ISync
personal information manager
iSync is a defunct application developed by Apple Inc., which syncs iCal and Address Book data to SyncML-enabled mobile phones, via Bluetooth 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 bookmarks with the now-defunct .Mac 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.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “ISync” as personal information manager. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as personal information manager. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q285502. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2003, 2007 and 2002.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
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Three-step research path
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- Expand the search: follow ISync primary sources, ISync archive and ISync research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “ISync” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.