Fix: Your Contacts Are Being Synced with Your iPhone over the Air from iCloud
If you recently received a new iPhone or had one for some time, you may attempt to backup your iPhone contacts or other iPhone info to your local computer through iTunes. You may find one of the following messages that prevents you from syncing your iPhone info to your computer.
Sync Contacts
Your contacts are being synced with your iPhone over the air from iCloud.
Over-the-air- sync settings can be changed on your iPhone.
Sync Calendars
Your calendars are being synced with your iPhone over the air from iCloud.
Over-the-air sync settings an be changed on your iPhone.
You must disable iCloud backups for the particular info you are trying to backup locally to your machine. I don’t use iCloud and always keep my backups local to my computer. To turn off iCloud or turn off iCloud settings follow the directions below.
1. Go to Settings -> iCloud
2. Turn off iCloud backups for the any of the following applications pictured below.
Afterwards, you can backup and sync contacts and more in iTunes.
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Comments 6
Trying to transfer contacts from my PC to iPhone for the first time, this article finally showed me how to shut off the stupid over-the-air wifi sync!
Thank you so much for this post everyone! I followed Susan's reply and that has me up and running. The kicker is....I'm trying to back up the contacts so I can export them and import them into an Android device.
For the iPhone 5s using iOs 11.1.2, go to Settings > Accounts & Passwords > iCloud and then turn off iCloud backups for the applications listed by swiping the button to the left.
-rob
For the iPhone 8 using iOs 11.1.2, go to Settings > Accounts & Passwords > iCloud and then turn off iCloud backups for the applications listed by swiping the button to the left.
Thank you! Your article is the only one I found that worked!
Sergio is correct, though I just had this happen: on an iPad Mini 3, it allowed me to overwrite the contacts through iTunes even though iCloud sync was enabled; in an iPhone 7, I had to turn off iCloud sync for contacts before I could push the contacts to the phone via iTunes. Weird.
Using Iphone 6 with IOS 10.3.1 it will be Settings -> Contacts -> Accounts -> iCloud,
instead of Settings -> iCloud