Why Google Sync Users Need Spanning Sync

Today Google released Google Sync for iPhone, which we're very excited about. It provides over-the air synchronization of calendars and contacts between your iPhone and Google. But it has a few limitations, including the fact that it makes your iPhone stop syncing contacts and calendars with your Mac.

So what does this mean for Spanning Sync? As it turns out, Spanning Sync can not only simplify the initial setup of Google Sync but will also keep your Mac in sync with Google—something Google Sync doesn't do.

When you set up Google Sync on your iPhone, all existing contacts and calendar events will be removed from your phone. So before you get started with Google Sync you'll need to get your iPhone's calendar and contact data onto Google. With Spanning Sync that's a snap: just use iTunes to sync your iPhone with your Mac, then Spanning Sync to sync your Mac with Google. That way when you set up Google Sync on your iPhone you'll still have all of your data.

After you've configured your iPhone to use Google Sync, it will no longer sync calendars and contacts with your Mac through iTunes. But Spanning Sync will continue to keep your Mac calendars and contacts in sync with Google, so for Spanning Sync users this is a non-issue.

We'll be writing a more detailed post soon detailing the benefits of using Spanning Sync and Google Sync together. But the bottom line is this: when you use Spanning Sync and Google Sync together, your data will be kept in sync everywhere you need it: iPhone, Mac, and Google.

Note: If you see unwanted X's in your contacts when using Google Sync and Spanning sync together, you need to switch to Spanning Sync's Gmail compatibility mode:

• Open the Spanning Sync pref pane
• In the Contacts tab, uncheck and then re-check the "Sync contacts" checkbox
• Choose "Preserve Gmail compatibility" and click "OK"
• Make some small change to any contact in Address Book to force a "push" sync
• After syncing with Spanning Sync and with Google Sync, the X's should be gone

Comments

[Tubby Bartles]

Actually, I love it. Google Sync allows me to just use Spanning Sync and have push to my iPhone. I don't need my MobileMe account and separate sync anymore. That will be quite a benefit.

One question though - I notice that my iPhone has crazy characters after every first and last name (it looks like a box with an X in it). Is that true of all iPhone syncs with Google, or unique to Spanning Sync users?

[Maurus]

I also see some boxes in the adressbook of my ipod touch. (2 at the end of first and last name) but WITHOUT an X. The Gmail Compatibility mode didn't help. A solution for this would be very helpful. Thanks!

[Erik Mallinson]

I read that Google Sync only allows 5 calendars to sync. Is this true when Spanning Sync is installed as well?

[Charlie Wood]

Maurus-

After enabling Gmail compatibility mode, make some minor change to a contact in Address Book so Spanning Sync will push changes. This should clear the boxes. If not, contact us at support@spanningsync.com.

-c

[Charlie Wood]

Erik-

Spanning Sync will continue to sync all of your calendars to your Mac, but Google Sync will only sync up to 5 of them to your phone. Google is working with Apple to fix the bug that causes this restriction, so hopefully it won't be an issue for long.

If you need more than five calendars synced to your iPhone, you shouldn't use Google Sync yet, and should instead use iTunes to sync your Mac to your iPhone.

-c