Have you recently found the Android System Sync disabled on your phone?
It’s usually vital to sync our devices’ data with the other accounts that we use in order to access different apps.
For example, an Android smartphone must be synced with a Google account to ensure that you’ll continue to receive notifications about new emails and replies.
However, the system sync might become disabled or turned off due to unknown reasons.
If your Android System Sync is currently experiencing problems, we’re here to help!
While there could be a few different potential causes, it’s firstly important to check the settings and enable the Sync feature to keep your phone’s data up-to-date in terms of account information.
You can do this by going to the Settings app and tapping on “About Phone”.
Slide the toggle to green for Global sync, Google sync, Chrome sync, and to synchronize any other accounts you have on the phone.
Log off from the accounts and log in again after turning on the Global sync for the phone to start syncing the data automatically!
What Is Android System Sync?
What does “sync” mean?
Do you even need to sync phone data?
“Sync” is a shortened term for synchronization, where data on one Android device or app is updated with the latest information from another source.
As an example: When you sync two files, you transfer data from one file to another and make sure that they’re matched with one another.
When you sync a Google account on your phone with a Google account you use on a computer or other device, the emails, bookmarks, search history, and other associated information will be updated to reflect the latest information available.
Through this, it doesn’t matter which device you use to access your account; you won’t have to worry about missing any files or losing vital information!
System Sync wasn’t always a default feature on mobile phones; earlier phones actually didn’t have the ability to sync automatically.
In order to sync your phone to other accounts and data, you had to physically connect the device to a computer using a USB cable and transfer data that way.
For the convenience of their users, Android introduced the System Sync (and AutoSync) feature to their devices over time. This feature is turned on by default so that data is synced automatically.
Apps and cloud data are automatically synced on the device and accounts. You can then access the information from any device and location, as long as you have an internet connection.
Simply put, Android’s System Sync keeps your contact information, app data, and cloud storage up-to-date (when the phone is connected to an active internet source).
However, users do have the choice of turning off the automatic sync on their smartphones.
While it isn’t recommended, some users turn off sync for personal reasons. This will affect the user experience, but may be preferred depending on personal circumstances.
What Does It Mean When Android System Sync Is Disabled?
Syncing data isn’t a complicated matter in most instances.
It typically happens in the background, and users don’t have to do anything about it!
The only time you’d have to manually sync your accounts again is when the phone had been cut off from an internet connection for some time while you continued to use it.
Even then, the sync function should start automatically when the phone is reconnected to the internet. If it doesn’t, you may have to open the app and refresh it to start the syncing processes again.
Having said that, there are some Android phones that might disable system sync without warning.
When your smartphone says that the system sync is disabled, this means that the data isn’t being automatically updated on the Android server for the apps you’re currently using.
Simply put, the phone isn’t synced to the internet or the Android servers.
Your Contacts, Calendar, Bookmarks, and Messages aren’t stored anywhere else except on the phone.
If there is new information in regards to these, they may not be up to date with the most recent versions.
In these instances, you’re at a higher risk of losing access to your information.
Imagine that your phone System Sync has been disabled for a week.
In that week, you added a dozen new contacts and a few calendar appointments. You also received some important messages.
Now, say that you’ve misplaced or lost your phone!
The information you saved on that phone after the System Sync was disabled will be irretrievable, until you retrieve the lost device.
However, if the sync was enabled, you’d be able to access the information from the cloud even if you don’t have access to the phone.
How Do I Re-Enable System Sync On Android?
According to our research, Huawei smartphones tend to be the main culprits when it comes to issues with System Sync.
The feature becomes disabled and disrupts Google accounts and other apps such as WhatsApp, Outlook, and more.
Though you can manually sync the app data by pressing on ‘Sync now‘, it can end up being quite the time-waster if you have to do this each time you open an app!
It would be easier to re-enable Android System Sync and let the phone automatically auto-sync data like it should’ve been doing in the first place.
Here are the steps you can take to make sure that happens:
- Go to Settings and select ‘Accounts’
- Tap the ‘More’ option to check if system sync is enabled or disabled
- Tap on Sync All (or Global sync) and enable it
- Wait for a few minutes as the data on the phone and the apps is synced
Android Oreo users should follow the steps below to re-enable system sync:
- Go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Automatically Sync Data (slide the toggle to green)
To sync only Google apps, you need to enable sync in Google Accounts:
- Settings > Users and Accounts > Google Account
- You can select which Google services/apps to sync and which ones to avoid.
Here’s how to sync only non-Google apps on an Android smartphone:
- Settings > Apps and Notifications > App Info > Sync data
You’ll have to do this separately for each app on your phone.
Related Questions
Can I see the devices synced with my Google account?
Yes, you can see the devices synced with your Google account.
You can add your smartphones, laptop, computer, and tablet to your Google account:
- Go to Google Account > Security
- Your Devices > Manage all devices
The list of devices currently linked to your Google account will be displayed as a list.
You also have the option to check the login and session time for each device. Users have an option to report any unknown or new device that’s linked to their Google account.
Can one phone be synced with another?
This is possible on iPhones if both devices use the same iCloud account.
The changes made to Contacts, Calendar, Bookmarks, etc., will reflect on both devices if they have access to a single iCloud account.
However, this can be confusing if the phones are used by different people. You can prevent this by:
Opening the Settings app > iCloud > Delete Account (this will delete the iCloud account from the iPhone and not the cloud server).
Create another Apple ID for the phone, and log in to your new iCloud account!
In Summary
Did you get a message on your phone saying that the Android System Sync is disabled?
If you see this, it means that the phone’s data won’t be synced with the data on Android’s servers.
You’ll have to re-enable system sync by opening the Settings app and accessing user accounts.
Turn on the Sync All/Global Sync/Auto-Sync options and wait while the data is synced.
It’s definitely helpful to periodically check if the sync is turned on to ensure that your information won’t be lost!
If all else fails, another way to sync phone data is by manually transferring data for each app on your phone.