In an ideal world, life would roll out the red carpet wherever we went, we’d be handed fame and fortune on a silver platter and iCloud sync would work across devices seamlessly and effortlessly. I’ve learned, however, it’s best to accept the world is not ideal and roll with the tech punches it sometimes delivers.
Although Apple’s iCloud service is generally effective and reliable, sync issues remain one of the top complaints by users and it is, admittedly, frustrating. Fortunately, the majority of those issues can be solved without much difficulty or stress. If you’re experiencing sync problems with your content, including contacts and calendar events, try one or more of these tips and tricks to solve them.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
It may seem obvious, but make sure all your devices are logged into iCloud using the same account. Make sure, too, that the date and time are set to automatically update on every device and that iCloud Drive/Documents & Data is enabled. Protect your data by making copies of your contacts.
PATIENCE MAY PAY OFF
Check your network connection — if it’s weak or the battery is low, syncing could take longer than it normally does on a strong connection. iCloud is optimized to expeditiously transfer data, so sync time can vary from a few seconds to a few minutes. If your connection is weak, check the sync again after waiting about 10 minutes.
TRY FORCING IT
You can try forcing iCloud Contacts and Calendars to sync. For Contacts, start the app and on the All Contacts page select Groups. Tap the page and holding it with your finger, drag it down until the activity icon appears and then release. Do the same in Calendars — start the app, tap and drag the page down. The activity icon spins briefly and the data should then be synced.
RESTART AND RESET
When all else fails, close and restart the applicable app, such as Contacts or Calendar. You can also try turning the app completely off in Settings, waiting 20 seconds and then turning the app back on. If restarting the apps doesn’t work, try a hard reset, which has been known to solve many an iOS problem, including iCloud sync. To do this, hold down the power and home buttons until your device turns off and the Apple logo comes up. The device will then restart and all system processes will be refreshed.
