Avoid duplicate contacts and calendar entries with iCloud

[m021478]

I have searched other threads for the answer to this but haven't found the answer to my specific question...

My wife and I both share a single Apple ID so that any music, apps, movies, etc purchased on one of our devices is available to the other without the need to repurchase the same thing twice.

We also use separate mobile me accounts so that she can sync her contacts and calendar details between her computer and devices, and I can do the same with my own contacts and calendar entries (which are different than hers).

I need to know how to setup iCloud + MobileMe syncing on the new iOS 5 beta so that she and I don't wind up merging each other's contact and calendar details without one another:

We share the same iCloud account but have different mobile me accounts. Do we leave the mobile me contact and calendar sharing checked, and then disable iCloud contact and calendar sharing? See the screenshots below -

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated... Thanks!

 

[iKennett]

You should migrate your individual MobileMe account over to iCloud and log into iCloud with that individual account. Use the Store tab on both phones and log into your Apple ID so you only pay once for music yet.

 

[paulsalter]

interested in seeing responses for this, not seem those screen before

from the above it looks like

The iCloud account is the one that does the sharing of all media (apps, music, books etc) so for your purposes, i would assume this would need to be off for calendar/contact syncing, otherwise you will both get the same info (this account can be a shared one if you want same info between other family members)

The MobileMe one looks like a personal account and is only for you, so this would be where you sync contacts/calendar from

Above assumes that the iCloud account is the same as you iTunes Store Account

 

[iKennett]

interested in seeing responses for this, not seem those screen before

from the above it looks like

The iCloud account is the one that does the sharing of all media (apps, music, books etc) so for your purposes, i would assume this would need to be off for calendar/contact syncing, otherwise you will both get the same info (this account can be a shared one if you want same info between other family members)

That is not the case. iTunes will do this based on the Apple ID that is used in Settings > Store.

iCloud in for personal items such as mail, contacts and even App data (but not actual Apps).

 

[paulsalter]

That is not the case. iTunes will do this based on the Apple ID that is used in Settings > Store.

iCloud in for personal items such as mail, contacts and even App data (but not actual Apps).

Thanks, can i just clarify something, i dont have access to the betas so cant test

I have a mm account and a store account

I convert the mm account to an iCloud account and log in on that first screen above with this
my iTunes account i use the same as now, just go to settings-> store and sign in

 

[iKennett]

I convert the mm account to an iCloud account and log in on that first screen above with this
my iTunes account i use the same as now, just go to settings-> store and sign in

I didn't have a MM account so not sure if you can convert as the Apple dev area only mentions "migration". To migrate you sign if with MM and then delete the account but keep everything (like contacts) on the phone.

You then sign up for a iCloud (@me.com) account and 'merge' all of your information with iCloud.

iTunes is as you say.

 

[paulsalter]

I didn't have a MM account so not sure if you can convert as the Apple dev area only mentions "migration". To migrate you sign if with MM and then delete the account but keep everything (like contacts) on the phone.

You then sign up for a iCloud (@me.com) account and 'merge' all of your information with iCloud.

iTunes is as you say.

thanks for info, so many threads and so much information its tough to keep up

 

[3goldens]

Having already done exactly what your doing and ending up with a ton of duplicates and now thousands of bookmarks I honestly think anyone who trusts this beta icloud, this early is nuts.

I had to get dedupe my comtacts, use prarie fire to clean up my book marks and then turned contacts, bookmarks and calander off amd am using mobil me only now.

i think the way to test this and not commit to it right off the bat would be, to possibly intially using mobil me to sync everything over, then turning that off on your idevice, then set up a seperate test icloud account to use untill all the kinks are worked out and there is a reliable transition process posted by Apple.

i have close to 3000 contacts, its really a pain to merge them continually, even the best programs misfile, and delete pertinant information, something is always missing, and the thought of loosing recently added ones is always a concern.

I learned my lesson and am waiting for some stability here.

 

[newagemac]

Your problem is that you are using a single Apple ID to share purchases when that is completely unnecessary. You need to each get your own Apple ID for purchases and then share between each other using Home Sharing in iTunes.

 

[Tadaas]

Wife and I share iTunes account

My wife and I had separate iTunes accounts and finally stop using her account. Music & videos were not much of an issue because they are always a one time purchase. Apps caused a lot of problems because they get updated frequently.

She had her apps purchased with her iTunes account and I had my app purchased with my iTunes account. She would move many of my apps to her machine with home sharing. When iTunes said her apps were out of date she would download them, but it would only download the ones that were purchased with the currently loaded store account. iTunes will still say her apps were out of date, so we would have to load the other account in as the store account and update the apps. Now all of them are updated and we would sync.

We stopped using her account and had her totally use my account. I purchased the apps she wanted with my account (almost all of them free) and then when she updated apps with my account as the store account everything updated.

This has worked pretty well but I am now concerned about the mechanics with iCloud as described above. We do not want to share contacts, bookmarks, email, ...

I hope this iCloud has a decent solution to this issue.

 

[CosmoPilot]

Your problem is that you are using a single Apple ID to share purchases when that is completely unnecessary. You need to each get your own Apple ID for purchases and then share between each other using Home Sharing in iTunes.

I keep hearing multiple people talk about this option. I have a family of 4 and we all share the same Apple ID for purchasing content. We also use the same Apple ID for Home Sharing.

I travel all over the world, and I'm gone for long periods of time.

My question is this: How do we share content via Home Sharing using the iCloud? In other words, if my wife purchases a song using her Apple ID, it will not show up in my iTunes in the Cloud (Purchased). Therefore, I cannot get access to it until I get home and copy it via Home Sharing. Am I missing something?

 

[CosmoPilot]

This has worked pretty well but I am now concerned about the mechanics with iCloud as described above. We do not want to share contacts, bookmarks, email, ...

I hope this iCloud has a decent solution to this issue.

There is a solution. Purchased content is used via your main Apple ID (the one you use now). All the other iCloud features, (Documents, Calendar, Contacts, Mail, Find My iPhone, etc.) all use your @me.com ID.

From what I've read, you'll get this @me.com address when you turn Mail on in iOS5 for the first time. Then you'll just use it to in Settings.app > iCloud.

The downside I see, is Photo Streaming is one of those separate features where you won't be able to share between unique iCloud IDs. I think Apple will eventually offer a paid service to upload data (photos and more) and allow you to share that content with others (similar to Calendar sharing). Only time will tell.

 

[Tadaas]

Cosmo,

You are living dangerously if you allow the kids to purchase items at the iTunes store using your Apple ID.

 

[CosmoPilot]

Cosmo,

You are living dangerously if you allow the kids to purchase items at the iTunes store using your Apple ID.

Don't I know it!

Actually, we try to teach our kids about money through iTunes. They work and get an allowance. Most of the time, they want it to be paid in iTunes. Therefore, I'll tell them "you can spend $10 this week." Often times, they'll bank their money to get a movie or some videos.

As soon as they prove to me they can't follow the rules, I'll restrict iTunes through the Settings.app

 

[d21mike]

You should migrate your individual MobileMe account over to iCloud and log into iCloud with that individual account. Use the Store tab on both phones and log into your Apple ID so you only pay once for music yet.

I agree with this answer. Like was said you need to migrate now while the Beta is active but in the future you will be able to simply upgrade your MobileMe Account to an iCloud Account. In any case you should be able to use the Store Tab with your Share iTunes Apple ID to purchase content like is said here. I.E. Do not use your iTunes Apple ID for an iCloud ID if you want to Share Purchases but nothing else.

This appears to be the link to update your MobileMe Account to your iCloud Account.

http://www.me.com/upgrade

 

[CosmoPilot]

I agree with this answer. Like was said you need to migrate now while the Beta is active but in the future you will be able to simply upgrade your MobileMe Account to an iCloud Account. In any case you should be able to use the Store Tab with your Share iTunes Apple ID to purchase content like is said here. I.E. Do not use your iTunes Apple ID for an iCloud ID if you want to Share Purchases but nothing else.

This appears to be the link to update your MobileMe Account to your iCloud Account.

http://www.me.com/upgrade

You can still use one iCloud account as the main Apple ID (I don't recommend), as long as subsequent users use a different one. This will serve the same purpose.

Personally, I'm looking forward to the new email address, so even though I'm the main user I'll be registering an @me.com address for iCloud.

 

[d21mike]

You can still use one iCloud account as the main Apple ID (I don't recommend), as long as subsequent users use a different one. This will serve the same purpose.

Personally, I'm looking forward to the new email address, so even though I'm the main user I'll be registering an @me.com address for iCloud.

Excellent Point.

 

[Tadaas]

Cosmos,

you might want to rethink the kids buying media on the parent's iTunes account. At some point they will leave home and will want to take the media they earned with them. You will have to authorize their computer as one of your 5 computers that can play content. So 4 people can only have 5 computers... if a couple of you have a desktop and a laptop then you will be out of computers to authorize. Right now iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches do not count as a computer because they are linked to a computer. As Apple cuts the cord between iOS devices they could start counting these in your 5 (they would have to increase the number though). Of course if it is 10-15 years away from the kids leaving home the whole paradigm will be different.

 

[CosmoPilot]

Cosmos,

you might want to rethink the kids buying media on the parent's iTunes account. At some point they will leave home and will want to take the media they earned with them. You will have to authorize their computer as one of your 5 computers that can play content. So 4 people can only have 5 computers... if a couple of you have a desktop and a laptop then you will be out of computers to authorize. Right now iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches do not count as a computer because they are linked to a computer. As Apple cuts the cord between iOS devices they could start counting these in your 5 (they would have to increase the number though). Of course if it is 10-15 years away from the kids leaving home the whole paradigm will be different.

I've been thinking about this for some time now (how to let the kids fly the nest with all their purchased content...and off Dad's account).

Possible solution:
Use iTunes Match to have a copy of everything in the Cloud
Get a clean iDevice and download all music from iCloud to it
Take all this music and convert to MP3s
Now give the MP3s to the kids
They start their own iTunes Match with Apple & unique Apple ID

 

[McMacuser]

Legacy is the issue, esp with iTunes Match

I have a similar concern to many on here - namely, in our house my wife and I share an Apple ID for iTunes purchases, but use a mobile me family pack for our individual data (email, cal, bookmarks etc). However, my mobile me address is tied to my old .mac address (Apple did that automatically in the last transition from .mac to mobile me!), which also happens to be our shared Apple ID for iTunes.

At present, this works ok because we can use the @mac ID for the the Store on iOS devices and in iTunes, and use the @me addresses for Mobile Me sync on our laptops and our iphone/ipad.

However, my understanding is that when iOS5/Lion/iCloud comes along, if I want to use iTunes Match to make all our ripped CD's available to both of us then I'll need to convert our shared @mac ID to an iCloud account. But remember that @mac ID is tied to my mobile me address. So by definition I will be converting that mobile me address to an iCloud account.

In order for my wife to use the iCloud features for syncing our shared entertainment content (songs, video etc), she would need to use the same @mac ID (now upgraded to an iCloud account) on her iphone and laptop...but that iCloud account will be tied to my mobile me email address....so how do I manage to sync my email etc without that data syncing to my wife's iphone??

Oh, and just to complicate everything further we use the shared @mac iTunes ID (which, remember, is tied to my mobile me email address) as our Home Sharing ID.

I know that Home Sharing has removed the need to have shared itunes ID's going forward...but it was only introduced as a feature relatively recently, and doesn't deal with the legacy issues for those who have shared iTunes libraries and therefore set up shared Apple IDs to deal with content sharing before Home Sharing came along.

Maybe (quite possibly!) I am confused about how iCloud IDs will work, but it seems to me very much like the strategy from Apple is to get people onto a single iCloud ID (with @me.com email address) which will allow syncing of mail, cals, etc PLUS syncing of iTunes content, across multiple devices OWNED BY THE SAME PERSON. I can see why they would want to have this sort of single sign on/1-2-1 relationship, and I can see why for some people it would work like a charm. I can even see how, in combination with Home Sharing, it could be made to work for families in terms of sharing future content purchases. What I can't see is how it will deal with the legacy content which has been purchased with a shared iTunes ID.

 

[McMacuser]

Authorization count

Cosmos,

you might want to rethink the kids buying media on the parent's iTunes account. At some point they will leave home and will want to take the media they earned with them. You will have to authorize their computer as one of your 5 computers that can play content. So 4 people can only have 5 computers... if a couple of you have a desktop and a laptop then you will be out of computers to authorize. Right now iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches do not count as a computer because they are linked to a computer. As Apple cuts the cord between iOS devices they could start counting these in your 5 (they would have to increase the number though). Of course if it is 10-15 years away from the kids leaving home the whole paradigm will be different.

I think this is why the limit on devices which can be tied to an iCloud account is 10 - Apple is assuming that there's the standard 'up to 5' computers per household, and that each computer could have one iOS device sync to it.

 

[defected07]

The problem I face is keeping my calendars and contacts in sync with my Google Account, Macbook, and iPhone.

I have Exchange on my iPhone for Calendar, Contact, and Note syncing. Also have iCloud account for the same, plus Mail, Reminders, etc. Then I have a Mail account just for my Google mail.

I was also syncing my contacts to Google "Over the air" in iTunes. Plus, keeping Address Book sync'd with Google through the Address Book app.

*phew*, way too much syncing! I'm not sure what I should keep!

I want to just have one damn Contacts group on my iPhone. Unfortunately, Google kinda blows with Contacts and Calendars--limited by Contact data that's kept in Google, and can't seem to retrieve different Calendars from Google on my iPhone--it's only retrieved and sync'd as <myemail>@gmail.com Calendar.

Anyone got suggestions, before I pull my hair out? I usually enter all new Contacts on my phone, but if I email someone on my MBP, it'll be in Gmail, and they're automatically added. I usually add an event/appt to my iPhone Calendar, which gets added to iCal when I sync it.

Can we now sync iCal and Address Book with iCloud? I just wish there was a way for Google to sync with iCloud, so this way I keep everything on the cloud, and my Mac, iPhone, and Google get the info from there.

But, of course, that'd be wayyy too simple, and I doubt Google will sync directly with an Apple service

/rant

Thanks guys

 

[Macsterguy]

See this: http://www.scribd.com/doc/57329066/Copying-Data-From-Mobileme-to-iCloud

 

[jagsny]

The problem I face is keeping my calendars and contacts in sync with my Google Account, Macbook, and iPhone.

I have Exchange on my iPhone for Calendar, Contact, and Note syncing. Also have iCloud account for the same, plus Mail, Reminders, etc. Then I have a Mail account just for my Google mail.

I was also syncing my contacts to Google "Over the air" in iTunes. Plus, keeping Address Book sync'd with Google through the Address Book app.

*phew*, way too much syncing! I'm not sure what I should keep!

I want to just have one damn Contacts group on my iPhone. Unfortunately, Google kinda blows with Contacts and Calendars--limited by Contact data that's kept in Google, and can't seem to retrieve different Calendars from Google on my iPhone--it's only retrieved and sync'd as <myemail>@gmail.com Calendar.

Anyone got suggestions, before I pull my hair out? I usually enter all new Contacts on my phone, but if I email someone on my MBP, it'll be in Gmail, and they're automatically added. I usually add an event/appt to my iPhone Calendar, which gets added to iCal when I sync it.

Can we now sync iCal and Address Book with iCloud? I just wish there was a way for Google to sync with iCloud, so this way I keep everything on the cloud, and my Mac, iPhone, and Google get the info from there.

But, of course, that'd be wayyy too simple, and I doubt Google will sync directly with an Apple service

/rant

Thanks guys

Very simple. Do this:

Just to be safe, select all contacts in your Mac address book and export them to anywhere on your Mac as a file so if you ever need to restore them, you easily can.

Next- assuming you have icloud installed on all your apple devices and turned on, you can easily sync them across all those devices.

Now for those who are couples, have multiple devices but using one apple Id to save paying for apps twice but have their own contacts must use two apple Ids and use icloud. They can keep the same password for their apple IDs and once purchased an app on one device, use that Id to install it on the other devices and then switch back to original id in iTunes login. When an update is available, app store will ask to enter the password with the apple Id that was used to dwnload..that's it. That way one can maintain separate calenders, contacts without interfering.

 

[defected07]

So Address Book will sync with iCloud as well as Google? I Guess I'll have to wait until MobileMe is converted to iCloud as I can't log into MobileMe and sync my Address Book nor Calendar. Unless I'm doing something wrong?