HansWorldTravels

Q: Keyboard Shortcuts/Text Replacement Not Syncing

Hello,

 

I'm at wits' end with Keyboard Shortcuts (now Text Replacements after iOS 9.0 upgrade) not syncing across my devices.  This is an issue related to "zombie" shortcuts discussed exhaustively elsewhere in other groups and my trying everything imaginable to get syncing working again, after making certain the "zombies" never appear again. Prior I was using a PC, but came full into the Apple platform hoping this would resolve the issue... it has not, and Keyboard Shortcuts are a necessity to me, not a luxury.

 

Here is what I know...

 

Macbook Pro 13" (mid 2012) running OS Yosemite v10.10.3, Safari v8.0.5

iPhone 5 running iOS v9.0.2 (13A452)

iPad Air2 running iOS v9.0 (13A344)

I do not backup to iCloud (I do this on MCP/previous PC), however it is turned on for

  • Photos (Off on iPhone/On on iPad)
  • Mail
  • Contacts
  • Off - Calandars
  • Off - Reminders
  • Safari
  • Notes
  • Off - News (new in iOS 9
  • Off - Backup
  • Keychain
  • Find My iPad/iPhone

 

Sync that works flawlessly...

  • Notes
  • Keychain
  • iContacts
  • Messaging
  • Safari
  • iBooks
  • Podcasts
  • Wifi Settings

 

What does not sync...

  • Keyboard Shortcuts (Text Replacement)

 

What has been thoroughly attempted is erasing the folders in the backup files (where text replacements were housed) and doing backups of the "cleansed" backup file.  The "dictation" buttons on iOS devices affected when text replacements populated after reboots.  Direct connections via lightning cord vs wireless via device connected to power source and iTunes... but this doesn't seem to matter with all the other syncs that are happening.

 

There are extensive discussions in the iCloud group, as well as others, but there is no "Apple Integration" group to cover getting all devices playing nicely together.... hence I am coming to this group.  Also countless attempts have been made (by others) to get with Apple's Developers & Engineers... the latest hope was iOS 9.0 was going to be the solution.  Some have had "success" where syncing of text replacements "just returned" randomly.... but I am now 1 month in without it "randomly" returning, even after I added the MCP into the mix without any use of my PC.

 

I run tests keyboard shortcuts across all devices/MCP hoping they will "push" to other devices, but that has not happened over this past month.  I saw one instance of this "overwriting zombies" that helped erase them from the iOS files.... basically syncing WAS happening, but never again.

 

Hoping for any advice on settings, etc., that will bring sync back working for text replacements/keyboard shortcuts.

iPhone 5

Posted on Oct 11, 2015 6:10 AM

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Q: Keyboard Shortcuts/Text Replacement Not Syncing

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Oct 11, 2015 10:00 AM in response to HansWorldTravels
    Level 9 (71,487 points)
    iTunes
    Oct 11, 2015 10:00 AM in response to HansWorldTravels
  • by HansWorldTravels,

    HansWorldTravels HansWorldTravels Oct 11, 2015 11:36 AM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 11, 2015 11:36 AM in response to Eric Root

    Eric,

     

    I'm not sure why you directed me back to another thread I started that does not have the solution other than "buy an android" made as a joke???

     

    But, yes... those are even more detailed steps of what I have taken to try to fix this problem.

     

    In that & countless other threads about the same problem... "syncing returned randomly" to different people.... now over a month later, syncing has not returned for Keyboard Shortcuts, but it works along all other "syncing" features as I detailed.

  • by GeoFan49,

    GeoFan49 GeoFan49 Apr 2, 2016 4:07 AM in response to HansWorldTravels
    Level 1 (43 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 2, 2016 4:07 AM in response to HansWorldTravels

    It seems that now, since iOS 9.3, I have the same problem that Hans has so thoroughly described above.

     

    My iCloud Keyboard Shortcuts WILL NOT SYNC ?!   It seems the all keyboard shortcuts should be stored in iCloud under any valid Apple ID, and they should be kept in sync AUTOMATICALLY, with all devices associated with that Apple ID, on some periodic basis. Yes?

     

    In the past (before iOS 9 .1) I was always able to FORCE my keyboard shortcuts to sync, for each device,  if they somehow got out of sync,  by adding (or deleting) any new, random shortcut on any one of my four devices. And, yes, that weird TRICK had always had worked, for me, since iOS 8, up to iOS 9.2.x.

     

    NO more. As of iOS 9.3 and 9.3.1 nothing I have tried to do has worked.  My devices are not in sync anymore for my keyboard shortcuts. I have a few dozen custom keyboard shortcuts that I have created over the last few years... I have a Mac, and iPhone 4s, and iPhone 5, and an iPad air. All on the same Apple ID.   The iPhone 4s is a spare (Wi-Fi only) back up device... the iPhone 5 my main mobile device... Those two have been able to stay in sync.

     

    However the Macintosh (OS X 10.3 El Capitan) and the iPad Air  are out of sync with my two iPhones.

     

    What's up with that? Is there a workaround?  The keyboard shortcut should be in sync, and they are not, for me, beginning with iOS 9.3. Bummer!

     

    Please help? Anyone? Someone?

  • by Darr8n,

    Darr8n Darr8n Apr 3, 2016 12:33 AM in response to GeoFan49
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 3, 2016 12:33 AM in response to GeoFan49

    i'm having the exact same issue. It's driving me nuts. I've tried everything they refuse to sync. Anyone have any ideas?

  • by HansWorldTravels,

    HansWorldTravels HansWorldTravels Apr 5, 2016 2:39 PM in response to GeoFan49
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 5, 2016 2:39 PM in response to GeoFan49

    Oh sigh.... I've left this problem out of complete frustration, and now 6 months later... I see it's not fixed still.

     

    GeoFan, I see you mentioned "The iPhone 4s is a spare (Wi-Fi only) back up device... the iPhone 5 my main mobile device... Those two have been able to stay in sync."  That does put some teeth in some ideas elsewhere that the iPhone 5 was the troublemaker, maybe some hardware related issue.  I've thought the 5 was somehow uniquely accountable through all the trouble shooting I was doing, especially when I went out and added a Macbook to my "fleet" hoping it might solve the problem miraculously.  It didn't.

     

    Hmmmm, not sure how my time I want to invest in this again... but going to go take a look at some of the long threads on this problem, hoping something new developed over these past 6 months.

  • by markfromlandolakes,

    markfromlandolakes markfromlandolakes Apr 29, 2016 5:36 PM in response to HansWorldTravels
    Level 1 (9 points)
    iBooks
    Apr 29, 2016 5:36 PM in response to HansWorldTravels

    Well I just discovered this, Obviously I don't use this much. I think I just learned they synced at all. Just when I realized they synced, they don't anymore. I'm glad I googled this so soon; thank you for minimizing my frustration with this issue.  Add another on to the list. mail.app still does't send my default font. I started complaining about that on or soon after "March 24, 2001". Every once and a while I try mail.app and send something; then, I change my default font and look in my sent folder; you shouldn't be able to change the font in a sent email.

  • by Deborah Shadovitz,

    Deborah Shadovitz Deborah Shadovitz Jun 3, 2016 2:04 PM in response to Darr8n
    Level 1 (11 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 3, 2016 2:04 PM in response to Darr8n

    I had this problem with OS X 10.9.5 and iOS9 when I moved to a newly wiped, fresh install of an iPhone 5S. Both are logged into my only iCloud account, which behaves well in all other cases. I thought this issue might be resolved when I finally updated my Mac (late 2013 Air) to 1.11.5, but no change. Very disappointing. I don't know what Apple actually did to the text shortcuts. They weren't great and don't hold a candle to TypeIt4Me, but they were helpful.

  • by xboydwold,

    xboydwold xboydwold Jun 9, 2016 10:38 AM in response to HansWorldTravels
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jun 9, 2016 10:38 AM in response to HansWorldTravels

    I had this issue from day one of getting my ipad pro. Today it resolved. The predictive text option that everyone says to turn off never worked. However, I was always doing it from my ipad pro. Today I looked at my iphone 6s plus and decided to turn it off there. Then I rebooted they iphone. I then rebooted the ipad pro. The iphone came up first so I logged in to make sure it was syncing etc. Then the ipad pro came up and I logged and the text replacement sync was working.

     

    I don't know if the reboots and order of operations I did made a difference but that worked and it was the only thing after hours of trying crap to get this thing to sync.

  • by Deborah Shadovitz,

    Deborah Shadovitz Deborah Shadovitz Jun 24, 2016 11:54 PM in response to HansWorldTravels
    Level 1 (11 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 24, 2016 11:54 PM in response to HansWorldTravels

    Another strange occurrence:

    On my Mac,my expansions stopped working last week. I had Edit->Substitutions->Text Replacement on in every app and had not turned it off anywhere. But suddenly, for the first time since this feature was introduced, all expansions stopped working. Several days of frustration.  

    But I just tried some expansions again and they are mysteriously back on.


    But get this: They are also working on my iPhone! (iOS9)

    For the first time since I set up this phone, about 2 months ago, as a fresh install.

     

    I have no idea why they stopped but I wonder... yesterday, to save iPhone battery, I turned off Siri. Then the phone ran all the way down, so I restarted the phone today and also turned Siri back on. Could that be a solution?

     

    I had, by the way, tried turning off Predictive Text but that had not helped. I'd also tried logging out of iCloud everywhere. That had not helped my issue either.  I had done NOTHING on the Mac to turn the Text Replacement off or on, but maybe the Siri change triggered something.

  • by exMacEmp,

    exMacEmp exMacEmp Sep 16, 2016 1:13 PM in response to HansWorldTravels
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Sep 16, 2016 1:13 PM in response to HansWorldTravels

    Not sure how you missed this but the solution is very obvious. Throw away all of your Apple devices and buy brand new ones, they will be perfectly synced, and they won't fall out of your ears even when you go dancing with them!

     

    I promise, I heard this from the CEO of Apple himself!

     

    /s