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Very Hot Topic (More than 15 Replies) iPhone and iPad synchronization issue (Read 8912 times)
Luis Puerto
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Re: iPhone and iPad synchronization issue
Reply #28 - Feb 22nd, 2023 at 7:05am
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Hey Jerry!

I totally agree with you that it shouldn't broke the system, but who knows.

What I did basically was:

1. I quit Safari
2. Disconnect Safari on macOS and iOS devices from iCloud. (just for safari)
3. I deleted the Bookmarks.plist on macOS.
4. Lauch safari again and delete de bookmarks
5. Import the old bookmarks and I keep macOS this way, so it's isolated.

6. On iOS devices delete all the bookmarks and reading list (which are also bookmarks)
7. Connect them again to iCloud.
8. Add a bookmark and a reading list item on my iPhone.

After that nothing happen at all and for awhile there was a message saying that bookmarks were syncing if I try to edit the bookmarks.

Things were like that for a couple of days and at some point, the old bookmarks reappear on my iPad.  Huh

I waited a day or so just to check if they will appear on my iPhone… but no.

At some point I disconnected again my Safari on my iPhone from iCloud and connected it again… Which brought all the old bookmarks back  Angry

A little bit after I delete some reading list items on my iPad and they started to being synced on my iPhone till I delete too much items manually and they stopped. I deleted all the reading list items on my iPad, but they didn't sync —yet— to my iPhone and I think that they are not going to sync at all and I think it's already 48h since I deleted the reading list items.

Tell me if you have a similar behavior there or what is going on here…

But pretty must this means that you CAN'T flush / delete your bookmarks from iCloud.
  
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Jerry Krinock
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Re: iPhone and iPad synchronization issue
Reply #27 - Feb 22nd, 2023 at 3:24am
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Of course, encrypting your bookmarks in iCloud (Advanced Data Protection) should not inherently break syncing, although it's certainly possible that Apple broke something while adding this feature.  Apple has kept deleted bookmarks on their server for 30 days, for many years.  You can see them on iCloud.com.  See "Data Recovery" at the bottom left of your iCloud home page.

It's hard for me to tell if iCluod syncing has gotten worse recently, because we're constantly abusing our accounts here.  I shall try and make time to run some more tests this week.
  

Jerry Krinock
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Luis Puerto
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Re: iPhone and iPad synchronization issue
Reply #26 - Feb 21st, 2023 at 8:27pm
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Hey Jerry!

Thanks for this.

I think that the synchronization is broken, or at least is broken in my case. I'm thinking that perhaps the problem in my case is related to the advance data protection in ventura and iOS 16.

I've isolated my mac from the iCloud bookarks and see the bookmarks sync between my iPad and my iPhone. They sync, but to an extend. I mean if I delete too many bookmark or elements the reading list at once, the synchronization stops to never return… at least for now.

I'm thinking that perhaps is related to the advance data protection because apple now keeps a copy of your deleted bookmarks the perhaps that is stoping the sync when too many bookmarks are deleted modified?

Any experience with that?

  
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Jerry Krinock
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Re: iPhone and iPad synchronization issue
Reply #25 - Feb 13th, 2023 at 4:11pm
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You need to somehow delete that Changes dictionary in the Bookmarks.plist file before iCloud will ever sync again.  The next version of BookMacster (3.0.12 or later) will have a new item in the main menu: Help > Wipe clean Safari and iCloud… which will remove all bookmarks, folders and any pesky Changes.

But there is also a more brutal thing you can do now.  Try this…

• On your Mac…
• Quit Safari.
• In System Settings/Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud, switch OFF the checkbox for Safari.
• Delete the file ~/Library/Safari/Bookmarks.plist.
• Launch Safari.
• Click in the main menu: Bookmarks > Edit Bookmarks
• Delete the 12 default bookmarks (Apple, iCloud, Yahoo, etc. in Favorites.
• On an iOS device, delete all bookmarks and folders, and then create one new bookmark.
• If you have more than one iOS device, wait until this one new bookmark appears on all of your other iOS devices.  (On a good day this will occur immediately.)
• In System preferences > Apple ID > iCloud, switch back ON the checkbox for Safari.
OK to merge.
• Back on your Mac…
• Verify that the new bookmark appears eventually.
• Over the next day or two, try to edit Safari bookmarks and see how things sync among your devices.
  

Jerry Krinock
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Luis Puerto
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Re: iPhone and iPad synchronization issue
Reply #24 - Feb 13th, 2023 at 2:25pm
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Hey!

As I thought and after 24h changes haven't come around.

I can give it another try today… and do another reset, but I don't know.
  
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Luis Puerto
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Re: iPhone and iPad synchronization issue
Reply #23 - Feb 12th, 2023 at 7:45pm
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Quote:
Well, that happens even when things are working properly.  One pattern I've seen more than once is something like this: Working in Safari on my Mac, add a new bookmark, it syncs to my iPad in less than 1 minute.  Immediately add a second bookmark, again less than 1 minute.  Immediately add a third bookmark, it takes 5 hours to sync  Huh


Totally believe you…

Quote:
Don't delete the whole Sync branch.  Only delete the Changes


OK! I don't if it's going to allow me either… If tomorrow things aren't working as intended I'll try again. Anyhow, if I delete my bookmarks and then delete the info regrind the change… doesn't that defeat the purpose of "purging" the bookmarks on iCloud? which I think we are trying to do here?

Quote:
What are you using for a plist editor?


Xcode one.

Quote:
I think you mean that they might be throttling us, as in my first paragraph … they don't want you to make too many changes too fast and if you do they have an algorithm which makes you wait?  I have wondered that myself over the last few years.  I don't know.  It's possible.


I think it's exactly that… they are trying to only get it "human" changes, for whatever reason.
  
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Jerry Krinock
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Re: iPhone and iPad synchronization issue
Reply #22 - Feb 12th, 2023 at 1:45pm
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Quote:
that bookmarks (and sometimes passwords) are slow on being syncing over iCloud
Well, that happens even when things are working properly.  One pattern I've seen more than once is something like this: Working in Safari on my Mac, add a new bookmark, it syncs to my iPad in less than 1 minute.  Immediately add a second bookmark, again less than 1 minute.  Immediately add a third bookmark, it takes 5 hours to sync  Huh

Quote:
I haven't been able to delete the sync part on that file.
Don't delete the whole Sync branch.  Only delete the Changes

Quote:
it keeps saying that I don't have permissions. It's funny because I can delete without any fuss.
What are you using for a plist editor?

Quote:
Seems that apple set something to try to avoid abuse of the syncing service. Right?
I think you mean that they might be throttling us, as in my first paragraph … they don't want you to make too many changes too fast and if you do they have an algorithm which makes you wait?  I have wondered that myself over the last few years.  I don't know.  It's possible.

  

Jerry Krinock
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Luis Puerto
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Re: iPhone and iPad synchronization issue
Reply #21 - Feb 12th, 2023 at 10:02am
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Hey Jerry!!

Thanks a lot of the help in this thread. I think I'm also in the boat, but I think I've been for long. I've been noticing that bookmarks (and sometimes passwords) are slow on being syncing over iCloud.

A couple of times I've been doing stuff on my Mac and I have to go and I would like to test something while on my phone and the bookmark is not there, or the password.

I've follow your instruction there and I'm waiting to see if the changes sync. I just can say that in the bookmark.plist I have yet more than 4000 pending changes, related on one side to deletion of the bookmark and on another to the push of the bookmarks from Bookmaster. (I have ~2000 bookmarks).

I haven't been able to delete the sync part on that file. it keeps saying that I don't have permissions. It's funny because I can delete without any fuss.

Let's see in 24h if the bookmarks end up syncing. But I think that the problem is going to be a long standing one and it's going to make bookmarks to sync slow across devices. Seems that apple set something to try to avoid abuse of the syncing service. Right?
  
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Paul B
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Re: iPhone and iPad synchronization issue
Reply #20 - Jan 10th, 2023 at 5:10pm
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Hi Jerry, after following the instructions in your post above, syncing is back to normal on my iPad. Thanks a lot for the excellent support, and for providing a fix in the latest version of BookMacster. It was much appreciated.
  
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Jerry Krinock
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Re: iPhone and iPad synchronization issue
Reply #19 - Jan 9th, 2023 at 3:58pm
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Hello, MJP.  Thank you for contacting us.

As I understand your narrative, you had the problem of bookmarks not being pushed to iCloud correctly as described by others in this discussion, but in addition the junk boomeranged back to the Mac.  I've never seen the boomerang happen, but it is certainly plausible.  Please try to solve the root problem by updating to version 3.0.11 and then if necessary doing the other stuff I described above in Reply #16.
  

Jerry Krinock
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MJP
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Re: iPhone and iPad synchronization issue
Reply #18 - Jan 9th, 2023 at 12:09pm
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I have a problem that when recreated my bookmarks by importing into Syncmaster (after they had got messed up) they were not correct on my iPhone and iPad but were correct on my iMac.

After a while this "not correct" structure was "pushed" onto the iMac by iCloud...

  
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Andy239
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Re: iPhone and iPad synchronization issue
Reply #17 - Jan 9th, 2023 at 7:49am
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Jerry, thanks so much for the update, it has fixed the issue for me. What terrific support!

I note your comment about the time for iCloud changes to be propagated, but  I see an instant update on my Macbook with the IOS devices a few seconds behind. I guess it must be pot luck depending on your location.

Thanks again!
  
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Jerry Krinock
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Re: iPhone and iPad synchronization issue
Reply #16 - Jan 8th, 2023 at 5:36pm
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We just published version 3.0.11 of BookMacster, Synkmark and Smarky on the beta channel which fixes an omission in the iCloud Changes that was in some cases causing changes to not be pushed to iCloud.  To those of you having this issue, please update to version 3.0.11.

To get the new version, launch BookMacster, Synkmark or Smarky and click in the main menu > App name > Check for Update.

After updating,

• Activate Safari and delete all bookmarks and folders.
• Do the same thing in Safari on other devices synced to that iCloud account.
• If you have and know how to use a .plist editor, open Safari's Bookmarks.plist file with your .plist editor and remove the branch Root > Sync > Changes.  Otherwise, skip this step.  We're not sure if it is necessary.  We are working on a next version of our apps which will include a utility built in to do this for you.
• Activate BookMacster, Synkmark or Smarky and export to Safari.

Based on our testing during the last week, it may take up to 24 hours for the changes to appear on the other devices.
« Last Edit: Jan 9th, 2023 at 4:26pm by Jerry Krinock »  

Jerry Krinock
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Andy239
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Re: iPhone and iPad synchronization issue
Reply #15 - Jan 8th, 2023 at 12:49pm
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Hello.

I have the same or near identical issue with Synkmark syncing from Goggle Chrome to Safari.

Exporting from Synkmark the local instance of Safari is perfect, however on the instances of Safari on my Macbook and IOS devices have this issue, that is the first three folders are missing and their contents are interspersed among the other folders and individual bookmarks as described in the other posts. Adding two dummy folders into Other Bookmarks did not work for me nor did clearing the iCloud bookmarks before each export.

In this state the program is useless for me and having just renewed my license yesterday, I am not amused!  Sad  Is there any progress on a resolution for this issue?

Thanks … Andy.

Synkmark V3.0.8
macOS Ventura 13.1
Mac Studio M1 Max 32GB

MacBook Air M2 8GB

Safari 16.2
  
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Paul B
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Re: iPhone and iPad synchronization issue
Reply #14 - Jan 3rd, 2023 at 8:20pm
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Thanks for the updates Jerry, and I hope your further testing yields some positive results.

I'm just in the process of temporarily switching back to Firefox while this issue persists with Vivaldi, and have also discovered that iCloud locks up if you do too many wipes and resyncs in one day Smiley
  
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