that according internet sources you can reach the same result by switching off not only one but different options- Facetime, Calls on other devices, iCloud drive, Handoff. It's not logic behaviour of "feature".

Apple allows to switch off Contact book syncing easily, means- they agree that in some situations it is absolutely fine to use different devices with same Apple ID for different purposes (i.e. one "private phone" and one "work phone" with separate contact list, calendar, reminders, notes etc). Who can explain me logic when it is allowed to configure one of my phones to show my wifes name when she calls to my private phone and show my colleagues name when he calls on work phone but it is not allowed to forbid these two persons phone numbers appearing without names on other phones where they are not in contact book and even should't appear without my will.

The most stupid situation is when I've muted ringing on both phones and when I take a look at them again I can see lots of missed calls and I've no idea- do these missed calls belong to this phone or another; from which phone number I need to call back? They have no signs of- are they synced from other device or "real"!

I doubt somebody can call it "great long waited feature"....

This whole issue is very distressing.  I've had a business phone and a work phone for 6 years.  I try very hard to keep the two separate.  I occasionally make a mistake and call a client on my personal phone.  Now someone has my personal phone number, who I wish would not.  When I am at work (I work in the courts) and have a missed call on my phone it is my gut reaction to call back on that same device.  Suddenly last May I found myself calling clients on my personal phone.  It is nonsensical to have the calls to my work phone show up on my home phone and vice versa.  Equally nonsensical is the pat arrogant answer from some members on this board that it is too bad - get a separate ID.  It is bad enough I have user names and passwords all over the place for all kinds of apps, which I have to keep track of.  Now, if I want full functionality of iCloud Drive I have to add a new Apple ID????

The notion that this is a good feature is rebutted by Apple's failure to advertise this wonderful feature in their documentation.  Every other feature is touted, not this one.  Yet, after being advised of this problem by countless customers and evident by this 70 page forum thread that this may very well be a bug, Apple has done nothing to fix it.  As others have stated and as I have repeated before, I can turn off other things shared between phones - why not this?

I am mystified by Apple's silence regarding this.  I've sent numerous letters to Tim Cook and filed a bug report to Apple and yet almost 11 months later the problem still exists.

All I need from Apple is to either acknowledge that it is a feature put in the IOS software on purpose - and which they will keep; or, admit it is a bug and just fix it.   Or, even better and to silence some of the posters to this thread, admit it is a feature, but give users the ability to turn it off.  Apple's silence is arrogant and very strange.

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