Who recommends iCloud sync?

[Patrice Hof]

Hi everybody,

I had in the past a lot of problems with syncing my TF database on iCloud.
Since TF offers Cloudant sync, no problem anymore. Sync is automatic, instantaneous, transparent, robust.
As every Cloudant users, I got a message on November 30th announcing that Cloudant’s shared plan will be discontinued on March 31st, and that we are prompted to migrate to IBM Cloud.

So my first questions:
1) Does TF work with IBM Cloud as well, so smoothly it works with Cloudant?
2) Is IBM Cloud free, as Cloudant was?

I envisage to come back to iCloud sync. However, a quick look at the TF forum tells me that some users still have difficulties to sync their data with iCloud.

I was hoping that saving database, waiting minutes for sync, clearing DB on all devices, resetting TF, relaunching and all that mess once a month or so was just a bad memory.

So my last and most important question:
3) Do you recommend iCloud Sync?

Thank you all for your advice, and have an happy new year!
patrice

[Jose Monteiro]

Hi Patrice,

I’ve never used Cloudant sync; only iCloud sync.

I also had a lot of problems with iCloud sync in the past.

But Brendan made a lot of improvements in iCloud Syncing and nowadays I’m not having any issue with iCloud syncing.

On the Mac we have at the right bottom edge of TF window a message telling when the last upload or download occurred, so we can be sure that what we did was really sent to the Cloud.

And we can have at the top a Sync icon we can click to force another sync, if there is still anything to sync, or if we want to be really sure that everything was sent to the Cloud or downloaded from the Cloud.

Brendan also promised he would implement on iOS the Last Downloaded/Uploaded message. :)
Now, on iOS, we only have the last Uploaded message.

Before those improvements in iCloud Syncing I used a trick to be sure that everything was sent to Cloud.
And I still use it today.
I created a Form named “Sent to iCloud” with just one field, with a Pick List having only YES and NO values.
At the end of my work I change the value of this field.
It it was YES I’ll change it to NO and vice-versa.
So this is the last change on my form.
If I’m doing this on a device (my Mac for instance), I’ll check my other device (iPhone, …) to see if it downloaded this last change.
If so, then I’m sure everything is working fine.

So I have no problem recommending iCloud Syncing.

Jose

[Rick Marolt]

I used to use Cloudant. I switched to iCloud after the last major upgrade of Tap Forms. It works great for me. No issues.

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