What does synchronisation mean?¶

Synchronisation copies and reconciles account data across devices and services so a change in one place can appear elsewhere.

One source event can create many artefacts¶

A photograph, contact, read status or deletion may propagate to phones, tablets and cloud systems. Matching content across devices may therefore derive from one event, not several independent actions. A local item may also have originated elsewhere.

Timing explains many differences¶

Connectivity, power, permissions and provider design can delay or prevent synchronisation. Timestamps may record original creation, provider receipt or local sync. Identify account, linked devices, enabled categories, last connection and originating event.

Preserve differences rather than treating delay as deletion. Deletion itself may propagate across linked devices.