iSync is a defunct application developed by
Apple Inc., which syncs
iCal and
Address Book
An address book or a name and address book is a book, or a database used for storing entries called contacts. Each contact entry usually consists of a few standard fields (for example: first name, last name, company name, address
An addres ...
data to
SyncML-enabled mobile phones, via
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limit ...
or by using a
USB connection. It was first released on Jan 2, 2003, with technology licensed from fusionOne. Support for many (pre-October 2007) devices was built-in, with newer devices being supported via manufacturer and third-party iSync Plugins.
History
iSync's first beta was released on September 28, 2002.
In June 2003, ''The Register'' reported that an iSync 1.1 bug could lead to contacts without phone numbers being deleted from synced phones. iSync uses port 3004, which could also be blocked if the Mac OS X firewall was enabled.
Before the release of
Mac OS X 10.4, iSync also synchronized a user's
Safari
A safari (; ) is an overland journey to observe wild animals, especially in eastern or southern Africa. The so-called "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo – particularly form an importa ...
bookmarks with the now-defunct
.Mac
MobileMe (branded iTools between 2000 and 2002; .Mac until 2008) is a discontinued subscription-based collection of online services and software offered by Apple Inc. All services were gradually transitioned to and eventually replaced by the ...
subscription service provided by Apple.
Starting with Mac OS X 10.4, much of iSync's original syncing functionality was moved into the Sync Services framework, which developers can use to incorporate synchronization into their own applications. iSync, however, retained responsibility for the setup, configuration and synchronising of supported mobile handsets.
Since the release of iTunes 4.8, the user interface for synchronizing iPods had been delegated to
iTunes, although
conflict-resolution and substantial changes to contact information (>5%) show an iSync panel. Synchronization with
MobileMe (previously .Mac) was then the domain of MobileMe Sync, accessible through a
System Preferences
System Settings (System Preferences on macOS Monterey and earlier) is an application included with macOS. It allows users to modify various system settings, which are divided into separate Preference Panes. The System Settings application wa ...
pane.
iSync was removed from Mac OS X in version
10.7 (Lion).
However, since the underlying framework still existed in Lion and
10.8 (Mountain Lion), it was possible to restore the functionality of iSync using a
10.6 (Snow Leopard) installation or backup.
Device compatibility
Before the release of iSync, Palm had released its own sync software, Palm Desktop for Mac, which it soon abandoned. Apple created its own software tool, called Palm Conduit, to make iSync compatible with Palm's HotSync protocol. iSync 2.0 directly integrated Palm Conduit. After the 2009 Palm Pre abandoned HotSync, Apple dropped Palm support from iSync 3.1 in
Mac OS X Snow Leopard
Mac OS X Snow Leopard (version 10.6) is the seventh major release of macOS, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers.
Snow Leopard was publicly unveiled on June 8, 2009 at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conferen ...
.
BlackBerry OS
BlackBerry OS is a discontinued proprietary mobile operating system developed by Canadian company BlackBerry Limited for its BlackBerry line of smartphone handheld devices. The operating system provides multitasking and supports specialized i ...
,
Palm OS
Palm OS (also known as Garnet OS) was a mobile operating system initially developed by Palm, Inc., for personal digital assistants (PDAs) in 1996. Palm OS was designed for ease of use with a touchscreen-based graphical user interface. It is provi ...
, and
Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile is a discontinued family of mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft for smartphones and personal digital assistants.
Its origin dated back to Windows CE in 1996, though Windows Mobile itself first appeared in 2000 as Pock ...
(
Pocket PC
A Pocket PC (P/PC, PPC) is a class of personal digital assistant (PDA) that runs the Windows Mobile or Windows Embedded Compact operating system that has some of the abilities of modern desktop PCs. The name was introduced by Microsoft in 200 ...
) devices were not officially supported by iSync, but could still be synchronized through the use of third-party iSync plug-ins.
Version history
See also
*
SyncML
References
External links
Archived iSync product page (2002)Archived iSync product page (2009)iSync 1.5 supported mobile phone (Mac OS X Jaguar and Panther)iSync 2.4 and 3.0 supported mobile phones (Mac OS X Tiger, Leopard)iSync 2.4 and 3.0 third-party mobile phone plugins (Mac OS X Tiger, Leopard)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isync
MacOS-only software made by Apple Inc.
Personal information managers
ITunes
IPod software