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Something is corrupting iCloud contacts
- Thread starter LtRoyalShrimp
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Just to make everything clear for everyone here. This is probably not an error at Apple services. This is probably a third party application messing up the iCloud database. I keep repeating the word "probably", because I'm still not sure. But, I have had no problems after disconnecting third party services from my Apple account. The reason people want't to stay within this infrastructure is that this just works and it has a good level of privacy. We are still not sure what application this is, making these problems. Maybe we just have to keep our opinions in the "probable"-zone for a while until this get sorted out somehow. I'm pretty sure this is an external application, not following the API protocol of Apple's infrastructure. I really hope someone find a general solution to this, as this obviously is a problem for a lot of people.
You're a very trusting soul. Historically every time there's a problem with something Internet-facing, it ends up being on Apple.
Im fully in the Apple ecosystem - How would Google be better? Wouldnt they all sync anyways?
Thanks. this is probably out of context of this forum, but someone, somewhere made a mistake, and I really believe that this was not intentionally. We just have to figure out the nature of this mistake. Me myself, I have no problems at this point, but if we could help resolve the problem, it would be nice for everyone. I don't wanna favour or disregard any company or person, but I know how frustrating this kind of error can be.
For me as an ex-IT admin / security conscious guy, I'd be avoiding Google and using Apple. In fact that is what I do. That is sideways to this issue anyway. It is not an Apple problem but is a third party which is corrupting the metadata. I don't have any inclination to risk my data by investigating though. I know it is one of the email apps I listed above. If folk joined in any stated which contact accessing apps they used I think we'd find the culprit pretty quickly?
This is becoming ridiculous. The agent on my case at Apple hasn't replied to me in weeks.
Yes, it really is creating that many duplicates and on various different contacts.
Yes, it really is creating that many duplicates and on various different contacts.
I wonder why you insist on keeping this important data there. I moved Contacts and Calendar off Apple services ages ago (in 2015).
I hope you have good backups.
@posguy99 As we've established, the issue is not with Apple but third party apps corrupting the data. You may not be happy with Apple but a lot of us are.
For me the issue was the WEBEX client (soft phone) that I had just updated on my devices. It asked for permission to have access to contacts. I had to go through all of my devices, iPads, iPhone, desktops and laptops and turn off contact access but once I did that, my contact pictures have now stayed with the contacts for 72 hours, and my contacts seem to be back in order. I have to go through and identify which numbers are cell and which are not because that got all screwed up somehow. but removing Webex access solved the problem for me. I've had webex and ucX before that for years and never an issue, but with the most recent updates to iOS and OS plus an update to Webex, the problem started.
Hope that helps someone.
Hope that helps someone.
What do you use instead? Beyond Google/Apple, I'm curious what self-hosted options people recommend (Owncloud/Nextcloud, NAS-based solutions, etc?)
I pay Fastmail for service and host Email, Calendar, and Contacts there.
I've synced my contacts to iCloud for years without a single issue. I don't use an email client. It seems the common denominator among those reporting issues with their iCloud contacts is that they use an email client. Thus it seems that the issue is third party, not Apple.
Ditto.
Might not even be an email client. Could be almost anything (eg: messaging apps) that ask for access to contacts.
Apples to oranges, there's a thread where a person is getting a Skype for Business calendar item repeatedly being pushed to their iCloud Calendar: appears Skype has their own calendar product that syncs with Exchange in turn syncs with Apple products. Like I said apples to oranges, but a path that does not seem obvious in the example and might be something similar going on in the case of Contacts.
I did mention up-thread that it can be any app that has been granted access to Apple contact data. All I can say is that after I stopped testing Outlook (and revoked its app password) all by issues vanished.