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Contacts: How long till reach your iphone?
#38729 02/08/16 03:32 PM
Joined: Dec 2009
kevs Offline OP
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When I enter new info in contacts on my desktop, there seems to be huge delays for when that new contact can be pulled up on my iphone. What is the norm for full sync on that? Thanks.

Re: Contacts: How long till reach your iphone?
kevs #38733 02/08/16 04:31 PM
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I don't think there is a "norm" for this. I have observed instantaneous synchronization and at other times, delays of hours.

You are dealing with your own network and its possible delays, as well as Apple's iCloud and its vagaries.


On a Mac since 1984.
Currently: 24" M1 iMac, M2 Pro Mac mini with 27" BenQ monitor, M2 Macbook Air, MacOS 14.x; iPhones, iPods (yes, still) and iPads.
Re: Contacts: How long till reach your iphone?
Ira L #38736 02/08/16 04:44 PM
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kevs Offline OP
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Thanks Ira, it sometimes is several days to update. that is ok?

Re: Contacts: How long till reach your iphone?
kevs #38742 02/09/16 07:49 AM
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IMHO, anything over two minutes is unacceptable. This is 2016. Text messages are delivered in seconds, not minutes, usually.

The sync (in an ideal world) should be related to the push (or pull) email frequency you have set. Something like 15 minutes, up to one hour.

You get what you pay for... We have no right to complain about the free lunch, but we can make suggestions...

Last edited by GeoFan49; 02/09/16 08:01 AM.

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Re: Contacts: How long till reach your iphone?
kevs #38748 02/09/16 03:04 PM
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Assuming all my devices…
  • are set to use iCloud
  • are powered on
  • have a WiFi connection to the internet
…the maximum delay I see is somewhere between 30 seconds and 3 minutes. However when a device is using a cellular data connection it can take a l … o … n … g time for everything to get in synch. Apple's iDevices do not like to use cellular data minutes unless they have to in response to a specific user request such as opening an email message or figuring out what you said to Siri and responding.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Contacts: How long till reach your iphone?
joemikeb #38762 02/09/16 11:26 PM
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kevs Offline OP
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Thanks guys, well you are saying if you adjust a phone number in contacts on your iphone you should see it updated on your desktop and laptop within a few minutes? (or vice versa) I don't think I'm seeing that consistently, and often takes days....

This is the bummer...

BTW, I do have wifi turned off on my desktop and laptop; I decided months ago to go with cable ethernet direct into those 2 machines/

Re: Contacts: How long till reach your iphone?
kevs #38773 02/10/16 09:45 PM
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Originally Posted By: kevs
BTW, I do have wifi turned off on my desktop and laptop; I decided months ago to go with cable ethernet direct into those 2 machines/

It doesn't matter how your desktop and laptop are connected to the internet — as long as they are connected to the internet. It is the iOS devices that try to conserve cellular data download Bytes by limiting some operations to WiFi only. (They wouldn't be very mobile attached to an ethernet cable. laugh )


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Contacts: How long till reach your iphone?
joemikeb #38776 02/10/16 11:30 PM
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kevs Offline OP
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Ok Joe, thanks. Then it's odd that it sometimes it takes a few days to update a contact on the iphone to the laptop or desktop? Or Vice versa.

Re: Contacts: How long till reach your iphone?
kevs #38785 02/11/16 02:10 PM
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Originally Posted By: kevs
Ok Joe, thanks. Then it's odd that it sometimes it takes a few days to update a contact on the iphone to the laptop or desktop? Or Vice versa.

iCloud syncing for contacts, calendars, and notes have been spotty for me and many others around me. I don't think they ever got it working as smoothly as they should have, which is surprising when you consider how many years they've been working on it.

On numerous occasions I've nervously walked someone through turning off and turning back on syncing of calendars or contacts to get them syncing between the user's phone and computer, but it's always fixed the updating issues. Some people have to do this with somewhat surpassing regularity, several times a year.

I personally don't see problems with my contacts or calendars, but notes is certainly buggy at times. I've learned not to leave a note open on my computer or my phone, because trying to update it on the other device, (or even just view it sometimes) tends to cause it to either duplicate the note or outright remove it from one of the devices.

Just the other day I had a note disappear off my phone. It was still on my computer, so I opened the note, and added and removed a space and closed the note, and the note then immediately popped up on my phone. A bit irritating and concerning, but I haven't had any data loss so far. I have had to go through and do a large amount of de-duping once I figured out that leaving a note open was causing duplications. (leaving an older and a newer version of the same note)

And my pet peeve: inability to manually sort notes. The last edited note is always at the top. I'd like to be able to manually sort them, I though it used to work this way? I can't even get it to sort by alphabetizing the first line. (the "usual trick")


I work for the Department of Redundancy Department
Re: Contacts: How long till reach your iphone?
Virtual1 #38808 02/12/16 04:18 AM
Joined: Dec 2009
kevs Offline OP
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Thanks Joe for that definitive response!

Can't sort the notes? What do you expect from a $3.00 app from a no name company? Oh... it's Apple, I forgot...

I currently have an open ticket with a post El Capitan IMAP issue, and have had two two hour talks with a senior level supervisor, and he's emailed me several follow up quesitons that the "engineers" want to know... and yet he has not solved one question on a 8 point bullet list of issues I gave him, none.

As for Notes, I had to stop using notes for important notes, as they kept disappearing, completely off my iphone. And I posted here about that, and you recommended reminders which I currently use for my important on the fly notes which I cannot risk losing.


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