iCloud Sync | Cakeday Docs

Cakeday uses iCloud to keep your birthday data synchronized across all your Apple devices: iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

How It Works

Cakeday uses Apple’s iCloud sync service tied to your Apple ID. When you add, edit, or delete a birthday on one device, the change is made available to your other Apple devices automatically. No separate account registration is needed.

What Syncs

The following data is synced across devices:

Birthdays: All birthday records, including names, dates, photos, notes, birth city, birth time, and group assignments
Groups: Group names, colors, icons, and sort order

App settings are not synced. Notification preferences, accent color, appearance mode, and other settings remain local to each device. This is by design so you can have different configurations on different devices.

Sync Status

You can check the sync status in Settings > iCloud Sync within Cakeday. It displays the date and time of the last successful sync. If the sync completed very recently, it shows “Just now” instead of a timestamp. The status updates in real time.

Account Change Handling

If you sign in with a different Apple ID, Cakeday detects the account change and shows an alert with two options:

Keep data: Your existing local data is preserved and will begin syncing to the new iCloud account.
Stop syncing: iCloud sync is disabled. Your local data is kept, but no longer syncs.

Enabling Sync with Existing Data

If you already have birthday data on your device when you enable iCloud sync for the first time, Cakeday will show a merge prompt. It explains that your local data will be uploaded to iCloud and merged with any data already in the cloud (for example, from another device). You can confirm to proceed or cancel.

Privacy

Your birthday data is stored in a private iCloud container tied to your Apple ID. This means:

Only you can access your data. Cakeday’s developers cannot read, view, or modify it.
No third party has access to your iCloud container.
Apple encrypts iCloud data both in transit and at rest.
If you enable Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, Apple applies additional protection to that data.

Requirements

iCloud must be enabled on your device (Settings > Apple ID > iCloud)
Cakeday must have iCloud permission (Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Apps Using iCloud)
An active internet connection for sync to occur

Troubleshooting

Data not syncing? Ensure iCloud is enabled and you are signed in with the same Apple ID on all devices. Check that Cakeday appears in your iCloud apps list.
Sync seems slow? iCloud sync depends on Apple’s servers and your network conditions. Changes typically propagate within a few seconds to a few minutes.
Data missing after reinstall? After reinstalling Cakeday, open the app and enable iCloud sync. Your data will be downloaded from iCloud automatically.