Judy

Q: contacts on iphone 6+ don't always sync

I can sometimes force the sync by editing something again. My iPad and iCloud and MBP sync almost instantaneously. I am signed in correctly everywhere.

iPhone 6 Plus, iOS 9.3.2, null

Posted on Jun 2, 2016 3:29 AM

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Q: contacts on iphone 6+ don't always sync

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  • by Allen A,

    Allen A Allen A Jun 5, 2016 6:51 PM in response to Judy
    Community Specialists
    Jun 5, 2016 6:51 PM in response to Judy

    Hello Judy,

     

    I understand that your iPhone 6 Plus doesn't appear to be correctly syncing your Contacts with iCloud, despite your iPad, iCloud, and MacBook Pro managing to keep up to date. Fortunately there are a number of troubleshooting steps that can help restore your iPhone's ability to keep up to date with the rest of your devices when syncing Contacts with iCloud.

     

    After each step, check your contacts, calendars, or reminders. 

    Refresh your contacts, calendars, and reminders

    To refresh your calendars and reminders: 

    1. Open the Calendar app and tap the Calendars tab.
    2. Swipe down on the list to refresh your events and reminders.

    To refresh your contacts:

    1. Open the Contacts app and tap Groups in the upper-left corner. 
    2. Swipe down on the list to refresh your groups. 

    Set iCloud Contacts, Calendars, or Reminders as your default

    If your contacts, calendars, and reminders are in iCloud, then iCloud will automatically update your information. See if your information is in iCloud or a third-party account, like Google or Yahoo. Then change your default account to iCloud.

    See which account your contacts are in: 

    1. Open the Contacts app and tap Groups in the upper-left corner.
    2. Deselect the All [account] option for any third-party account, like Gmail or Yahoo.
    3. Make sure All iCloud is selected.
    4. Tap Done to see your list of contacts. If you don't see the contact you're looking for, it's stored in another account.
    5. You can import the contact from a third-party service into iCloud.

    Set iCloud as the default account for your contacts in iOS 8 or later:

    1. Tap Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
    2. In the Contacts section, tap Default Account.
    3. Select iCloud.

    See which account your calendars are in:

    1. Open the Calendar app and tap an event to open it. 
    2. Tap the calendar name to see if the event is in an iCloud calendar.

    Set an iCloud calendar as the default calendar:

    1. Tap Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars. 
    2. In the Calendars section, tap Default Calendar. 
    3. Tap a calendar under iCloud to make it your default.

    See which account your reminders are in: 

    1. Open the Reminders app and tap the list name in the upper-left corner to view all your lists.
    2. See if the list is stored on your device or iCloud. Open a list and tap Edit. If you see Sharing, then your list is in iCloud.

    When you create a new reminder, you can choose to store it in iCloud or on your iOS device.

    Check your app settings

    Make sure that your iCloud Contacts, Calendars, and Reminders are set to appear in the Contacts or Calendars app:

    • Open the Contacts app and tap Groups in the upper-left corner. Make sure that All iCloud is selected.
    • Open the Calendar app and tap the Calendars tab. Make sure that All iCloud is selected. 

    Change how often your calendars and reminders update: 

    1. Tap Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars or tap Settings > Reminders.
    2. In the Calendars or Reminders section, tap Sync. 
    3. If All Events or All Reminders is selected, choose a specific timeframe instead, like Events or Reminders 1 Month Back. If a specific timeframe is selected, choose All Events or All Reminders instead. 
    4. Press the Home button. 
    5. Wait a few minutes. Open the Calendar app, tap the Calendars tab, and swipe down to refresh.

    Since the iCloud Birthdays calendar updates daily, you might not see changes to birthdays in the Calendars app until the next day.

    Restart the Contacts, Calendar, or Reminders app

    1. Double-click the Home button to see your open apps.
    2. Find the app, the swipe up to close it.
    3. Press the Home button to return to your Home screen.
    4. Wait a minute, then open the app again.

    Turn off iCloud Contacts, Calendar, or Reminders and turn it back on

    1. Tap Settings > iCloud.
    2. Turn off Contacts, Calendar, or Reminders.
    3. If you see your calendars or reminders on iCloud.com or any of your devices, you can choose Delete from My [device]. If not, choose Keep on My [device].
    4. Wait a few minutes, then turn on Contacts, Calendar, or Reminders again.

    Restart your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

    Hold down the Sleep/Wake button, then drag the slider to power off. Turn your device back on.

     

    Get help using iCloud Contacts, Calendars, or Reminders
    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203521

     

    Sincerely

  • by Judy,Solvedanswer

    Judy Judy Jun 5, 2016 6:53 PM in response to Allen A
    Level 4 (2,259 points)
    Safari
    Jun 5, 2016 6:53 PM in response to Allen A

    TThank you. I will try your suggestions and see what works and let you know.

  • by Judy,

    Judy Judy Jun 6, 2016 12:32 AM in response to Allen A
    Level 4 (2,259 points)
    Safari
    Jun 6, 2016 12:32 AM in response to Allen A

    SO I swiped down in my calendars and refreshed them. Then they did sync. But why do I have to do that?

    i thought that they are supposed to sync automatically with Icloud.

    I Haven't played with contacts recently but the last time I did they did not sync on the phone. I had to edit the contact in question several times.

    My iPad and MBP are instantly synced.

  • by alex_h1,

    alex_h1 alex_h1 Jun 7, 2016 3:54 AM in response to Judy
    Community Specialists
    Jun 7, 2016 3:54 AM in response to Judy

    Judy,

     

    Thank you for using the Apple Support Community. Due to the nature of your issue or question you may find more information by using another one of Apple's support resources - https://getsupport.apple.com/GetproductgroupList.action.

     

     

    All my best.