Alarm synchronisation with GooSync

[Stuart - GooSync Support]

Hi,

In the latest release of GooSync (updated on January 24th) we made the
decision to remove the alarm synchronisation feature.

This decision was made because of a problem Google Calendar has with
always sending events containing alarm data even if no alarm was set.

We're hoping Google can fix this issue promptly but, until then, alarm
synchronisation will not be available.

If development can create a more suitable work-around then obviously we
will implement it.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this change.

[astrauss]

Stuart

Does this mean that an appointment with alarm info will not be synced
at all or that the appointment will sync just without the alarm info?

Thanks
Andries

On Jan 26, 1:06 pm, "Stuart - GooSync Support"

[Stuart - GooSync Support]

Hi,

The event will still be synchronised, it will just be missing its alarm
status.

[tim...@gmail.com]

Hi

I am a new user of GooSync. I love the service, yet I cannot use it
with out the alarms. What is the negative impact of those "false
alarms"? Can we (user) choose whether we want alarm synced or not?

Thanks

On Jan 26, 7:11 am, "Stuart - GooSync Support"

<stu.etche...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> The event will still be synchronised, it will just be missing its alarm
> status.
>
> On Jan 26, 12:05 pm, "astrauss" <andries.stra...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > Stuart
>
> > Does this mean that an appointment with alarm info will not be synced
> > at all or that the appointment will sync just without the alarm info?
>
> > Thanks
> > Andries
>
> > On Jan 26, 1:06 pm, "Stuart - GooSync Support"
>
> > <stu.etche...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> > > Hi,
>
> > > In the latest release of GooSync (updated on January 24th) we made the
> > > decision to remove the alarm synchronisation feature.
>
> > > This decision was made because of a problem Google Calendar has with
> > > always sending events containing alarm data even if no alarm was set.
>
> > > We're hoping Google can fix this issue promptly but, until then, alarm
> > > synchronisation will not be available.
>
> > > If development can create a more suitable work-around then obviously we
> > > will implement it.
>

> > > We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this change.- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -

[Stuart - GooSync Support]

Hi,

Once synced to the device they become a valid alarm set to go off 10
minutes before the start of each event.

At present there are no settings within GooSync to stop the
synchronisation of alarms, which is why we made the decision to remove
the feature at this time.

I will speak with development today and see how we stand on a better
solution.

[Ev]

> This decision was made because of a problem Google Calendar has with
> always sending events containing alarm data even if no alarm was set.

What exactly do you mean when you say a problem with "always sending
events containing alarm data even if no alarm was set." Does that mean
that Google would say that every event had an alarm, even for events
without alarms? If so, I personally would prefer to have every single
event to have an alarm, rather than have no events have alarms. As a
workaround it would be lovely for each Goosync user to be able to
choose to have things one way or the other.

I missed conference calls due to your decision to stop syncing alarms
without notice. So as a further suggestion, it would be terrific if
you could email your paid users to let them know when a behavioral
change like this is being made.

[Stuart - GooSync Support]

Hi,

You're correct, when retrieving the calendar events from Google they
were all set with a 10 minute alarm even if the event was specifically
created without an alarm.

I've spoken with development and they will take a look at what can be
done to make this solution more suitable.

[Serge]

Ev,
I do agree with you
I would prefer to have every single
event to have an alarm, rather than no alarms at all!
Serge

[deckrider]

If every event has an alarm (even when told not to), then I prefer no
alarms.

However, until Google fixes this issue, perhaps a Goosync option to
sync alarms which defaults to "no" would be nice.

[tsa...@gmail.com]

Me to. Please enable alarm synchronisation back.

Serge כתב:

[jimahe...@gmail.com]

I don't think it matters at all, you are syncing with a google
calendar that has an alarm system that can text you, pop up on your
computer, email you etc... use the alarms fromgoogle itself.. have it
text you a reminder. about 5 clicks and your setup, click settings

[Ev]

Jim,

Unless you're at some spot with no cell phone signal, where you
wouldn't receive SMS. International travelers can run into this
regularly. That's why the alarm on the handheld device can be
important.

Evan

[kel...@gmail.com]

what about having two versions of goosync? one-all alarms, one-no
alarms; until a better solution can be found? I really miss alarms.

On Jan 31, 1:58 am, "Stuart - GooSync Support"

[coro...@gmail.com]

In the settings of google calendar it's possible to set off the "auto
ten minutes alarm".

[jut...@gmail.com]

Also the Alarm feature built-in to Google only sends alarms via SMS
for appointments in the default calendar, not other calendars (unless
I'm missing some setting, in which case I'd love to have someone
enlighten me).

On Feb 16, 12:45 am, jimahender...@gmail.com wrote:

[dougmo]

so can we download an older version?

[Stuart - GooSync Support]

Hi,

The restriction was made on the GooSync server itself. Changing the
client on your device will have no effect.

[janus....@gmail.com]

I would like the alarm to go off every time, rather than not.
Have you received any info on this from Google?

[oz.w...@gmail.com]

The absence of alarm sync makes the service pretty worthless IMHO. If
I've got to go in and manually set alarms for items, I might as well
manually go in and add them.

[YLA G]

same here..

i preffer an 15min alarm on everything and no alarm for all day
events..

[d2richland]

Add another vote for reinstating the alarm function. PLEASE.

On Jan 26, 4:06 am, "Stuart - GooSync Support"

[sanj]

While I appreciate the need for some to have all alarms turned on, for
others (including me) this would be a nightmare.
At best, if it was going to be implemented right now, it should be an
option

thanks

On Jan 26, 5:17 pm, timm...@gmail.com wrote:

[Stuart - GooSync Support]

Hi,

Development have informed me that we will be implementing a feature
where the users will have the ability to turn the alarm
synchronisation on or off from within your GooSync accounts.

We're hoping to have this available by the end of the month.

More details will be posted when available.

[Andrew.Ka...@gmail.com]

Sorry to also complain about this. It seems the alarm feature has been
missing on my goosync in the last 2 or 3 days. I've missed
appointments and checked and it seems that from Google Calendar the
alarm is there - but when I goosync to the PDA it doesn't replicate.

I don't understand how a change in January would have just impacted
now.

When is this feature coming back? I need it to support my forgetful
mind.

Andrew

On Mar 13, 10:45 pm, "Stuart - GooSync Support"

> > > > > > We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this change.- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Stuart - GooSync Support]

Hi,

The alarm functionality is still due to be reimplemented by the end of
the month.

[Quique]

Same here.
Until google doesn't fix the issue, I prefer having alarm set on all
events rather than on none. Best would be to let users decide which of
both possibilities to choose individually.
;-)

[Andrew.Ka...@gmail.com]

Hi Stuart

Has this already been rectified?

Andrew

On Mar 23, 6:08 pm, "Stuart - GooSync Support"

[Stuart - GooSync Support]

Hi,

No, GooSync has not yet been updated with the alarm fixes.

Development are still working on the implementation of the alarm
changes but we hope to have them available soon.

[liam193]

I don't know if this is related to the alarm synchronization issue or
not, but I have a serious problem with Goosync. I wasn't able to
identify the source at first because it happened about 2 months ago
and I wasn't sure if it was a Firefox extension or Goosync that was
causing the issue. I stopped using Goosync because of a "reinstall"
of my Windows Mobile device and hadn't gotten everything configured
right until last night. Last night I did a sync and this morning the
problem is back.

Here's the symptoms. If a meeting exists in my calendar which has
invitees (I sync my PDA with Outlook) and the email addresses are
there, the goosync'd version of the meeting in the Google calendar
sends an invite to the users 24 hours before the meeting starts. This
happens even if I am not the meeting organizer. As a result, I am
sending out meeting invites to people who already have a meeting
invite and making it look like I organized the meeting.

Can someone help me find a solution to get this disabled. If not,
Goosync is not a viable product for me.

[tbee...@gmail.com]

What is the status of the alarms?

Tom

[Stuart - GooSync Support]

Hi,

Development are still working on the re-implementation but, as usual,
nothing is ever as simple as it first appears.

It's going to take more work than we first thought to get the alarms
re-implemented in a decent way.

I will post more information on the progress of this once I have this
information available.

[stefan.o...@gmail.com]

I really need the alarm functionality. The entire service feels almost
worthless without it.
/Stefan

On 23 Mar, 12:08, "Stuart - GooSync Support"

[kos...@gmail.com]

I need alarms too!
Kos

[Andrew.Ka...@gmail.com]

Hi Stuart

I really feel bad pushing this again, but it has been a long time
since the intended fix date. When are we likely to see a fix? Also,
are those who are paying for the service also facing this problem?

Andrew

On Apr 18, 8:06 pm, kost...@gmail.com wrote:
> I need alarms too!
> Kos
>

[Stuart - GooSync Support]

Hi,

Development are still working on the alarm implementation. We're
hoping to have it available for the next release of GooSync, although
we don't yet have a time of this release.

Both free and subscription accounts are without alarms at present.

[tbee...@gmail.com]

> are those who are paying for the service also facing this problem?

This is the show stopper for me for upgrading to the paid version. The
first company providing an acceptable Calendar-PDA interface will get
me money.

Tom

[Stuart - GooSync Support]

Hi,

I'll try and get you all a release date by the end of the week even if
I have to get on my knees and beg development.

Stuart

[lsangio]

any news?
most people here need alarm synchro...
whilst waiting for new release to come can you please restore old
functionality?
i'm missing too many w/o alarms

thanks

Luigi

On 25 Apr, 12:22, Stuart - GooSync Support

> > Tom- Nascondi testo tra virgolette -
>
> - Mostra testo tra virgolette -

[Stuart - GooSync Support]

Hi,

I've spoken to development and they are aiming to get a new release
for GooSync containing alarm functionality available by the middle of
next week.

It would take just as long to get the old implementation of alarms
back into the service so we will not be reverting back to the old
functionality.

I will keep the group updated on the status of this release.

[Andrew Terry]

Just to add a counter-argument to this thread, I may be the lone user
who *doesn't* want alarms reinstated...! The reason being that when I
sync appointments from my Outlook calendar via Goosync, Google
calendar sends out alarms/reminders to *all* the invitees, meaning
people at work get email reminders from my gmail address!

(I've disabled the feature in Google Calendar, but I think the fact
that Outlook has a reminder set overrides the Google setting)

Cheers

Andrew

On Apr 30, 10:13 am, Stuart - GooSync Support
<stu.etche...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>

[SirKeats]

i take it this didn't happen?

On Mar 23, 3:08 am, "Stuart - GooSync Support"

[Stuart - GooSync Support]

Hi,

We were ready to make the release yesterday but Google decided they
wanted to change how their reminder system worked, which meant that
the changes we made had to be altered to match these changes.

The Google decided to annoy us further at the end of the day and
reverted back to their original support of reminders...

Development are currently checking that the code changes that were
made (and then rolled back) are working as expected. We're aiming to
have the release available later today (providing Google doesn't
decide to make any further changes).

[Stuart - GooSync Support]

Hi,

The GooSync update on Friday included the re-implementation of
reminders.

Details of how reminders now work in GooSync can be viewed at
http://www.goosync.com/ReminderHelp.aspx

On May 4, 9:37 am, Stuart - GooSync Support

[lsangio]

Thanks for reminders re-implementation!
Now i ask, is it normal to set 30' popup reminder in Google Calendar
and after syncin' getting 10' reminder in my SE W800?
What's wrong?

thanks again

Luigi

On 5 Mag, 17:13, Stuart - GooSync Support
<stu.etche...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>

> The GooSync update on Friday included the re-implementation of
> reminders.
>

> Details of how reminders now work in GooSync can be viewed athttp://www.goosync.com/ReminderHelp.aspx

> > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Nascondi testo tra virgolette -

[Stuart - GooSync Support]

Hi,

Google still appear to be making changes to how they are implementing
reminders. Their original way of using reminders (which was flawed and
was the main cause of us removing the reminder feature) was to send a
10 minute reminder for all events from "additional" calendars (any
other than the default calendar) regardless of what was set in Google.

They are currently changing (fixing) this so all calendars fully
support reminders. You can see if your account has been changed by
creating a new entry and checking the reminder settings. If you only
get the option of changing the reminder time it means you're still on
the old format. If you get the option of changing the reminder time as
well as changing the reminder format (pop-up, email, or SMS) then it
indicates you are on the new format and your reminders should work
correctly.

My own personal account was only changed to the new format last night.
According to the Google support group instead of performing a full
change-over for all accounts they are performing a slow change-over.

You may find your account is changed over today or tomorrow and then
alarms will be fully supported for you.

However, if you are on the new format but your reminders are still not
syncing correctly then please let me know your GooSync username and
I'll check the log files.

[w.sm...@gmail.com]

Dear Stuart,
all my appointments are received with alarm. So that was the original
error, for which alarm-support was withdrawn. Please cancel it again!
My account: wsmout
my device: Palm TX
I'm sure I switched off the Sync reminders.
I tried several slow syncs - to no avail. Alarms keep ringing all
around me ;-)
Please help this very alarmed customer,
Willem

[ar...@ida.liu.se]

I have no check box on my device page next to the calendar so I can
not turn alarm off. I have alarm off in Google Calendar but they are
synchronised as alarm events. I do not want alarms at all. Tonight me
mobile woke me up with an alarm telling me that it is Ascension day:-
( It also seems that the alarm in my calendar on my M600i overrides my
unit settings on having no alarm signal whatsoever. Any solution to
this?

/Arne

[Andrew Terry]

Hi Stuart

Could you clarify whether the option to switch off reminders is only
available on the paid subscription? I'm using the free version at the
moment, and I don't see the "no reminders" option under my GooSync
calendar settings

Cheers

Andrew

> /rne

[Stuart - GooSync Support]

Hi,

The ability to disable reminders is only available in the subscription
service of GooSync.

Free accounts can synchronise reminders from their default calendar
but they don't have the ability to disable them.

On Jun 6, 12:41 pm, Andrew Terry <andrewterry...@googlemail.com>
wrote:

[imdaShiy]

Hi Stuart,

I have the same problem as Arne and Andrew. My Google Calendar
entries have no notification/alarm attached to them, but somehow
syncing with my free GooSync account it adds an alarm to each entry.
This alarm is by default 10 minutes before the start time of the
event. Is there no way to get rid of this added alarm? Thanks!

Shay

On Jun 6, 5:36 am, Stuart - GooSync Support

<stu.etche...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> The ability to disable reminders is only available in the subscription
> service of GooSync.
>
> Free accounts can synchronise reminders from their default calendar
> but they don't have the ability to disable them.
>
> On Jun 6, 12:41 pm, Andrew Terry <andrewterry...@googlemail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Hi Stuart
>
> > Could you clarify whether the option to switch off reminders is only
> > available on the paid subscription? I'm using the free version at the
> > moment, and I don't see the "no reminders" option under my GooSync
> > calendar settings
>
> > Cheers
>
> > Andrew
>
> > On May 17, 8:37 am, a...@ida.liu.se wrote:
>
> > > I have no check box on my device page next to the calendar so I can

> > > not turnalarmoff. I havealarmoff in Google Calendar but they are
> > > synchronised asalarmevents. I do not want alarms at all. Tonight me
> > > mobile woke me up with analarmtelling me that it is Ascension day:-
> > > ( It also seems that thealarmin my calendar on my M600i overrides my
> > > unit settings on having noalarmsignal whatsoever. Any solution to
> > > this?
>
> > > /rne

[Stuart - GooSync Support]

Hi,

Please confirm your current GooSync user name (I've located two
accounts linked to your email address) and I'll get the logs checked
to see what's going on.

[Isaac J. Roang]

I really wish you would reconsider this and allow free users to turn
OFF reminders. I would like to try out your service, but if reminders
are synced, I guess I won't. Thanks. -IJR

On Jun 6, 7:36 am, Stuart - GooSync Support

> > > unitsettingson having no alarm signal whatsoever. Any solution to
> > > this?
>
> > > /rne