There must be a better way to sync my OSX 10.9.2 iMacs with the App store version
This is a real problem for me. I tried DropBox and it ate my data. Fortunately I was able to recover with the aid of Time Machine. iCloud sync doesn’t work either, but that seems to be an old story on this site. This is my sync problem: Three iMacs and one iPhone but the phone is not part of the problem yet. I wish I could get my data on it, but one step at a time. For right now, I need to figure out a better way to sync my desktop machines only.
So, this is what I think I know: we don’t really sync data between machines, I think that is misleading. What it appears to me that we really do is sync between the same Apple IDs on different machines. The kicker is, that means I have to create a special “master” Apple ID, just for the sole purpose of data syncing, nothing else. And the problem ball really gets bigger, because to sync data, I have to log out of every machine’s default Apple ID, which were created over the years and are all different, and log in with this new master ID. This sets off all kinds of weird alarm bells in the iCloud preference pane, especially Mail, and it displays scary messages about removing data from the machine, data being lost, etc. In turn, the preference pane of Apple Mail then goes ahead and disappears my email accounts, and replaces them with the new master ID that has no Mail settings!
The problem seems to be at this phase of the syncing process that the Apple apps are so inter-linked that I can’t figure out how to just sync the data I want without altering my Mail and other app settings. Just unchecking the Mail box in the iCloud pane sends it into alarm mode. This is ridiculous.
And then, to make matters even worse, when I finish syncing and try to log out of my master Apple ID and go back to the machine’s particular default setting, I have to go in reverse and reset all my Mail settings, accounts, etc. on every machine! This is idiotic. And even worse!! Is that when I try to use 1PW on the newly synced machines, the web page login data doesn’t fill!!!! That means I have to always keep the same master Apple ID logged in in order to get to the password protected websites when logging in to them!! Terrible!!
The only workaround I have found is in the 1PW forum thread entitled “Where is the data stored? I can’t find it since upgrade from 1 password 3” on 2013-10-27. The location of the AgileBits keychain is shown. OK, good. I set the 1 password syncing preference to Folder, create a folder on my desktop and let 1PW sync to that. Then, when I need to, I burn a disk with that one measly file on it, take it to every machine and copy it. The machine’s copy of 1PSW scarfs it up and updates it’s keychain and it works, and fill the web page login data.
OK, so that DOES work, I think. Not 100% absolutely sure, but it does seem to work. But there has to be a better way. It seems to me that the problem with the App Store version isn’t that iCloud is buggy or that 1PW4 is buggy. They are, but I think there’s a deeper problem that may not be fixable. I think that Apple is doing something with Mail, Documents, Contacts, Calendar and the other apps on the iCloud preference pane to make them so tightly bound up with the deeper OS that who knows what’s going on. It sure is making it hard for 1PW to function correctly in my opinion. If I’m going about this all-wrong, somebody please let me know.
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It sounds like you're going about it wrong. If I'm understanding correctly, you have a separate Apple ID/iCloud account for each of your Macs. Apple ID's are designed to be used one-per-person instead of one-per-Mac. So in order for iCloud features, including app data syncing, to work correctly without all of the fuss you're experiencing you should stay signed into one Apple ID on every device you use. If your Macs are also used by other family members, they can each have a separate account on whatever Mac they use, and sign into that account with their own personal Apple ID.
Probably the best way for you to proceed is to choose one of your Apple ID's to consolidate all of your data/settings to and stick to that one Apple ID. This might be easier said than done because if you have made App Store/iTunes Store purchases using various different Apple ID's, they are permanently tied to the Apple ID you used for the purchase. Many people in your situation choose to go forward with the Apple ID that has the most purchases.
My suggestion is, until you have the situation with your multiple Apple ID's ironed out, continue to use the file sync workflow you have figured out or try to get Dropbox syncing to work. After you have transitioned to using only one Apple ID and you're comfortable with that, give iCloud syncing another try if you'd like.
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Ethan, try this. I do have one Apple ID, the "master one" I created specifically for the purpose of syncing. It was actually not a new creation, it just happened to be one I already had, and had never used before. Anyway, I used that master ID to purchase three copies of the App Store version of 1PW. One copy for each machine, bought on that machine while logged in with my master ID. I think this jibes exactly with your statement that Apple IDs are designed to be used with one person instead of one per Mac. In another thread on this forum, entitled "iCloud Sync Discrepancies", one of the tech support people said this on 2/10/14: "the first thing to check is to confirm that you are logged in with the same iCloud account on all computers and devices, just to make sure that your Macs aren't syncing to different databases." That's exactly what I'm doing!! All the data is consolidated under the same ID on all three computers, just as you are saying. iTunes and all that stuff doesn't come into it. As I said, this is done purely to sync business-related stuff, starting with passwords for web logins. No social media, no music no nothing like that.
The problem I am having is related to Mail and the preference pane for iCloud. Without going back into it and trying another sync and writing down every warning message that comes, it is hard to give you an exact commentary of this rabbit hole. But it doesn't work, and to get untangled and back to where I started from, I have to try to exactly retrace my steps to restore my settings pre-sync attempt. I'm not going to try this again. I'm really glad I have both Time Machine and SuperDuper backups on separate drives for stuff like this.
One problem is, I don't want to sync my mail. I use Mail accounts sort of like project folders. My three machines are working in three different areas of my life. They don't overlap very much if at all. There's no need for me to sync the emails all together, that would defeat the purpose of keeping construction project mail separate from music production work mail for example. But when I turn off the Mail box in iCloud, man, that just sends the train off the tracks right there. I don't know if there is any solution to this, other than the analog method that seems to work. It's an OK method because I don't need perfect synchronization every day. Maybe once a month is OK. But it's not like it could be.
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Hi @lopezcalling,
I'm so sorry that you've had so much trouble with iCloud usage and handling multiple Apple IDs. Like @ethansisson said:
So in order for iCloud features, including app data syncing, to work correctly without all of the fuss you're experiencing you should stay signed into one Apple ID on every device you use.
iCloud services aren't designed for switching between different Apple IDs.
If you're able to choose a single Apple ID to use with iCloud on all your Macs, and eventually your iPhone, then using iCloud syncing with 1Password could still be a possibility. That implies not accessing any iCloud services using other Apple IDs on those Macs and iPhone.
You mentioned:
I have to log out of every machine’s default Apple ID, which were created over the years and are all different, and log in with this new master ID. This sets off all kinds of weird alarm bells in the iCloud preference pane, especially Mail, and it displays scary messages about removing data from the machine, data being lost, etc.
Do you need iCloud access to any data currently associated with any of those Apple IDs? As far as I can tell you'd only be losing access through the icloud.com web site by not using them. And about mail, you mentioned:
One problem is, I don't want to sync my mail. … But when I turn off the Mail box in iCloud, man, that just sends the train off the tracks right there.
If any of those other Apple IDs are used for iCloud Mail it should be possible to use them for manually configuring IMAP and SMTP settings in an email client (including Apple Mail):
iCloud: Mail server settings for email clients
That provides access to iCloud Mail without having Mail enabled in System Preferences > iCloud. I'm not sure exactly how disabling it "sends the train off the tracks" for you, but we can return to that in the future if there's a reason.
So that's a basic overview of how iCloud syncing with 1Password could be an option for you.
Giving Dropbox syncing another chance is currently your easiest and quickest option. I don't know how or why it "ate your data" in the past. That certainly shouldn't be an issue when it's properly configured.
Or you could go with some sort of folder syncing option, like what you're already using as a workaround.
Please let us know where you'd like to take this from here and we'd be glad to help you out. Thanks!
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