What does Unified Info mean on iPhone?

Among the standard WordPress offerings are statistics on each blog, and corresponding search terms that were used to discover any particular entry. Those are very powerful tools, and in the proper hands, can be effectively utilized.

It’s interesting to read the search terms that often lead to this blog, and to this point, though I have considered opining on some of the more “fascinating” or “peculiar” entries, I shall share something a wee bit less salacious.

In fact, it’s not salacious at all.

One such entry was “what does unified info mean on iPhone“?

First, consider what the word “unified” means.

“Unified” means “to make, or become united, uniform or whole.”

The prefix “uni” means “one.”

By implication, unity, unification, or unified means that exactness is present. There is no variation, or difference.

Things are as one. They are made into one. To unify is to make into one.

New Contact on iPhone – Note the data fields.

New Contact in “Contacts” address book on OSX
Note the data fields.

Sample Contact entry in “Contacts” address book on OSX.

Quite simply put, “Unified Info” on the iPhone means that the details of the particular Contact are synchronized EXACTLY with the entry as it may appear on iCloud AND on Contacts on the particular Apple computer to which the iPhone has been synchronizing.

ALL the information on iCloud, the iPhone and the computer (whether MacBook Pro, iMac, AirBook, Mac Pro or any other model of Apple computer) is EXACTLY the same, AND in the same location.

For example, by “same location,” I mean that the same data appears in the same place, and in the same way as it appears in the location of the other accounts.

Again, an example – (and this is merely an example) – the Last Name appears in the Last Name space, rather than having First and Last name in one space, or something with any variation.

Consider the following card as an illustration.

iPhone screenshot of Contact (upper part of card)

iPhone screenshot of Contact (lower part of card)

Again, it is important to remember that synchronizing is part and parcel of unifying, AND that duplicate cards CAN OCCUR IF INFORMATION ON A CARD IS DIFFERENT THAN WHERE IT APPEARS ELSEWHERE.

The iTunes application which is used to synchronize the particular Mac computer and the particular iDevice may be synchronized a.) With each other, and; b.) With iCloud.

To have “Unified Info” is the objective when maintaining Contacts, because it means that everything across the spectrum – whether on iCloud.com, the computer or iDevice – is the same.

On each card displayed as an example – the card of Dr. Joseph J. Contiguglia, MD – the name, title, organization, work phone and work fax, work email, and address – are ordered exactly the same, and contain the same information. In other words, his work phone appears first everywhere. It doesn’t appear second in one place, and first in another. It’s the same everywhere. It’s unified.

In this example as well, it was an oversight to enumerate the address as work. And yet, that oversight is consistent across the synchronizing spectrum – iPhone, OSX and iCloud.com. It is unified. To have Unified Info is the whole point of synchronizing and iCloud.

Consider this question: Why would anyone want to have different information on two devices? What benefit is there to having one phone number on the computer, a second phone number on the iPhone and yet a third, or worse – no phone numbers, or different phone numbers – on iCloud.com?

Again, having Unified Info is the whole point.

If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod is showing Unified Info, congratulations!

iCloud.com screenshot of Contact
The information on the card as it appears on iCloud.com is the same as it appears on the card on iPhone AND on the computer. The address book is called “Contacts” in every venue, so it’s important to mention the location of the card – whether on iPhone, Computer, or on iCloud.

Addendum/Post Script 14 June 2013: When in Contacts, which is the address book application for OSX, by dragging the contact of your choice into the iCloud category (as appearing on the LEFT column), the entry will automatically be duplicated & saved in iCloud, and thus, “Unified Info” will appear in the iPhone contact.