Google Sync debuts for iPhone, Windows Mobile and SyncML devices

Google just announced a new service for pushing Gmail contacts and Google Calendar updates to mobile devices. For iPhone and Windows Mobile devices Google is using Exchange ActiveSync with some limitations due to the beta nature of the service, but it'll also work on many other devices that support SyncML (a vendor list is here). Google Sync works automatically, and replaces all existing contact and calendar information on the device, so sync-er beware -- we wouldn't let Google get close to our contacts without some serious preflight cleanup and maintenance. Google Apps users can enable the service per domain. There's an explanatory video after the break.

Update: SyncML doesn't "officially" support calendar sync, though experimental types can add "calendar" as a remote database. Sounds like a thrill ride! [Thanks, Nikolay]

[Derek @ Feb 9th 2009 1:03PM]

"Also, please keep in mind that Google Sync will replace all existing contacts and calendar information on your phone, so make sure to back up any important data before you get started."

WHAT?

[Jon @ Feb 9th 2009 1:06PM]

This is the same thing that happens when you connect an iPhone to Exchange and sync contacts and calendar.

Since it's using the same method (Exchange Activesync), this is a pretty obvious effect.

[Hans @ Feb 9th 2009 1:13PM]

I have Exchange and MobileMe working perfectly together.

[toopropa @ Feb 9th 2009 1:55PM]

I just checked it out. You can synch just the cal and not the email. So I have the Cals sych via Google. Contacts via MobileMe. and Email Using the Gmail Setup Rather than the Exchange Google Synch Option. Works Fine no Conflicts no Loss Data.

[Frankfurter @ Feb 9th 2009 1:59PM]

@Hans - no you don't.

[tamarok @ Feb 9th 2009 2:23PM]

Don't forget GMail also harvests all e-mail addresses of anyone you have ever contacted, so there is a chance you will end up with contacts you never really wanted.

[Joe H @ Feb 9th 2009 2:36PM]

Actually, if you read the FAQs on this, it turns out that only "My Contacts" are synced over, so all of your suggested contacts based on who you might have emailed over the past few years don't get synced. Instead, they show up in your online "Company Address Book". In other words you can access them at any time, but they don't get synced. Seems to me its a very smart way of handling it.

I've got some issues with it so far on my WM Standard smartphone ,but its a good start.

[jholl016 @ Feb 9th 2009 3:50PM]

@Frankfurter - actually that is possible. I currently use MobileMe to sync my personal contacts and two personal calendars, and I sync business contacts, my work calendar, and work email using my company's exchange server. The iPhone keeps them separate (MobileMe and Exchange).

[Mike @ Feb 9th 2009 5:07PM]

Looks like it just adds on to your existing contacts

on winmo 6.1 at least

[fastm3driver @ Feb 9th 2009 5:26PM]

If data can be lost then how is this "syncing"

[leo @ Feb 9th 2009 5:34PM]

Google Sync wont wipe all your contact and appointments, at least with Windows Mobile. All you have to do so your contacts and appointments, are not erased is at the end of the set up before you press finish, go to menu then advanced, under "If there is a conflict " change it from " Replace item on device" to "Keep item on device". That way all your contacts from your phone dont get erase.

[KarlW @ Feb 9th 2009 1:04PM]

YES! Goodbye MobileMe!

[Adam @ Feb 9th 2009 1:18PM]

Amen brotha!

[Balatro @ Feb 9th 2009 1:45PM]

I wish. Some of us need ActiveSync for work and since you can't have two ActiveSync accounts, I'm using MobileMe for push. Bah.

[Snitch @ Feb 9th 2009 2:13PM]

Not yet, Mobileme is way more than that for example it gives 200GB of bandwith a month , 20GB or storage & push emails & contact's, it's a cool concept by google but i doubt people are going to dump their $300+ a year exchange hosted accounts for it right away

[Jash Sayani @ Feb 9th 2009 2:58PM]

The next thing we will see is "MobileMe prices slashed 90%" hehehe....

BTW, time to dtich NuevaSync now...

[Randall Hand @ Feb 9th 2009 1:06PM]

I just set this up on my iPhone, and it works great. I was using NuevaSync before, and it was a flawless transition.. Multiple calendars, color-coding, everything came through just fine.

[Rob P @ Feb 9th 2009 1:26PM]

Yeah but you should stick with nuevasync cause it does 2-way syncing with calendar and contacts :) now as to a gmail-like interface on an iphone app when is that coming?

[Jay @ Feb 9th 2009 1:30PM]

How is this different/better than nuevasync? I've been really happy with it so far so I'm just trying to figure out if I should switch.

[Randall Hand @ Feb 9th 2009 1:33PM]

As far as I can tell, it's identical to NuevaSync. 2-Way sync, multiple calendars, contacts, etc..

The only difference I suspect are:
1) Contact sync may be smoother with Google, since NuevaSync had to "pad" some things to make it work.
2) Calendar events may sync faster, since you are talking directly to google and not waiting for an intermediary (NuevaSync) to poll your calendar.

[ByronGman @ Feb 9th 2009 2:05PM]

Here's the real question:

Do your calendar colors on the Iphone match the colors on your Google Calendar?

I've been using Neuvasync for my Ipod Touch and my only beef is not automatically have the appropriate colors sync up.

[strang @ Feb 9th 2009 7:02PM]

Could you go through how you got multiple calendars working? I can only get 1 calendar to show up on my iPhone.

[edensoto @ Feb 11th 2009 12:27PM]

@strang

You need to go to m.google.com/sync on your phone and designate which 5 calendars you want to sync.

[visualpurple @ Feb 9th 2009 1:08PM]

Hopefully this means that push gmail is coming soon...

[djgalbis @ Feb 9th 2009 1:20PM]

agreed. Push gmail will be a big difference.

[Michael @ Feb 9th 2009 1:33PM]

Yeah, without Gmail push, this service is totally useless as long as Nuevasync exists. It's disappointing that it took Google this long to get something out the door.

[Golferal @ Feb 9th 2009 1:09PM]

I was just looking for a third party app like this just last week. Yay google!

[James Brown @ Feb 9th 2009 1:09PM]

Note: The 1-way limitation is only for Contacts, not for Calendars. They get 2-way even on the iPhone..

Which makes this the most awesome thing EVER!

[njoneja @ Feb 9th 2009 1:13PM]

Ugh. Last time I tried this on my BB it deleted half my appointments and started auto-declining events. No thanks.

[Mike Neilson @ Feb 9th 2009 2:11PM]

bah, it still uses exchange. since i use exchange for work, and you can only have one exchange account hooked up to the iphone at a time, this is useless to me.

so close, google. looks like i will stick to mobileme for now...

[KenClunk @ Feb 9th 2009 1:15PM]

This has already been out fot the Blackberry.

I have it on the Storm and it works perfectly transfering both calendar and contacts both ways.

[Fernando @ Feb 9th 2009 1:16PM]

Yes yes yes! Thank you google for SyncML!

[jim nutt @ Feb 9th 2009 1:17PM]

NeuvaSync has been doing this for quite some time, including two way sync for contacts and calendars.

[Ken Clunk @ Feb 9th 2009 1:17PM]

As for the push email. Its a Blackberry so you can have multiple pop3 and exchange emails push/pull to the device without a third party app.

[Hawkman @ Feb 9th 2009 1:19PM]

Oh, good grief. This is cool – I want push email – but to get it I have to set up contacts and calendars to sync with Google? That's not going to be straightforward. And, I guess I can only have one of my three Gmail accounts (family, work and spamcatcher, of which two are apps accounts) push mail at any one time?

Gah. Ungrateful, I know, but I'd almost rather this was impossible than having an all-push lifestyle tantalisingly almost-possible.

[Hawkman @ Feb 9th 2009 1:23PM]

Wait. I misread this – there's no email support? Dang.

[munir @ Feb 9th 2009 1:20PM]

so if i add a contact on my iphone, it wont get added to my online google contacts?

[Michael @ Feb 9th 2009 1:32PM]

Exactly.

[Joe H @ Feb 9th 2009 3:27PM]

Only if you mean Exactly wrong.

[Greg @ Feb 9th 2009 3:31PM]

Um... I just added a contact on my iPhone and it popped up into my Gmail contacts about 3 seconds later. I then deleted the contact from Gmail contacts and it disappeared from my iPhone about 3 seconds after that. You might want to check your config...

[Stijn @ Feb 9th 2009 1:21PM]

As far as I know, calendar does two way sync. I just tested it, so either I read it wrong or you guys are wrong?

[solidunit @ Feb 9th 2009 1:23PM]

still no push gmail for iphone amirite?

[munir @ Feb 9th 2009 1:24PM]

is there an easy way to transfer contacts from your iphone or your OSX address book to google contacts?

[pito189 @ Feb 9th 2009 3:14PM]

That what I would like to know. I used a program to pull them all down to address book and cleaned them up. I wonder if it will push them back to Gmail and replace the crap that is there.

[[ W ] @ Feb 9th 2009 5:26PM]

Turn on the syncing with Google in iTunes and sync your phone.
That should combine everything on both accounts.

Beware that usually there're a lot of junk contacts on Google, be sure to clean that and only have the ones you want on your phone...

[andrew @ Feb 9th 2009 7:01PM]

not sure if you will follow up, but yes there is. found this on the sync web site.

http://bborofka.com/A_to_G/A_to_G.html

[PK @ Feb 10th 2009 2:09PM]

If you upgrade to OS X Leopard (Version 10.5) you can sync Address Book with Google Contacts. I did it for awhile and I kept losing contacts so I turned it off. Yesterday, I started Google Sync and it is working great so far.

[outie @ Feb 9th 2009 1:26PM]

Hmm, is this going to put nuevasync out of business? Those guys have done a great job.

[Kevin Musiorski @ Feb 9th 2009 9:24PM]

They are good. I feel bad, hopefully they didn't spend a ton on infrastructure, since a bunch of their customers have probably been eagerly awaiting Google's version.

[cole @ Feb 9th 2009 1:28PM]

thing's that'll replace mobileme:

calendar/contacts sync - google sync
document sync - dropbox
back to my mac - dynamic dns + vnc.

^ the open source, FREE, mobileme package.