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MacBook Pro sync'ing Pages documentswith iPad Pro 10.5"

I have a 2013 MacBook Pro with High Sierra, iPad Pro 10.5" iOS 11.1 and want to use the two devices to switch back and forth between while editing the same documents. That is, just like the Keynote was presented, I want to be able to start a writing project on one device, grab another device and continue working on the same document.


All my devices are logged into the iCloud under the same Apple User ID and Password. As a matter of interest, when I first registered the new iPad Pro, some pages documents on my MacBook Pro sync'd but all of them were older, nothing that i'm doing. This must work like the keynote or the iPad Pro will not be usable for me.


Thanks in advance to those who respond and help me figure out what I'm doing wrong.

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5), with Ext Thunderbolt 2x 10K Raid 0

Posted on Nov 15, 2017 9:21 AM

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11 replies

Nov 15, 2017 12:24 PM in response to drdimento

Hello Dr,


I'm sure this will work — I've been swapping around between devices for a couple of years now — but you need to tell us a bit more about what's happening.


First, could you tell us exactly what version numbers of Pages, iOS and Mac OS you are using right now?


Now could you give us a step-by-step account of what you've done, on which device, and what has been the result? Screenshots are sometimes an easy way to make things immediately clear.


Cheers

Nov 15, 2017 6:13 PM in response to richard grant

Thanks for the response. Here tis:


Mac is OSX 10.12.6 with Pages 4.3

iPad Pro iOS 11.1.1 with Pages 3.3.1

iPad mini iOS 11.0.3 with Pages 3.3.1

iPhone iOS 11.1.1. with Pages 3.3.1

All units (including the Mac) are signed into the same Apple ID and Password

All units are usually on the same wireless network but not when I leave home; I take one, two, or three of the iOS devices with me.

USE: iPhone 7 goes with saying, iPad mini drone, iPad Pro for writing, Mac for all kinds of things but mostly email, writing, and some photo/video editing, although most of the latter happens on a 27" iMac and I have no interest in writing on that unit. This syncing I want to occur between my MacBook Pro and iOS devices.


When I registered and then updated the new iPad Pro, Pages included, all the documents on my iPad mini and iPhone 7 all populated on my iPad Pro but not on the Mac and never have any of the iOS Pages documents populated on the MBP unless it populates somewhere I don't know about?


What I want is for all documents to sync across all devices so that I can start typing a document or documents on one unit, go to another device to continue working on that same document, and perhaps got to even a third or fourth device to continue working and perhaps eventually end up on the original device to finish the work.


I'm a writer and this is very important to me. The fact that all the iOS devices populate is a good sign yes? Why doesn't the Mac? I need the Mac to work also just like the iOS devices. NOTE: That I just opened Pages on the iPad Pro, opened a populated document, typed in a title line, then opened Pages on my iPhone 7 and the same document had already updated with the title text line that I had typed in on the iPad Pro, then I opened Pages on the iPad mini and again the same document was there and upon opening that document, the title line I had typed in on the iPad Pro was updated correctly. Even the split keyboard is present on the iPads exactly the same. However, when I opened Pages in my Mac, I have no idea where that same document is nor where to look for it. Also, when I create a new document on my MacBook Pro (Mac) the document will not show up in any of the iOS devices.

Nov 15, 2017 10:05 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

Really? All the people trying to help me and not one has asked these questions and pointed me in the right direction. I just always figured that like my iOS devices that when Pages has an update it would automatically do it without my needing input. So how do I get Pages updated? I didn’t see anything under the App menu. Also, since I had already updated my iMac yesterday, I went aheqd and upgraded the MBP to High Sierra.

Nov 15, 2017 10:55 PM in response to drdimento

Further to what I wrote above, I found that I actually had version 6.3.1 but somehow had the Dock icon pointing to the former version which I cannot find the app for. Who knows where it’s hanging out. So, how do I get my Mac Pages documents visible on the iOS devices now that I’m up and running with the latest Pages version on Mac.

Nov 16, 2017 8:52 PM in response to drdimento

Dr,


The setting Peter refers to is tucked away in System Preferences > iCloud. Adjacent to the listing for iCloud Drive (which you should tick on) is a button labeled Options, and you should find Pages in the next pane that pops open.


As one writer to another, I've found that the Notes app also has evolved into a very useful accessory that does a lot of things unobtrusively and syncs in near-real-time between devices — especially good if your project involves a lot of research. You can toss almost anything into it from almost anywhere, via the pop-up contextual menu under Share > Notes, then revisit at leisure on your Mac.


Cheers

Nov 16, 2017 9:06 AM in response to richard grant

Ok, I found all that and updated it and still there is no population across the devices. When I clicked to add pages in the chain, it said there were 78 documents and therein should be populating right?


Also on the 'writer' part, how neat. I am so hoping I can get this working as I'd much prefer to spend more time writing than directing and producing as the latter can be quite exhilarating and intense on this old body of mine. I'm also hoping to find this same solution on Final Draft's latest version as I'm told that it works across the cloud or their cloud although I haven't gone into that part yet. I wanted to get my main writing space solved first.

Nov 16, 2017 8:54 PM in response to richard grant

richard grant, thanks so much for the help in this matter, another provided the 'missing link' in this process of learning, it was the 'Move to...." that I wasn't keyed into.


Thank you for your kind help in the process. I've given you a PLUS in the process. Sure wished there was a way in which we could continue a dialog on writing, as all my writing work to date has been commissioned and I'd like to explore more from my creative skills in story telling and become better at the process than I am. Any way to do that in here?

Nov 17, 2017 5:35 AM in response to drdimento

I'm glad to hear everything is working nicely. For what comfort it may be, you should know that Pages (like other iCloud-compatible apps) does keep local copies of your documents stored on your computer — so that if you're without an internet connection, you can still open and edit your work.


This does bring us to the question of backups. All hardware can fail, and iCloud can be flaky, so you'll want to have some scheme for backing up your work. The built-in Time Machine utility makes the process rather effortless, though you need to get an external drive and remember to plug it in regularly for the backing-up to happen. You can also use the time-honored trick of emailing your work to yourself — gmail is good for this because it stores everything indefinitely. You cannot have too many backups.


As to honing your storytelling talents: I'm pretty sure there are writers' groups and fiction-writing workshops in most places, and certainly online, though it might take a bit of trial and error to find the right match. I found that joining an informal group, in which we shared and discussed one another's work-in-progress, was the most helpful thing when I was starting to get serious about this.


Best wishes for the road ahead!

MacBook Pro sync'ing Pages documentswith iPad Pro 10.5"

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