Sync

Griffin unveils new MultiDock capable of syncing and charging up to 10 devices

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 13, 2018

Developers, teachers, and essentially anyone else with multiple USB devices will be happy to hear that Griffin has just unveiled a new version of its MultiDock. The redesigned charging station looks great, and can charge and sync up to 10 devices at once.

Griffin says that it collaborated with former Apple designer Thomas Meyerhoffer to build the second-generation MultiDock, which is both lighter and more attractive than its predecessor. It's also now compatible with several smartphone and tablet models...

Apple enables direct Google Contacts sync in iOS 7

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 25, 2013

Google last September killed native sync for Contacts and Calendars on iOS devices. The announcement was part of Google's phasing out of Microsoft’s Exchange ActiveSync protocol in favor of CardDAV and CalDAV, which represent HTTP-based WebDAV client/server protocols for contact and calendar items, respectively.

Now, Apple actually adopted CalDAV and CardDAV with the release of iOS 4 nearly three years ago, but setting up Google Contacts sync on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices via CardDAV was anything but hassle-free.

With iOS 7, Apple appears to have implemented native Google Contacts sync. I'm guessing the feature works behind-the-scenes via CardDAV because it requires no setup and acts as a true two-way sync. It works like a charm, really, let me show you how...

Facebook friends disappearing from iOS Contacts? It’s a new feature!

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 6, 2013

If you've ever used Facebook integration in iOS 6, you may have noticed iOS lets you grant the Contact app access your Facebook account in Settings > Facebook. Enabling this feature creates a new 'Facebook' group in Contacts which contains entries for all of the people you're friends with on Facebook. According to a thread over at Apple's support forums, a number of people are experiencing an issue where some of the entries are dissapearing from the Facebook group in iOS Contacts.

If you have noticed similar symptoms, don't panic - it's a feature rather than a bug...

How to have iOS screenshots automagically appear in your Mac’s Finder

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 27, 2013

I've always loved the simplified iOS approach to screenshot taking just by pressing the power and home button simultaneously. This oft-used feature works in absolutely any app and, as an added bonus, iOS stores my screenies in the Camera Roll as crisp, lossless PNG files.

An indispensable part of my daily blogging workflow, I grab app graphics on a daily basis for use in reviews, news articles and guides such as this one. The old-school approach to syncing iOS screenshots (along with your photos) entails connecting your device to a Mac or PC via USB. But if you're anything like me, you've long cut the cord to enjoy the benefits of wireless sync.

Now, iCloud makes photo sync a no-brainer: that is, unless the very thought of firing up iPhoto or Aperture on your Mac just to access your Photo Stream drives you nuts.

There must be a better way to bypass these resource-intensive apps and have the screenshots taken on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch automagically appear just a mouse click away in your Mac's Finder. Read on for the full breakdown...

Facebook rolls out Photo Syncing

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 12, 2017

The social networking giant Facebook has begun rolling out a new feature aimed at automatically uploading each photo a user takes on his or her device. This capability exists in some other third-party iOS apps, like the Dropbox app and the Google+ client. Facebook has figured out how to implement the feature without breaking Apple's rules, by using standard API calls for background uploads and not relying on location APIs or its deep integration with iOS 6...

Google enables better iOS contact sync via CardDAV protocol

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 27, 2012

If you wanted to sync your iOS Contacts with Google with changes instantly reflected across devices, Microsoft's Exchange ActiveSync used to be your only option. As of today, Google announced that “we’re adding CardDAV to that list”, allowing for seamless contact syncing between your Google Account and third-party apps, including iOS devices running iOS 5 or later...

PadSync: a great looking iTunes file sharing alternative

Guest Author ∙ Updated April 3, 2018

PadSync from ecamm is yet another way to access the documents folders of apps on your iDevice. The interface is very similar to iTunes File Sharing, located in the device view of a synced device. The main advantage is that you don't need iTunes running to use it.

Maybe not enough apps you use have added iCloud support yet. Or perhaps you want to be able to easily drag and drop movie files into your movie app from your computer without performing a full iTunes sync. The rest of you might need an easy way to drag a document from your iPhone or iPad to your desktop. Let's take a look at how PadSync can help…

How to sync multiple iTunes libraries with your iPhone

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 17, 2012

Whenever I hear of a jailbreak app that somehow alters the iTunes syncing experience, a red flag goes up. I guess it was one bad experience I had when I was new to jailbreaking a few years ago that keeps me on guard whenever anything wants to touch my music.

Needless to say, I downloaded MultiTunes and decided to give it a try anyway. What I found was an awesome tweak that works just as advertised. With MultiTunes, you can sync multiple iTunes libraries on your iPhone with ease...

Easily Sync Your iPhone Contacts With Gmail Using “Contacts Sync for Google Gmail”

Guest Author ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Are you one of the thousands of users who have transitioned their entire online ecosystem into Apple's iCloud? Did you stop syncing your contacts with Gmail in order to sync with iCloud? Do you want to maintain your address book with iCloud and have the same address book in Google Contacts?

Now you can with a paid application called Contacts Sync For Google Gmail...

Use Your iPhone’s Personal Hotspot to Wi-Fi Sync Your iDevices On the Go

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 20, 2011

While iOS 5 brought many new features that we had all been wanting, Wi-Fi syncing is probably one of the most desired features on the list. Using a white USB cable to sync an iDevice to iTunes is without a doubt one of the most irritating things of the pre-iOS 5 world.

But what if you are out and about and want to sync your iDevice, and you've done away with those syncing cables for good? Well, there is one way to sync your iDevice with a Mac that doesn't require a cable or a Wi-Fi router. You can actually use your iPhone's Personal Hotspot feature...

Sync Photos and Video Between iDevices With PhotoSync

Oliver Haslam ∙ October 31, 2011

While Apple's Photo Stream is a great way of getting photos to sync across multiple devices, there's one glaring problem. Photo Stream doesn't support video, presumably because Apple doesn't want its servers full of hours and hours of 1080p videos showing cats sleeping.

It makes sense from a technical standpoint, but that doesn't help you if you need to get a video from one device to another. There's syncing with iTunes, and doing the iPhoto jig in the hope that everything works as planned, but it's a pain, and not always practical.

That's where PhotoSync comes in...

How iCloud Syncing Integrates With iWork [Video]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 19, 2011

Caught up in all of the hoopla about the iPhone 4S and iOS 5 was the release of an updated iWork suite for iOS.

The new iWork features iCloud syncing compatibility, a feature that has been in beta for months, but was finally released to the public last week.

Inside, we showcase iWork's new cloud syncing functionality, which allows you to sync documents on your iPod touch, iPad, iPhone, and even your Mac in limited fashion...