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Getting started

1. Install the preference pane. Double-click SpanningSync.prefPane from the disk image and let System Preferences open it.
2. Sign in. Enter the Google account you want to sync with. If the account uses 2-Step Verification, create an app-specific password in your Google account settings and use that instead of your normal password.
3. Pair your calendars. On the Calendars tab, tick an iCal calendar and choose its Google partner. If the Google calendar does not exist yet, create it in Google Calendar first and click Refresh.
4. Pair your contacts. On the Contacts tab, choose whether to sync all contacts or only certain Address Book groups.
5. Run the first sync. Click Sync Now and leave the Mac awake. The first run merges both sides; from then on only changes are moved.

Troubleshooting

Sync never starts

Check that syncing is switched on in the preference pane and that the Mac is online. Then click Sync Now and watch the menu-bar icon. If nothing happens, sign out of the pane and sign back in to refresh the Google session.

Google rejects the password

Accounts with 2-Step Verification need an app-specific password rather than the normal one. Google Apps accounts also need the administrator to allow access from desktop applications.

Events appear at the wrong time

Almost always a time-zone mismatch. Make sure the time zone set in Google Calendar (Settings → General) matches the one in iCal and in System Preferences → Date & Time. Correct the zone first, then run a sync.

Duplicate events or contacts

Duplicates come from two sync paths feeding the same data: the same calendar paired twice, a CalDAV subscription to the same Google calendar living alongside the Spanning Sync pairing, or a second tool such as MobileMe or iCloud also syncing Address Book. Keep one path per calendar or address book, remove the extra copies once, and sync again.

A change on the phone does not reach the Mac

The phone talks to Google, and Google talks to the Mac. Confirm the change is visible in Google Calendar or Google Contacts on the web first. If it is, the next sync on the Mac will pick it up; a Mac that was asleep syncs as soon as it wakes.

The first sync takes a long time

A calendar with years of history or an address book with thousands of cards is compared item by item the first time. Later syncs move only changes and typically finish in seconds.

I want to hide the menu-bar icon

Open the Options tab in the preference pane and untick the menu-bar item. Syncing continues in the background without it.

I want to remove Spanning Sync completely

Use the uninstaller that came with the download. Full instructions are on the download page.

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