My iPhone 6s doesn't sync calendars with my iMac through iTunes

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Level 1

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My iPhone 6s doesn't sync calendars with my iMac through iTunes

I've recently had to purchase a new iPhone 6s (iOs 9.3.1) as my old iPhone 4 (iOs 7.2.?) is constantly shutting itself off and displaying battery errors despite reformat.

When I was troubleshooting the iPhone 4 I made sure I updated my iTunes to latest (12.3.3.17).

I updated to OSX El Capitan 10.11.4 months ago and have been wrapping my head round it for a while.

First of all, when I was setting up the iPhone 6, it automatically set up iCloud (my mistake to have signed in), and the calendar synced to iCloud – which I never back up/sync to. I have iCloud off and I only backup to my iMac through iTunes. I signed out of iCloud and deleted all information that was there by signing into MobileMe. This action made it so that the calendars on my iMac were also deleted. I had to restore my calendar through a file in the 'hidden' library on my iMac.

That was my first hick-up with calendars.

Since then I added some calendar items to my iPhone, and others to my iMac. Recently I realised I hadn't synced in a while. Went to sync – it appears to sync calendars in the dialogue, but new items on iPhone don't show up on iMac and viceversa. I also noticed that some recurring items in my main calendar show up three times.

Just to add to the confusion, I have two AppleIDs. One for the UK and one for Italy, where I am now. My original items were all done with UK ID. A week ago, I came to Italy and switched my iPhone to Italian ID – new calendar entries were made with Italian ID. I switched iPhone back to UK ID and tried to sync to my iMac – didn't work. Entries are all in the one main Calendar I use (though I have other Calendars as well).

My iPhone 4 woke up recently also, and I set it up as a new phone with UK ID, but I didn't sync anything to it, as I won't be using it anymore.

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.4), null

Posted on May 3, 2016 2:11 AM

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Answer 1

mctomac Author

Level 1

9 points

May 3, 2016 2:20 AM in response to mctomac

Just now, after posting this (!?) I saw calendar entries for July and future months on my iMac disappear in front of my very eyes...

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Answer 2

Lexiepex

Level 6

14,102 points

May 3, 2016 2:30 AM in response to mctomac

Calendar, Contacts, are automatically synced via iCloud.

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Answer 3

mctomac Author

Level 1

9 points

May 3, 2016 3:14 AM in response to Lexiepex

I don't trust and don't like iCloud*, so I don't sync with it. I make sure I'm signed out from iCloud on the iPhone and that iCloud Drive is turned off on my iMac.

I only want to sync with iTunes. I also prefer syncing with iTunes because I don't have to be online or use up my data allowance in order to sync.

Contacts sync just fine. It's only the Calendar that won't.

*If you're wondering why I don't like iCloud, it's because I don't want my personal data to be stored in some server in the US, I prefer to back it up on servers I physically control (my iMac and Time Machine). I have friends who relied solely on iCloud for backing up their photos. One fine day, the photos were completely wiped. They were told by a Genie at the store that the option to back up to iCloud was turned off, despite it having been setup by another Genie at the Store when they bought their phone. Years worth of photos. Just the photos, everything else was still there.

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