iCloud to Auto-Resolve Sync Conflicts

syncconflictMobileMe's sync conflict resolver. Via BusySync

When it runs into conflicting data, Apple's upcoming iCloud service will automatically determine which is the correct one without bringing the user into it, according to Daring Fireball's John Gruber. Speaking on The Talk Show with Dan Benjamin, Gruber lays out what he believes to be iCloud's course of action in dealing with sync conflicts: (via MacStories)

In iCloud, I believe you will never be presented with [a sync conflict] dialog, no matter how much has changed in one of the instances while it was "offline". The server-side iCloud, when there seemingly is a conflict, will make a decision and it will decide which one is the best (in Apple's terms the "truth"). That is what Steve Jobs means when he says "The Truth is in the Cloud." iTunes will decide which one is right and that's it. iCloud will push that right one to any device that has this account that has a different version.

But, here's the trick – what happens if it's not the right one? On the server side, it will remember all of the other ones, almost like versioning. There will be some sort of interface like "go and look at your contacts." There will be some sort of way to say "show me previous versions and let me pick the one that is right". You pick it and push it back up into the cloud and tell it "that's the truth" and Apple will push it out.

Currently, MobileMe pops up a dialog box (shown above) forcing users to resolve conflicts, before a sync can continue.

Apple hasn't officially revealed many details about exactly how its new services are going to work, iTunes Match nor the other various bits of iCloud. Gruber claims this isn't just a theory, that he knows is sure this is how iCloud will work. We'll know more when iCloud launches this fall.

Tag: iCloud

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...
tvOS 18 Thumb 1

Apple Releases tvOS 18.4.1

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 18.4.1, a minor update to the tvOS 18 operating system that came out last September. tvOS 18.4.1 comes two weeks after Apple released tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.4.1 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software....
top stories 2025 04 19

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, CarPlay Bug Fix, and More

Saturday April 19, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
This week saw rumor updates on the iPhone 17 Pro and next-generation Vision Pro, while a minor iOS 18.4.1 update delivered not just security fixes but also a fix for some CarPlay issues. We also looked ahead at what else is in Apple's pipeline for the rest of 2025 and even the 20th-anniversary iPhone coming in 2027, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more! iPhone 17 ...
Apple TV Plus Feature 2 Magenta and Blue

Apple TV+ Available at Significantly Lower Price Until Next Week

Friday April 18, 2025 11:42 am PDT by
Apple TV+ is currently available at a much lower price than usual, but time is running out if you want to take advantage of the offer. In the U.S., new and qualified returning customers can subscribe to Apple TV+ for just $2.99 per month, for three months. Afterwards, regular pricing of $9.99 per month applies. The offer is available in the Apple TV app, and at tv.apple.com, through April...

Top Rated Comments

OllyW Avatar
181 months ago
How will I know that one of my syncs didn't result in "the truth" so I need to check my versioning?

When you turn up for an appointment a day too late?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arn Avatar
181 months ago
Gruber is full of it. He doesn't even understand enough computer science to know WTF he is talking about.

ARN, I know you have a crush on Gruber, but you have to start recognizing that he's just pulling stuff out of his ass most of the time.

It is pathetic how people fall for this from him time and again.... and of course, nobody goes back and notices when he gets it wrong.

Ok, let's look back then at what Gruber said and you said in 2010.

Gruber's iPhone 4 rumors (https://www.macrumors.com/2010/03/29/next-iphone-double-resolution-display-front-camera-multi-tasking/)
- A4-family CPU system-on-a-chip
- 960x640 double-resolution display
- second front facing camera
- 3rd party multitasking in iPhone 4

And where you replied with the same "Gruber is always wrong" rant: https://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=9523217&postcount=36

econgeek wrote in March, 2010:
-- Front facing camera. A perennial feature request from the mac rumor mongers that does not make much real sense.

When the new [iPhone 4] doesn't have a front facing camera, will you strike gruber from your reliable rumors list? Or will he get to slide because he was "obviously being sarcastic"?

So, let me ask you this time. If the auto-resolve sync conflicts thing turns out to be true will you add gruber to your reliable rumors list, or are you just going to keep ranting about us publishing his rumors?

arn
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Doctor Q Avatar
181 months ago
How will I know that one of my syncs didn't result in "the truth" so I need to check my versioning?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Vegasman Avatar
181 months ago
When you turn up for an appointment a day too late?

Yup! Works like the iPhone alarm feature during a daylight savings time change. ;)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Small White Car Avatar
181 months ago
Although they seem to be dabbling in guesswork I have to imagine that they're right. I can't imagine that Apple would come up with file-versioning in Lion and somehow ignore such features on the cloud side.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mave1969 Avatar
181 months ago
If my secretary adds an appointment to my calendar (remotely via the office) after I've already booked something myself, it's likely her newer entry will not be "the truth" at all, and my prior appointment will be written over. I could then miss my proper appointment because I didn't "verify" it prior, and that would suck.
...sorry, got carried away there.
The bit you're missing is that with iCloud, when you book something yourself it automatically gets pushed to the calendar your secretary sees, so she never adds a conflicting appointment in the first place. The pervasive concurrency of data is going to stop a lot of these conflicts happening, so the process of resolving them is required less often, and eventually becomes unnecessary.

People worrying about whether iCloud can possibly know which is "the truth" are not seeing the wider aim of Apple, which is to eliminate the possibility of conflicts happening at all.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)